The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-06-21
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Seventeenth Day.
THURSDAY, June q.

ton to order at 10 a. m.
Delegate Hitchcock by letter ask
ed to be excused from further at
tendance on account OF illness.
Granted.
Vice President Wilder presented
a report from the majority OF the
special committee on woman suf-
frage. II was against granting the
privilege in the Constitution, but
recommended a new Article giving
the Legislature power to grant it.
CouD. Brown presented a minor
ity report, giving the opinion that
woman's proper place is ia the home,
and recommending that the petition
be laid on the table.
Del. Kalua moved the adoption OF
the minority report. This was a
new question and confined entirely
to Honolulu. There had been moth
ing heard about the question in the
country districts. Woman's fran
chise would extend the field Of po-
litical corruption. II would take
many years for the Hawaiian women,
especially, to qualify for the SUI
frage. Let the women stay at home
where they belong, aud leave the
making Of laws to the men. Intro
ducing women into active politics
would breed discord i'm families.
The royalist women of Honolulu
lately presented a memorial to the
American Minister, in which they
called themselves Eve the people of
r. L., L.
women were not lit to engage in
politics.
Vice Pres. Wilder moved the
adoption of the majority report.
One would think to hear the previ.
Gus speaker that the life or death Of
this nation depended on the passage
Of the minority report. Very little
was asked in the majority report. II
simply recommended that the Legis.
lature might at some future day,
when there was more light on the
question, enact law on the subject.
This was q question that would not
down. 1t was coming to the front
in every State in the American
Union, aud wherever women had
received the franchise nothing but
praise was heard Of the results.
Surely the Legislature that might
take up the question ought to be a.
wise rs this Convention, and all the
majority asked was that IL should
not he necessary, to legislate on the
question, that the end should DO
subjected to the tedious process Of
amending the Constitution.
Min. Damon seconded the motion
to adopt the majority report with
pleasure. They had heard the dele.
gate from Wailuku declaim with the
fiery eloqucnce Of his race against
the idea OF allowing women any
part in politics. He would refer
that speaker back To the time Of
Kamehameha H., when Hawaiian
women were freed from the oppres.
sion Of tabus, aud they had been
free ever siuce. The same speaker
had said that the only place this
agitation was heard was in Homo,
lulu. II he kept his ears open h.
would hear the question being dis
cussed all round the world. II was
the coming question and could not
be represscd. This movement foI
the emancipation OF women was
notwithstanding India. There wa.
nothing so very startling about the
proposition that women should b,
allowed tn vote. Voting was only Q
matter OF detail.
Min. Smith would not like to So,
the recommendation Of the majorit,
passed as il stood. lie would there
fore propose an amendment To con
fine the franchise, IL ever granted
to women who had the same qualili
cations as male voters for Senators
There was great deal Of loos,
sentimentality expressed over THU
question. The talk about elevatinl
women, emancipating women, ant
50 on was empty. Woman ruled tn,
world to day by her care Of thu
home, her love and devotion. There
was great danger in woman sulIrag,
that II would degrade instead -
elevate women. A great deal Of thu
evils OF politics was due to the mat
tention Of the men to politica
duties, and there was no reason /,
believe that women would he an,
more faithful in that respect, Tn,
movement FOR emancipation o
women in India had nothing to d'
with the franchise. He believes
that a majority OF the women o
this community was against thu
movement. II was at least yer,
doubtful il giving the vote to womel
would cause any improvement il
Hawaiian politics.
Vice Pres. Wilder was willing I,
accept the amendment proposed b.
Miu. Smith
Del Baldwin agreed with his col
league from Maui that woman sui
frage would only be- adding to tn
ignorant vote Of this country. Tn
transition from monarchy To a rf
public was a sudden one, and il wa
not wise to add to the complication
of the situation. His colleague la
given them good idea Of the fee
ings Of the Hawaiians on this maj
ter. 1t would be a most dangerOu
experiment to grant woman tn
franchise. He had read in the p;
, per he BULLETIN last evening tia
Mr.. Wilder told the ladies they ha
his sympathy but not his judgmen
After hearing his report he though
they had also captured his juds
. ment. uaughter) Woman's pre-
per sphere was the home aud it va
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