The morning call., 1894-03-28
A DEMAND FOR FEMALE SUF-
FRAGE.

The most significant move in the agita-
tiuu for the enlargement OF the sphere Of
women appears in the shape OF a card
published In the New York papers, re-
questing those who are in favor of female
suffrage to sign petition for an amend
ment of the State constitution striking
out the word male" in the qualification
OF voters; the move derives its Significance
from the fact that it is signed by ladies
OF social prominence, not hitherto identi-
fed with the Women'S rights movements.
and that the petition is lodged in the office
OF the fashionable restaurant, Sherry's.
Appended to the card are the names OF
Mrs. Putnam jacob, whose reputation as
physician in nervous cases is world wide; ;
Mrs. Joseph II. Choate, whose husband Is
a leader of the bar, and Mrs. Charles Rus
sell Lowell of the famous Lowell family.
These ladies are not to be coDfounded
with such professional agitatoTs as Mrs.
Stanton aud MISS Anthony; their entrance
into the arena implies that the women who
are foremost in social and Professional
life deem that the time has come 10 insist
on complete equality between the sexes.
The incident is important, because it will
be impossible for the approaching con-
coming from so high source, and because
the example of the Empire State will prob
ably be followed by other States. If New
York should coDcede the suffrage to
women, other States, in which opinion has
been divided on the subject. will probably
amend their constitutions iE the same
direction. Aud if New York should re-
fuse to admit women to the polls, WyO-
IL.
State in which a woman is pronounced by
la to be as good as a man. and a little
better, TOO.
To close observers of passing events, It
has seemed that men, while protesting
consideration for the sex. are not minded
when it comes to the point TO admit them
to the political banquet hall. Bills for
female suffrage, while appearing to be
popular, generally slip up at the last mo-
ment. or when they do not slip up, are
nullified by the courts. Thus when the
Territorial Legislature of Washington
which was the last community TO act on
the subject-passed an act conceding votes
to women, the Supreme Court pronounced
the act unconstitutional, on the ground
that the constitution of the United States
and the acts Of Congress interpret the
word Citizen" to mean male citizen"
Still the world moves, and il is not to
be denied that the status of women is
changing year by year. A few years ago
the only vocations that were open TO edu-
Gated girls were those of teachers, musl-
clans and pretty typewriters; now women
engage in all callings which do not require
masculine strength or endurance. They
are found in trade, industry, professional
life and all useful employments, and 20
one is surprised or tries 10 hinder them.
Three years ago the Legislature of New
York admitted women to the bar and
twelve ladies have since graduated as
lawyers at the University of New York.
1t does not appear that they have thus far
taken the bread out of the mouths of Mr..
Bourke Cochran, Mr.. Coudert or the other
heads of the New York bar, but there is no
saying what they may do
Before Wyoming surrendered TO the
ladies opponents. of female suffrage we're
fond of saying that the Territory would
furnish an object lesson against the
entrance of women into an arena for
which they were unified. These gloomy
representations have hardly been full
filed. 1t is true that the Inauguration of
the present Governor was attended by
some friction. His Exceleney had TO
crawl into the executive Office through
window, but it was men, not women, who
barred his way. Meanwhile the State ha-
a considerable cash surplus in the treas
ury; a few months ago it was over
S100. 0G0. Out Of population only slightly
exceeding 10000, 10000 pupils attend the
public schools. The people deal with
politics in an independent fashion. AT
the last election the combined Demo-
cratic and Peoples candidate for Cover
nor was elected by majority of 100 over
his Republican competitor. but Harrison
carried the State by ZOO. Woman stffrage
has evidently rot impaired intelligent
political action in Wyoming.