Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-03-25


,ns st upon its action,
Mr., Sp~'v''N of Nlnnson said that this
ans> s.inisns wss tae Az =, of the whole bill.
1t is the section tina, raises the salary of the
State librarian FROM SiUA rs at present To
Slao0. don't belieyv that any of our
State osficcrs are safering to such an cx-
tent that We need at this Legislature to in.
augurate any policy of raising salaries.
hgheve that We should recctle anil coucur
with the Senate. iou't bclieve this House
would have passed this bill il they had Civ
en- IL \ fair consideration. There are plenty
good men in the State who would BE- glad
10 accept this place for Sin0o year. 1t il
haa policy To RAISE this salary tn SlSpo.
am opposed TO il,
The question being on the adoption Of
amendment Il in concurrencc.
TIE House Sd voted
The House then adopted amendment u,
and passed this bill TO ~ ensrossed in con-
currenec
WOMAN SUFFRAGE,
Hill an act eonferring the right of suf-
frage On women in municipal affairs.
The majority report of the committee,
,ought not 10 pass), was accepted ia the
House, and the hill now comes from the
Senate with the minority report, (ought to
psss), accepted.
Mr., Sprague of Monson moved that tho
HOUSE reledc aud concur
MIR, Brown of Waterviilc said the time
had come when this question should be
treated with all seriousness. | am afraid
that heretofore there has been more or less
disposition to treat with levi,y the
proposition which involves so much
found tha, there were any reutlc-
men on the Judiciary committee who were
disposed to reeommeni the proposition. |
Ito not think they were in earnest. | sup
pose they did so for the purpose of bringing
the matter before the House for discussion.
did not suppose that the other branch of
the Legislature would seriously entertain
the idea of onnferring the right of suffrage
upon the women of this state.
have taken great deal of pains to AS
certain IN the various social gatherings
where have met ladies, to &c, their views
upon this subject, aud have not founi one
woman out of POO who has auy dcsirc that
this act should become a law. A vrea.
many say Ia me that they are opposed
10 it on principle. What wonll
be the effect of this hilIs Men iini It ,liih
cult to get along with our politics without
having more or less feeling more or less
bitterness, of like and dislike. What would
he the social condition in all the ncighbar.
hoods of this State. There would be snch
u condition rs think that any woman who
has any regard for her social standing, any
desire for thusa social relations which now
rN,st among ladies in every neighborhood--
there would he such a condition of things
hat people would regret that they had been
llsirumental in bringing about such con
''itton of affairs. ask any man what the
celIng is upon this subject. in his own
t,wnt II the question were submitted to
the people of his district, does any man be-
levc that they would be in favor ot such a
! iw as thisI No one wants il in iny neigh
iorhood, There may he two or three men
and women who want it, but have talked
with scores of ladies in Waterville and |
lind scarcely one that wants il. They saw
they don't want to mix up in politics We
want To be ladies', we don't want to mix up
"a the affairs that belong to men. know
! should misreprcsent my constituency if |
thoud vote to sustain this bill
II this becomes law. what class Of
women will go to the polls on election day.
VIII il he ladies of intelligence and refine
lneni2 My belief is that it wouli be the
other class and that the more intelligent
and refined would stay at home. ! cannot
rec why anybody should be in favor
nf this bill believe the House
should stand by its action This Is the
branch Of the Legislature that Is nearest IN
the people, and believe it ia our duty To
consider what the people want who send us
here. ] understand that In III" Senate sew
"rnl individuals have changed their minds.
tnd that they viii nov oppose the bill il we
give them AN opportunity. Let us stand by
onr action. Applause.
Mr.. Powers OF IIoulton said that during
the discussion the other day he said all he
had to say bu, he wished to say that he
was somewhat surprised at some statements
that had been made. | do not know what
ladies' the gentleman from Watervillc has
consulted with. I certainly know this, that
he cannot refer 10 the large number of
ladies who signed petitions in all the
principal towns Of this State and sent them
To us askiag for this law. (Npplausc.) /
don't know by what authority he has be-
come the spokesman for ALL the ladies' of
This State of Maine. (Applause.l ! had
supposed that his other arduous dutics have
viewed them and known what their views
vast body which he claims to represent has
come before the committee and said they
did not want this no, one. It ia easy to
say that nobody wants this. My PROPOSE
ton is this and ! think il il n fair one II
the right Of suffrage is inherent in the peo-
pie, If it is not right which we
receive from some king, but If
it is God given right, there
is no good reason that can be assigned why
it pertains to one sex more than the other,
If they are equally intelligent; and il one
single woman in one hundred desires to
exercise that right which she should have,
under restrictions and limitations, there
can be no good reason assigned why she
shouldn't have that right and IL others don't
want to exercise it they need not do IT, The
gentleman says that the class of ladies' who
would vote in municipal affairs would not
be onr intelligent, educated women. DOrs
he predicate it upon the actual experience
in any state where they have that right?
Does he not know that IN the state Of
Massachusetts,, where they have that right
that the reverse il true? That it il the
intelligent. educated women who
vote! lie says that il you
permit women to vote they will be inter
ested in national affairs and IN politics.
say that ii is not only the right. but it is the
1uty and il is for the best interests Of this
country that every in,elligen, woman should
be interested in our government. ZAP
plause.) I did not understand that the
hearing before the committee was a mere
farce. The question of the right Of the
intelligent, educated women to vote has got
ont Of the realm of icvi'y and has become
a serious issue, and az sure IA we progress
in the future as we have in the past, justso
sure will We ace intelligent. educated
women voting and interested in our agsps
and taking n part in them. We want
a free, fair AMI an in
teiigent ballot. We want ballot
such that when a result has been proclaimed
the people will say that they submit TO the
majority and will see that the result hiss
been obtained not by ignorance, fraud, sub
terfuge, ballot box stuHng. or intimidation,
but that il is the concensns Of the opinion
of the intelligent voters of our State, who
lContinued on 4th page.]