The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-03-20

ton Il clause providing that at the first
general election or at any election there
after the question of suffrage might be
submitted to a vote of the people uDon
the passage of bill TO that effect by the
state legislature. The general assembly
passed sucIl Il law at its first session lii
1877. and the ensuing campaign was Il
notable one The struggle was in vain.
however, for the susfraSists were over
whelmed by vote of 10000 against
their measure to 1000 in its favor.
Nothing disheartened, they made an cf
fort In 1881 to secure municipal suffrage
for women, but even that small favor
was refused them, and the effort came
to naught. In the spring of 1890 Mr..
Louise NJ. Tyler. who had done active
work in the cause of woman suffrage In
Massachusetts and Rhode Island, wen;
TO Denver and stirred the friends of the
movement mp once more. Through her
efforts an organization was formed which
In the winter of 1891 again petitioned the
legislature 10 extend to women the right
TO vote They made the mistake of not
getting their bill introduced within the
required time. however and it had to be
tackled on Is rider to a bill preventing
foreigners from voting on their first nat
uralization papers. The bill was lost
and the rider with it.
But that "a little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump" received fresh verification
at the next meeting of the legislature.
for in the Ninth assembly, which met in
January, 1898, not less than four suffrage
bills were introduced, one of which got
through the house by 4 small majority
and narrowly escaped suffocation in. the
senate. IL was one of the last bills passed
by that body.
Then the Equal Suffrage association
enlisted tho services of Mrs. Carrie Lane
Chapman ana went to work as thSy hau
never worked before. Headquarters We're
opaned in Denver. where Miss Helen NJ.
REYNOLDS. corresponding secretary of the
association. engineered campaign that
was worthy of veteran politician
Nothing was neglected that might pro
mote success. and everything was avoidei
that might stimulate opposition. Some
of the leading newspapers were enlisted
in support of the movement, and tns
campaign was conducted entirely on al
educational and nonpartlSan basis.
Mrs. Chapman made tour OF the
state. travelling every day, speaking ev-
erT nl8nJ anu OLedIiiEAA45 q AS-9 ~ 49,
ever she spoke. Men made up the great
or norton of her audiences. and even Ill
+he mountain towns and mining camps
she received the most courteous ani
cbivalric treatment: Her tact was equal
to her eloquence, and under her lnfiu-
once some of the best men III the state
enrolled themselves in the local leagues
sometimes filling all the offices ana do
inc, all fine routine work. There was nc
organized opposition, and the Populs'
marty was united in support OF the move
ment.
The most sanguine suffraglsts hardly
expected to carry Denver. In fact' oe-
feat there was looked for as practlcally
certain. and when the returns from Arap-
aboe county showed a majority OF 9Io
in favor of equal suffrage the tr1ends OF
+ba movement were among those lnost
snrnrised. The official count showed
the total majority In the state to be o'o4 5
ord in accordance with the will OF the
,,aonIe thus expressed the governor on
Dec. . issued proclamation conterrlnS
the right OF outrage on the women clli-
zens of the STA. ,;.;
The women accepted the decision
cnietl> There was no public Joliltlca-
f;on Int I'M. ~ of them fastened TO snow
fbair anurecia..~iI of the franchlse DS
registering as voters. III remains 10 ~ ~
demonstrated whether the exercise u
their new privilege will nave inc OenS
fetal effects predicted for IT,
The Daily Advertiser. so cents