The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-05-03
OF MINOR IMPORTANCE.


Articles OF Commerce Receive More Con
Legislators.
The fact that bills in favor of munich
pal suffrage for women have just been
voted down in Maine, Massachusetts,
Ohio and Dakota furnishes fresh prool
of the disadvantages at which a dis
franchised class always is. Since 1858.
when the petition of Louisa Alcott's
mother for suffrage was refused, there
has been an almost continuous move
ment in some form for legal or political
rights for women. OF late years the
effort has been especially for municipal
suffrage. The petitioners for this
measure. in the State of Massachusetts
alone. have in some years numbered
more than $4,000 But though it is
thirty-six years since suffrage petitions
began to be sent up, women are still a
disfranchised class. II they had been
voters, and had petitioned for any thing
that had so substantial basis of justice
as has the present claim for equal polit-
ical rights, it would have been impossi-
BILE to deny it
Take the case in Maine last year.
The House of Representatives wanted
81, 200 with which to pay their postage.
There was certain feeling that it was
not right to take that money from the
taxpayers, and that the $4,000 letters
whose postage it was to pay would not
be written. Nevertheless, under a sus-
pension of the rules, the bill was pushed
through and the appropriation made.
The power to get it was in the hands
OF those who wanted it.
Lobstering is great business inter.
est in Maine. Petitions on behalf oil
the lobster poured into the Legislature.
1t was discussed how short he ought to
be at one season. and how long he
would be at another, and how much he
would grow in twenty -four hours. His
case went from one committee to an.
other, and finally. in conference com.
mittee from both houses. the lobster
bill passed. The men interested in the
lobster had votes. They were on the
spot to urge their own measure. They
were not left thirty-six years withou,
protection to their canning of Holsters
as women have been left in the grea,
matter of personal rights.
The Maine farmers had found the
crow a pest to their corn, and the farm
ers gave their Neutrality-suspicious. nc
peace till they offered a reward for the
body of the crow. But when 10000
petitioners, including the best womer
of Maine. asked for municipal suffrage
the Maine Legislature, though it wa:
very polite to them and granted then
a hearing in the hall of the House
finally gave them "'leave to withdraw.
despite the fact that some of the mem.
bers spoke well in their behalf Maine
women asked for a reform school fol
girls. but they could not get it. One Of
the Maine Senator's told me, 1--WE have
law to let girls of thirteen marry,
and when they marry they come into
possession of all their property. Wha,
more can you want? Gould you have
had such law if the mothers had
votes" asked. Il do not think we
could" was his honest reply. But
neither the mothers nor any women OF
Maine have votes. so they stand outside
and wait, while the lobster and the
crow are attended to.
In Massachusetts,, after weary years,
and after all objections had been an
swered, we were told that when wo-
men showed they would use suffrage il
they had it," the right would be Sc
cured to them. Every one remembers
the pitiless storm through which 20. 600
women in this city went last fall to
vote, after having first asked to be
taxed that they might vote for school
committee. Again we went up to the
Legislature with the names of thou
sands of petitioners The committee
gave us ample hearing" They re-
ported bill. The question came up
in the House, and some members spoke
well for the bill. and then We had
"leave to withdraw" by vote, includ-
ing pairs, of 1879 to 80. There was not
woman member to speak for hey
cause; not single representative
elected by women to feel responsible to
them as his constituents.
In 1874 two men were arrested and
shut up il the same cell Both were
drunk. In the morning one of the men
was found dead. The other received a
life sentence for murder. Not long ago
the representative of Ward 8. in this
city. and the mission priest OF the State
prison, set out to secure his pardon.
They interested the representatives OF
Ward in his case, and with the effort
they and others made the pardon was
secured, and the man restored to all his
political rights. The pardon may have
been deserved; but mark the contrast
A man arrested in the first place for
drunkenness, and afterwards serving a
life sentence for murder, is SO easily,
by the efforts OF two or three men, re-
stored to full political rights, and al
lowed to vote for all the Offices Of the
city. State and Nation. But when Mas
sachusetts women. after more than
thirty years Of petitioning. came to the
Legislature with the names Of thou
sands Of women. asking only for a
fraction Of the suffrage, to the whole OF
which this pardoned criminal is well
come. they are voted down by large
majority-the representative OF Ward 8
voting mo- with the rest
The disadvantage of being unrepre-
scented leaves women practically sub