Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-04-18
MOVEMENTS IN MAINE.

MOVEMENTS IN MAINE
Progress Of tho Cause Of Woman Sa6f1gs
In the "Pins Tree state"
There is genuine Woman Suffrage
Revival in Maine. Gays II. b Black.
well, in Woman's Journal From Sacc
to Eastport numerous petitions in it,
favor, signed, it is said. by about
twenty thousand citizens. have been
sent to the Legislature. Remonstrances
have been forwarded BY about one
thousand and two hundred women.
mostly of Portland aud Bangor. The
petitioners include many women Of the
highest sn~'"l standing. large tax
payers, am almost wltn0ut exception
the leaders in charities, reforms and
benefcient public enterprises They
are representative OF the best mental
and moral elements OF the State. The
remonstrants arc largely composed of
--society women" influential in that
class whose men are often most remiss
in the exercise of their political duties
and everywhere averse to change 1t
is a strong argument for the proposed
measure that women of this class re-
monstrate on the ground that il the
right is conferred they will regard its
exercise as responsibility and duty
--unwelcome, but imperative. This
fact affords well-grounded hope that
when the women of this class vote. the
very men who have hitherto refrained
will vote with them. thus adding two
votes where now we have none.
In the House ex-governor Robie rep
resents the Changers. 10000 strong.
who have by resolution endorsed wo-
man suffrage. and he is himself an ar
dent suffragist The chairman of the
Senate judiciary Committee. man of
great ability and force of character,
voted for woman outrage two years
ago. and is believed TO be In favor of
the bill Senator Libby. OF Portland.
is also understood TO favor it Many
eading Republicans and some Demo-
H y among the latter Senator Looney,
of Cornish. hava e->ressAd their inten-
ton to vOue 4ur lac .i4oslsure.
It - proposed to give women citizens.
other~ Use qualified. and who osn read
and wrise, a vote in town and munich
pal elections. In 1850 there were in
Maine male citizens over twenty-one
years old 195. 223. of whom 1864 were
illiterates, and ll.776 OF foreign birth.
OF women oveS twenty-one. there were
189. 1913, of whoa similar proportion
we're probably Of foreign birth. and
8.005 were illiterutaa Woman suf-
frage, therefore. would add to the 1885,
223 male votes In town and municipal
ell, ctions 1S1. 718 women who can read
and write. ten out Of eleven Of whom
are of native birth. The effect, there
fore. would be to raise the standard of
and still further to Ameri-
canize the politics Of the State
Kansas has recently given municipal
suffrage to its women. There is q
parallelism In the character
and political condition of Maine and
Kansas. Both are largely Republican,
largely American. with q minimum of
illiteracy, and both have prohibition in
their State constitutions Let US hope
that Maine, like Kansas. will grant
suffrage 70 women.
In Maine, two years ago. woman
suffrage constitutional amendment re-
,eived a majority vote in both Houses.
but failed Of tho needed two-thirds.
woman suffrage, for its en-
needs only majority of both
Houses with the assent of the Governor.
II reason and not prejudice governed
he onoonents. We shOuld expect q
much larger vote for this moro limited
than for change of oonstitu-
ion. If this bill pass. the Legislature
will continue to be elected by men
alone. If the PARTICIPATION of women
in town and city elections prove un-
welcome to the men il will be speedily
repealed. And its repeal would be
the greatest possible obstacle to its
further agitation. On che other hand.
If it proved satisfactory. prejudice
would disappear. and further advances
would probably follow. Surely If the
friends of suffrage are willing TO abide
by the experiment. It's opponents can
afford to do SO. But prejudice never
and the remOnstrants of
two years ago will oppose this bill as
vehemently as they opposed the con-
amendment
Meanwhile the uniform success of
full woman suffrage during the last
twenty years in Wyoming and WASH
ington Territories. Of municipal woman
suffrage in Kansas. Canada and Great
Britain. and of school suffrage in four
teen States, can not lail to impress
every man who will open hiseyes. And
the fact that in the IT, & Senate, in
December. 1887. two-thirds OF the Sem
ators from Maine to California. north
of Mason and Dixon's Tina inclnd;n0