The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-03-01

oak ana other se8pOrt9 Tor maroon
boards, and in Belfast for all municipal
officers In Sweden woman suffrage Is
about the same as in Great Britain. In
Russia women who are the heads Of
households vote for all elective officers
and on all local questions n Austria
Hungary women vote By proxy at all
elections, including members of provin-
cial and Imperial Parliamenta Fin
land women vote for all elective Off
GERS, and in Italy and Sardinia widows
vote for members of Parliament In
Asia women taxpayers vote in British
Burmah and in the Presidencies Of
Madras and Bombay. Women have
municipal suffrage at the Cape of Good
Hope. Some Of the greatest conquests
for rights of women have been made in
Australia. Municipal suffrage exists
in New Zealand, and the Legislature
has decided that women may ~ote for
members of Parliament Suffrage also
exists in Victoria, New South Wales,
Queensland and South Australia There
are two small Islands, one the Isle Of
Man, in British waters, and the other
Pitcairn Island, in the South Pacific.
where women have full suffrage. Wo-
men are alse free to vote in Iceland and
in Tasmania The islands around
Great Britain. the Isle of Wight, the
Scilly Islands, Holyhead, the Hebrides,
Orkneys and Shetlands, are all under
the common law that gives single wo-
men and widows the power to vote on
the same terms as men.
But this is not all. For COO miles, from At
lantic to Pacific, from the G III of ST. Lawrence
to Puget Sound, without one gap, stretches q
belt Of thirty States, Territories and provinces
where women have begun to exercise some de-
gree Of self government In every Territory
but one New Mexico) some law has been pass
ed more or less relieving women from disfran-
chisement! When the suns rays at Cape Bro
ton first touched the shore Of civilized Amer
lea they fall on women whom Nova Scotia's laws
make free: as those beams light up o long
range Of communities, they strike but one spot
(Maine) where women are wholly enslaved;
and when they fade from the beach Of Queen
Charlotte Islands they bid farewell in sunsets
glowing hues. to thousands Of women whom
realm is wondrous too for breadth. From Cape
May to Hudson's Sea, from the Tennessee Dor
der to the Saskatchew an river, from the Alas
kan boundary TO the Mexican Gulf, reaches this
mighty region where woman is in some meas
ure free! and besides its splendid length Of
five thousand miles, its great breadth Is two
thousand! From the petition vote Of Texas
school officers, the petition vote for Arkansas
and Mississippi tor and against liquor license,
the tax payers school vote of Vermont and
the widows school vote OF Kentucky, to tho
full, free, equal suffrage Of Wyoming, the de-
grees Of woman's enfran chisement vary; but
everywhere is the principle rejected that never
may woman vote; the iron rule of relentless,
endless disfranchise ment is broken! Behold
the figures; the facts exceed the power OF
words"
A summary of all countries in which
woman suffrage has made some prog
ress shows that there are 100 States,
Territories and provinces, having an
area Of 14,057, $50 square miles, and
communities numbering 292. 719. 5S1
people, in which the idea is rejected
that sex is hopeless bar to freedom
and self-government, and that all wO-
men, whatever their genius, must polit-
ically be the slaves OF men. In this
immense territory law and public sem
timent admit that under some circum-
stances women may properly vote. In
closing Mr.. Wilcox says:
But why then does not woman suffrage work
the benefits its advocates promise? 1t does.
From every quarter comes the same report
that women partalIng in elections bring purer
politics, better government and fairer play for
women. But this is under great disadvantages.
In large regions women's political freedom is
still limited to school or village elections; in
many it is confined to mere municipal ones;
only in Wyoming is it equal in extent to mas
culine suffrage. In many Of these numerous
communities the mass Of men are still disfran-
chised, and so are the mass Of women.