The Washington critic., 1890-02-21
WOMEN AT THE POLLS.
HOW THE PLAN HAS WORKED IN
KANSAS.
Making Roadway In widows
and Spinsters Vote at Municipal
Eiections-Compiaint From salt
Lake City.

Making Roadway In widows
and spinsters vote at Municipal
Eiections-Compiaint From salt
Lake City.
Mrs. Mary L. Holmes of Illinois was
the first speaker at this mornings SEES
sion of the Woman Suffrage Associa-
ton Convention at Lincoln Music Hall =,
and gave good report for the work in
that State.
DR.. Emily II. Stowe reported for
Canada that the woman suffrage move
mcnt was making Roadway in that con.
servative country, and that since 1884
widows and spinsters had voted at mu
nicipal elections. The progress was
very encouraging, she said, and the
women were working for full suffrage.
Mrs. Sarah M. Kimball of Salt Lake
CITY told of the observation-disclosures of
women in that Territory by the Ed.
munds bill, which she denounced rs an
outrage, because II deprived women of
a vested right without trial after hay
ing voted for sixteen years.
For Indiana, Mrs. Mary Wright
Sewcll stated that much Of the past
years work had been of negative
character, being chiefly devoted to
showing that there is no connection be-
tween woman suffrage and the Prohi-
bition movement. Mrs. Sewell an
nounced her opposition to prohibition.
The work in Kansas. where women
already have the right to vote at mu-
nicipal elections, was detailed by Mrs.
Laura M. Johns, who said that the
women voters were steadily gaining in
numbers and influence in securing
proper nominations and elections.
Colonel Anthony Of Leavenworth, the
brother of Miss Susan d. Anthony,
added his testimony that woman suf-
frage in Kansas had been successful.
ut is a fact" he said, chat not 10
per cent. of the women of Leavenworth
desired suffrage. 1t was thrust upon
them. At the first election LOO out of
1000 women in Leavenworth registered
and voted, and the election was as
quiet as church-yard. At the
election last spring 50 per cent. of the
women registered and voted. About
10 per cent. more of them voted for the
law and order side than for the other.
The election demonstrated that the
votes of most of the women were con-
trolled by their husbands and fathers. Z"
Colonel Anthony failed to state that he
was the candidate for mayor at that
election, and that, notwithstanding
that most of the women voted
for him, he was overwhelm-
ingly defeated by the Democratic
candidate. He denied the stories of
disorderly conduct by women at the
elections, and said that the presence of
women at the polls was more conducive
to good order than any quantity of
policemen.
In answer to questions Mrs Johns
said that the fact of women voting had
had no effect on their matrimo
NAL prospects, and that in Kansas
the marriage licenses were increasing
while the divorces were decreasing
Miss Anthony stated that four cities in
Kansas were governed by women and
that they had proved very successful.
Mrs. Emily b. Ketcham read the re-
port for Michigan, stating that woman
suffrage bill had been passed by the
lower house of the Legislature. but de-
feated in the Senate. The women of
most Of the cities of the State have
school suffrage.
Miss Phoebe CouZins showed 'por-
trait of Miss Betsy Ross of Philadelphia,
who made the first United States flag,
and gave little history Of
that patriotic woman, who, she said,
also first suggested the name of the
United States and the design of the
great seal. Mrs. Colby, Mrs. Hart,
Miss Alice Stone Blackwell, and Mrs.
Mary f. Seymour presented the claims
of the WOman'S Tribune. the
lF0Wan's Journal the Woman S
Column, the Business WomaH's journal
and the IV0maR's Chronicle. Mrs. Hart
made such an effective little speech for
the Womans Chronicle, which is pub.
lished at Little Rock, Ark, that q mum.
Der of contributions were received to
help along the work in the South.
At 3 O'clock the convention began a
discussion of Woman Suffrage
Among the Young" in which
Ellen i. Deitrick of Kentucky,
Frances Stuart Parker of Illinois,
Laura Clay of Kentucky. Mary
Seymour Howell of New York and
others took part. At this evening
session Mrs. Zerella G. Wallace OF
Indiana will speak on "a Whole
Humanity, - Rev. Olympia Brown
! of Wisconsin on Where is the
Mistaken" and Rev Annie III. Shaw of
| Illinois on "Our Unconscious Allies.
Miss Anthony will make an address,
which will close the convention.