New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-18
WOMEN WHO WOULD VOTE.
THOUSANDS SIGN THEIR PETITIONS.
THEIR MARCH To THE nALLor-BoX is NOT
WHOLLY WITHOUT OBSTACLES - OUT
cpO1,p,. OPPOSITION MET AS WELL.

has been drawn sharply on the question OF equal
suffrage" and it is by no means certain that there
is a majority in favor Of an amendment 10 the
State Constitution which would eliminate the word
male as a qualification for voters. one or the
leaders In the suffrage movement, who Is
also leader in society," confessed as much yes
terday in a conversation with a Tribune reporter
in her charming home In Fifth-ave.
I'VE have more trouble with the women than
with the men," she said, speaking OF the work of
obtaining signatures to the petition to the Consu-
tutionai Convention. land the women who refuse
10 sign nearly as many as those VINO give their
signatures to the petitions. Many of the men are
chivalrous enough 10 sign the petitions, even II
they are not heartily In favor OF the movement,
but Il is different with the women who are opposed
TO us The women say they do not want to vote,
and they will not sign the petitions for that rea-
son. They do not care to argue about the moral
reasons for the movement They simply make 1t
question Of their personal feeling and Of their own
convenience The opposition has been increased
since the newspapers began to print articles about
the movement. Women in society do not want 10
have their names get into the newspapers IL CON
nectlon with the woman suffrage WORK. IL would
have been better for the movement II 1t could nave
been carried on more quietly and with less pub
licy For that have been opposed TO
having the meetings and receptions reported.
Have there Teen any speeches in opposition to
the movement at such meetings. she was asked
"Oh. yes" she replied. "and in fact we have
arranged to have both sides of the question as
cussed at some of the meetings. The Rev Dr.
Huntington was invited to the meeting at Mrs
Hagein's last Friday to speak against equal sui
frage and he spoke for an hour giving his reasons
why ne thought women should not vote. IL was
reported af,erward that he had spoken in favor OF
equal suffrage and see that he has taken the
trouble TO write 10 The Tribune and correct that
report The Rev. DR.. Rainsford spoke at pre-
vious meeting in favor of the new movement, and
spoke warmly in favor of giving TO women the
right to vote and he was reported in one OF the
newspapers as having made a speech against me
movement. We have had difficulty in finding men
who were willing TO speak against equal suffrage
at the meetings. H. II. Boyesen. the writer. made
q speech al one of the meetings and while he said
he was in favor Of equal suffrage some time he
did not think the time had arrived when women
should vote in this country. One Of the women
present said his speech showed he was foreigner
and did not fully understand the women IN this
country but of course that wrong. He has
been in this country twenty years and he married
American girl
THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE MOVEMENT.
What are the arguments which are made
against the movement; az the meetings?
THE old old arguments that II would degrade
women 10 vote. that the best women would not
vote or that 1t would divide families TO have the
women vote. or that the women would have to
serve on turies If they voted There have been no
new arguments against equal suffrage that have
heard"
Have you heard 1t said at any of the meetings
that equal suffrage would tend TO make men less
chivalrous to women?
YES but the answer TO that is that men should
show their chvalry by giving to women the right
TO vote. AS Mrs. Montgomery of Rochester sad
at a meeting in Mrs Foxs house, in Thirty-nrst-
st.. yesterday. the movement IS not to be con-
sidered as revolution, but as an evolution woman
was made to be a comfort and help to man. end
hp1n " Nop
TO cast ballot. The statement was mad at NE
meeting that one Of the women in1eTestea IN 'n
the election district in which she lives. ana had
order TO ask the men to sign the petition to the
Constitutional Convention. The llqGor-dealeIs az!
Refused raws TO sgn ne % favor e Of a" sra Il
the women voted there would soon De an e1u TO
iquor.dealers know it, ...,
Mrs Montgomery. who has spoken at se Ne5, OF
yesterday Frederic r. Coudert has been an effect
bet beth Sady stanton spoke at meeting OF working
women in Rv!ngton-st. on Monday evenhs anu
Obliged 10 support themselves by working in the
factories would be benefited by the right 70 vote
The Rev Mr.. Grant. of the Church of the Ascen-
sion also spoke at that meeting in favor OF equal
suffrage
MRS. JONES OPPOSES THE MOVEMENT
Prominent among the women who are opposed
TO the new suffrage movement are Mrs. Frederic
r. Jones Of No q East Eleventh-st; Mrs. Frede-
ric Goodridge. Of No. $50 Fifth-ave.. and Mrs
Grenville Winthrop. OF No 10 East Thirty-seventh-
ST. In reply TO an invitation 10 attend one OF the
meetings in favor OF equal suffrage. Mrs Jones re-
best thought and hearing arguments on both
sides l find l thoroughly opposed TO woman
woman suffrage being reality should certainly
throw whatever influence l have into the other
side: but in the mean time. as ITS adNocateS sen
to have their minds immoyab'y made up ana l
happen to be rather busy 1t hasn't seemed TO be
worth while 10 waste time at all these meetings'
other women who hold views similar to those *
movement is only hobby which vii! he discarded
by society in time and that II II was Tesa nn Ie1
the Constitutional Convention there would be
counter moyement and peS%n sgea Protesting
against change in the qualifications, for voteIs.
ing in a ST. Patrick's Day parade as OF elbowlng
her way into a voting booth She declared that
stu;ional Convention and il appeared TO have been
There are said to be upward Of 5000 petitions in
the hands of women who are keeping them Tor
of election districts. and the average number OF
signatures on each petition is thought 70 pe ABOUT
ton al sherrys yesterday said that no servants
had signed there. but great number OF men na1
after signing his name. had turned over me page
and had written upon the blank side the following
When take my pencil for high and noble pgr-
Raphael.
FEW PERTINENT QUESTIONS
In addition to receiving signatures the women
who take turns presiding ~ the petition counter
at Sherrys also sell, for the advancement OF the
cause n number OF tracts and pamphlets contain
ing arguments in favor Of equal suffrage. one or
the tracts contains number of questions ana an
swers in imitation Of the Shorter Catechism The
chief arguments for equal suffrage are supposed
20 be indicated In portions of the dialogue APP
pended:
Q.-Who make the laws? Amen
Q.-Do the laws women? A-Thoy certainly do
nlo, an fuaLn no
they must obey? AThey may not Men alone make the
laws for m and
Q.-Who pay taxes? A.-Men and
O-Is the property taxed the that
OF mem A.-iIigher rule.
Qwho may say how tax moneys collected from women
shall l,c used? A.-Mcn only.
O-Mny nc; n capable who her farm
or bus "A elect that her
If unnn W flA fnne