The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-01
woMAN's SUFFRAGE; PROGRESS AND
2 RESULTS.
A Reply to Certain Remonstrants by Mrs.
Alice Stone Blackwell.

WV -ISsD'Os
A document entitled ''The Remon-
STRANGE has lately been sent to every
member of the Maine Legislature by
anonymous Massachusetts, remonstrants
against equal rights for women. Permit
me space in your columns to point out a
few of its misstatements.
No Progress
1.-THE Remonstranee" quotes from
Boston paper opposed to equal suffrage
the following statement:
sThe woman suffrage cause makes no advance
here. tits not a particle stronger with US IMAM
1t was twenty years ago."
This is incorrect on the face of it; for
twenty years ago in Massachusetts, women
had not school suffrage, and to-day they
have. 1t is also clear to every impartial
observer that public sentiment in it's
favor has increased greatly during that
time. The vote for municipal suffrage
in the Massachusetts, Legislature last
week was the largest ever given for it,
the bill being defeated by votes.
In view of the oft-repeated assertion
that the movement makes no progress,
the following facts may be of interest.
School suffrage was granted to women in
Kentucky in 1S45, and in Kansas in 1861.
In 1859, full suffrage was granted to
women in Wyoming, and municipal
suffrage in England. In 1875, school
suffrage was granted in Michigan and
Minnesota; in 1875, in Colorado; in 1873
in New Hampshire and Oregon; in 1870,
in Massachusetts,; in 1880, in Vermont
and New York. In 1881, municipal stuff
rage was extended to the women of Scot
land. In 1888, school suffrage was given
in Nebraska; and in 1855 in Wisconsin.
In 1885 municipal suffrage was granted
in New Brunswick and school suffrage in
Washington. In 1887, municipal suffrage
was granted in Kansas and school snff-
rage in New Jersey, Idaho, Montana,
Arizona, and North and South Dakota.
In 1891, school suffrage was granted in
Illinois; and in 1892, New York gave
women the right to vote for County
School Commissioners, in addition to the
right to vote for members of boards
of education which they already
had. During the same time, municipal
suffrage has been extended to women
InIougnouI osnaaa anu nos. ~ :no
the dates Of the senarats enaetnents.
To sum up: twenty-five years ago,
women, with Insignificant exceptions.
I I nSo so s Suy mAG On 1890 f,.i1
suffrage in wvoming mnnicinal suffrage
in KANSAS, and municipal suffrage Single
women and Widows throughout ENG
land, Scotland, ana most OF the BRUSH
provinces. -,
Under the neadang Losing Grou q,
the hemohsIrance meltions liiat SONS
years age tne iowa LEGISLATURE Voted IN
favor OF Supmlbung sulraSo ainenu-
menu 20 tne Votefsa WaliS ias1 year y ae-
Ieated scneoi suffrage phi. Inc lore
gong summary o. scneoi sunlags s'1 as
VIII SHOW Wheoiei ZIP Aay 3atIl naS
peen losing g.ounu. ING nelloh-
s!rapce says Inls vsse Y iowa ~ Pal
ucularIy siGniilcaH. ~ apes .oI "a
pam Wny une sinai vose ~ IOWA W. y more ~
slsnincanD chsa env AaHo n sMeI IL .uo
legislatures o. New Loih, oIo. VET
lnoAl anu Massssollusoroe, en5 iases0 we
on woinan suffrage was 'ne iaisoe' esoi
given. n.
The anonymous Massachusetts, ire
monstrants menulon the case OF hhoue
Island man VINO ia.eiy soaghe 10 20 VI
iVofceo from MS "iAe' ahu "ho was re-
porOea Dy the papers as alles ing 'ilao she
hao neglectea nun on account oi ner III
eefes' ~ ha'uaaiisln, =, Woman suniase,
uiess ,elo," ~. lug nusoanu usn,e.l
sna; ~ I'D n ha, su snIse ~ @n nrs
over his own siunature nefoTe s.The Re-
monstrance'' was printed: nevertheless
the assertion is made ali the same.
It.wonld be more to The point to show
that divorces are more frequent where
woman suffrage prevails than they are
elsewhere. The facts are the reverse.
According to the statistics of the United
States Census during the fen Years from
1910 =. loco II, - &c $780, ;,,oraasad
!o4O 10 IooU, Ing faue u uiveiee inci e,esou
in the United States 1874 per cent, three
times the ratio of the increase of popu-
lo+;on. .nd in tho ornnn of Western
l@.ion' on. ~ o 500 :ssosaa
states, omltUlng wyoming, IL iucieasSu
1867 per cent, almost four times the
s L IL