The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-25

ton to this bill he likened to the small
cur which sat by the roadside swapping
and yelping at the wheels of the ad-
vancing car of progress. AS had been
said of himself, Mr.. Sprague said the
opponents of this measure
were afraid of something they
could not see. Mr.. Sprague referred to
the advancements of women, to her posi-
ton in the pursuits of science, htera-
ture and business and in the pulpit. He
asked if the admission of women to the
right of suffrage would not be also bene-
ficial
The venerable Major Dickey came out
emphatically on the side of the women
as he has done in ten or fifteen previous
legislatures. He said that the argument
that this right should be withheld be-
cause many women did not want to vote,
was not a sound one. We often had to
do things which we didn't like at first,
but afterwards came to admire
Mr.. Lane of Augusta explained that he
had received new light and should vote
for the bill.
MI. Isaacson of Lewiston opposed the
bill, but thought that he might be will
ling to let women vote if they were will
ing to take the places of men on the po-
lice force and in the fire department.
Mr., Marston of Skowhegan came to
the front as man who had voted for
this measure two years ago, and not
withstanding the idea of the gentleman
from Waterville as to the wishes of the
people on this question, had been re-
elected. Mr.. Marston spoke of the prop
erty phase of the question, mentioning
the fact that there were women in his
town who paid heavy taxes and had no
voice in the expenditure of that money
by the town. Mr.. Marston did
not know whether his wife would vote
or not, but he did know that if she did
vote she would vote right Applause
He believed that the presence of women
at the polls would make the polling
places better. He believed that drunk
en- hilarity and other Objectionable fea-
lures of a voting day would then be no
ticeable by their absence. He knew this
was so because he had seen the women
of Skowhegan at the voting place on
an election day when they distributed
ballots and worked for the passage of a
town measure in which they were inter-
ested. That election was one of the
most orderly in the history of the town.
Mr. Marston had seen the result of muni-
cipal suffrage in a Pennsylvania mining
town, when the best women of the place
had gone to the polls and thrown out OF
power the disreputable ring which had
been in control of town affairs.
Mr.. Roberts of Norway, resented the
aspersions which had been cast upon the
women who had asked for this measure.
Mr. Roberts made powerful argument
for the bill as he did when the matter
was up last week.
Mr.. Scott of Patten, also Opposed the
bill. He was ready to admit the bright
character and standing of the women
who had asked for this measure, but he
thought that the great majority of the
best women of the state did not want the
ballot'and the effect of this bill would be
to force them to go and vote against their
desire. because women of a different
kind would be the first to take adyan-
tage of the bill.
Mr.. Dutton of Windsor favored the
bill. He referred to the remarks of Mr..
Isaacson and said. that if women were
allowed to vote there would be no need
of many policemen. Mr.. Dutton referred
to an election in his town on day when
the women provided dinner for their
husbands and brothers. That was the
most orderly town meeting day he had
ever seen.
Mr.. Bird of Portland opposed the bill.
He said that there was no divine right of
suffrage as there was no divine right of
kings. If this was right divine, the bill
was wrong in that it contained restric-
tions. If suffrage was divine right we
should all have it. There would be no
restrictions as y age or property. This
question should be considered without
sentiment as a matter not of right but of
expediency. Gentlemen should vote on
it in accordance with their convictions.
He would recommend that they should
take the course of the gentleman from
Waterville to ascertain the sentiment of
women on this matter. Mr.. Bird did
not question the sincerity of the wo-
men who asked for this measure. He
thought they were mistaken and he
asked that they accord him the right of
his opinion as he accorded the same
right to them. Petitions were easily OBJ
tanned. Mr.. Bird had been told of one
lady, the wife of member, who had
signed petition for the bill but she
said that she had done so because Mrs.
Soland-So had come and stayed an hour
and half and would not go away until
the petition was signed Laughter.
Mr.. Bird again emphasized the fact that
there was no divine right of suffrage.
He alluded to the fact that the aborigines
of the land did not vote and boy of 20,
who might have the intelligence of a
man of 40 and be the possessor of mil
lions could not vote.
Mr.. Higgins then called for the previ-
Gus ques ton and it was ordered. The
bill was then killed for this session by
vote of 4S to IS. Those who voted for
the bill were:
Yeas-Messrs. Abbott OF Bucksport Abbott
of Sumner, Blaisdell, Bonser, Boody, Boothby,
Bowman, Bradbury, Brewer. Churchill, Cook,
Dickey, Drake. Dutton, French, Garcelon,
Cover. Hamlin, Hopkins, Hoyt, Kaler,
Knowles. Lane, Libby Of Carthage, Light. Lit
tlefeld of Poland, Lothrop, Maddocks, Mars.
ton, Matthews, Morrill, of Gray, Morrill, of
Portland, Oakes Powers of Houlton. Preble,
Roberts, Sawyer of Millbridge, Shaw of Bath,
Shaw of Portland, Smith of Presque Isle,
Stoddard, True, Webster, Weeks of
Fairfield, White, York-4S.
Nays--Messrs: Adams, Aver, Bailey. Barlow,
Bean. Beedle, Bird, Brackett. Brown, Buck,
Cahill, Carlton of Rockpor. Carleton of Winter
port, Clark, Coffin, Cornish. Day, Dow, Drew,
Durgin. Eaton, Emerson, Fairbanks, Farrand,
Fogerty, Fuller, Gates, Getchell,
Haskell. Higgins, Hinkley. Isaacson, Jillson,
johnson. Jones, Keegan, Kelley, Lander. Law
renee, Leighton, Libby of Sanford. Littlefeld
of Prospect Mccullough, McGregor, HcKenney
of Biddeford, McKenney of Surry, Merrill Of
EddinptOn Merrill of Farminpton Mudpett