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


yer Of the tendencies Of the times, that
woman su6rsge il one Of the things that 10
sure to come in the near future. Indeed it
IL already established ia some Of the states
Of the Union. and there 10 no question but
what it is making rapid head~ay all along
the line. The older states are naturally
the most conservative in dealing sith this,
a. With other innovations, get even in s:sid
old New Engiand. With all it, Jealous
adherence TO the established order
Of things, this movement 10 making steSiy
and rapid progress and it seems to be only
question Of short time when il becomes
an accomplished fact even in this cautious
and sio~-moving section Of the country.
For a number of sessions past this question
has been before the Legislature Of Maine,
strength. Al fret it was treated - = jest.
and dealt with In spirit Of joeuiarity
That day il last. This is no longer the
proper subject matter for a mock session.
It has become one Of the prominent. and
pressing questions Of the day, and de-
msnds and receives from the law
making power Of the State, a just
measure Of serious consideration. Unce
its supporters were in redieulously small
minority in both branches Of the Legisl, =
ture. This session it commands gooI
majority in the Senate, and is defeated in
the House by small majority. Is Their
no significance in this steady growth of 3
popular sentiment favorable to making suf
frxge the equal right Of both sexes,
We are inclined 10 think that il
is not wise 10 try To stem tbs
rising tide Of popular reform
We said 40 when the Australian system OF
voting was first brought before the Legisls-
ture Of Maine and we are Of the same
opinion, nov that the question Of Woman
Suffrage. is pressing for the favorable con
sheraton that We feel sure il is to secure
and that in the not far distant future.
In the abstract the proposition to give
women the right To vote, seems to be backed
by about every consideration of justice.
Taxation without representation is opposed
to one Of the cardinal principles of our
government. Its exercise by the
British King and Parliament in
the early days of the country was deemed
of the authority of England and establish IN
the new world republic whose broad foun-
daton was declared to be equal liberty and
equal rights. That they did not make it
80 in fact as in name is doubtless due large
iy to the oldfashioned way Of
considering women as Il portion OF
the goods and ehattels belong
ing to the Lords Of Creation" The
wife was too often put in the same ratagory
with the farm, the horses the cows, and the
household penaics and not infrequently the
well-meanIBg but uneducated lord of the
homestead placed her as the last item in his
inventory sort of postscript well nigh over
looked in the rush of other matters Hap
PLY the world has progressed since those
days. Women are no longer regard
ed as mere household appurtenanccs.
They are filing thousands of i'm
portant positions IN the Industrial
world where formerly, men were considered
Indispensable. They have even invaded the
professions, and have very successfully
competed there with the men, who once
thought that they had an unquestioned
mortgage on these occupations. The nyen-
ton of the typewriter, the telephone, and
the phonograph has furnished important
AMI responsible positions for thousands OF
them in the business activities of the day.
The field of opportunity for women is
every day. Old prejudices are
being swept away, and they are coming
more and more to be furnished en-
ployment that was once held to belong
exclusively to men. 1t was not long ago
that a lady politician of Kansas, who had
lone most effective service for her party on
the stump, was a candidate before the Leg
stature of her state for United States Sen
ator and with strong backing. It was re-
ported that the prospect of her election was
At one time so bright as to. cause great con-
among the members of the upper
House of Congress who were wondering
now in the dickens they would manage to
idjust themselves to the new order of things
n case she should succeed in gaining ad-
mission to their charmed circle. The sigh
,f relief that went up from this body, when
,he was finally obliged to forego her sena
oral aspirations and be content with the
less distinguished but still responsible po
.ition of state superintendent of public in
struction, was said to be the loudcst and
heartiest on record. Had she gone
to Washington we feel quite sure
that she would not have smoked
in the cloak room, would not have
patron,cd the bar OF the Capitol rcstaur-
ant, and that none of her senatorial col
leagues would have been able TO borrow a
chew from her. The vices of intemper-
ance belong almost as exclusively to
men rs does the right of suffrage. The num-
Der of respectable women in this country
is considerably in excess of the
number of respectable men. True,
the truth of this proposition is no, estsb