The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-11-08
woMAN's POLITICAL STATUS.

Women In THIS Country ana Abroad
Tho Ballot the Fulcrum OF Political
Power.
'.Is the suffrage movement making
any progress?" is question frequently
asked by those who take no note OF
what is being said and done about it
To Judge of the progress OF q movement
one must understand something of its
origin and purpose. Those who have
given no thought to woman's political
status in the past or the present would
be surprised at the statement that in
all civilized nations. at some periods.
women have possessed and exercised
political power in greater or less de-
grees
From time immemorial. says Eliza
beth Cady Stanton. in Frank Leslie 8
Illustrated Newspaper, the women OF
England have held many important
offices and voted on many questions;
and in line with English precedent.
women had the right TO vote in this
country in the early days. under the
constitutions OF the thirteen original
colonies Many years passed before
the several States so amended their
constitutions as to make sex disquali-
fication for the suffrage. New Jersey
was the last State to rob woman OF this
right. and she did not do it by the slow
legal process of constitutional amend
ment, but by a hasty. arbitrary act OF
the Legislature. In that State women
voted at all elections. from 1776 to 1907.
upon terms of equality with men. They
helped to elect the delegates from that
State to the Constitutional Convention.
They voted to ratify the instrument
when submitted. They voted at the
first five Presidential elections-twice
for Washington. twice for Jefferson.
and once for John Adams. Their de-
scendents are only claiming the exercise
of a right as old as the Constitution
itself.
l am indebted to Judge Charles v.
Waite. of Chicago. Francis Minor, Esq,
of st. Louis. and Hamilton Wilcox, OF
New York city. for several valuable
pamphlets on this question. contain
ing much curious information and I'M
earthing many reliable facts hitherto
unknown even to those most deeply in
terested in this subject. Through
various causes many Of these ancient
rights had been withheld and others
had fallen into disuse until the agita-
ton of the slavery question. in England
and America. and the French revolu-
ton aroused a widespread discussion
on individual rights. and gave a new
significance to the terms of liberty.
justice, equality. The intensely earnest
debates in legislative and popular as.
| semblies, and the terrible enginery OF
war. thrilled the hearts of the women
| of those countries, and awakened in
them a new desire to share in the bless.
ings OF those broad principles of free.
dom proclaimed for the masses.
This demand was answered in France
by the Napoleon code for women; in
the United States by bills in New York
and Pennsylvania securing to married
women their property rights in 1S4S;
and in England by bills introduced into
the House OF Commons by John Stew
art Mill in 1867, demanding suffrage
for women. which passed in 1869. grant
ing municipal suffrage to widows and
spinsters. The Woman Question in
Europe" by Theodore Stanton. shows
the political status OF women in the
various countries on the Eastern Cont
nent. all alike recognizing the princi-
pie that sex is not barrier to the sui.
frage.
In the United States women now vote
on some questions in twenty-five States.
They have full suffrage in Wyoming,
Washington and did have in Utah.
Municipal suffrage was conferred or
the women of Kansas two years ago.
Taking the two continents and the isles
of the sea together, where women now
vote, find the area OF freedom covers
about Is 100000 of square miles. and
includes about 100000 600 of inhab
itants. In this vast area some form o.
suffrage is now exercised by women.
Every year. both in England and the
United States, find some steps in prog
ress, some new rights conceded. The
drift of legislation and public senti
ment is all in the direction of woman's
complete enfranchisement Yet in the
face of all this we have some women
both in England and America, petition
ing their lawmakers to halt where We
are, and concede no more rights. privil
eyes or immunities to the women O
their respective countries. Singularly
enough these English petitioners are
the very women who, as members o
the Primrose League, carried the las
Tory election, among whom was Lady
Randolph Churchill. They canvasset
their several districts thoroughly. &C
centuating their arguments with all the
personal charms that artistic dress ant
winning manners could give in the way
of bewildering unwary voters. Theil
petition, which some OF our metropolitan
papers have thought worth publishing
is a tissue of contradictions, old, worn
out assertions that have been fully an
swered many times during the last half
century. The petitioners on this sid,
are equally active in advocating Ger
tain reforms, but they draw the line a
suffrage. To that point they say W,
can use our influence to promote al
worthy reforms. but to cross that lint
is to unsex ourselves in twinkling
But these women, with their protest.
in hand. are as helpless against the in