The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-06-22
KILLED BY A LARGE MAJORITY
The Tinid Conservatives OF the Conven-
tion are Afraid that Roynlist Women
VIII Take Possession Of the Country
Seventeenth Day.
THURSDAY, June q, 1891

The Convention was called to orde
at 10 a. m. President Dole in tn
chair. Prayer and roll call. Minute
of the preceding day read and ap
proved.
A letter was presented from D. H
Hitchcock, asking to be excused from
further attendance in the Convention
on account of illness.
The request was granted.
Vice President Wilder presented
the majority report of the Woman
Suffrage Committee as follows:
Hon. S. B. Dole, President of the Con
stitutional Convention:
Sir: Your special committee, t
whom was referred the petition OF
women suffrage, beg leave to report tha
they have had the same under consider
alton; that at a meeting OF your conn it
tee sixteen ladies were present, and sew
eral OF them made very able arguments
in favor OF granting the requests asked
for in the petition.
Your petitioners ask first that. by a
provision of the Constitution, women
shall be entitled to the right OF suffrage,
with an educational and property qualiti
cation; or,
That the Legislature shall be author
lied to grant such right hereafter.
While the agitation of women suffrage
is new departure here, it is not so in
many other places. In several States OF
| the United States, women have full suit
| frage in several others they vote on mu-
nicipal questions, and in many others
they vote only on matters relating to
schools.
In the State OF Wyoming women have
had full suffrage for the last twenty-five
years, and its workings there cannot be
better stated than by quoting what its
Governor and Legislature have said:
Governor Osborn OF that State, in re-
ply to question concerning women suf
frage, said: "For twenty-five years we
have had W men suffrage, and it is high
ly satisfactory in every way"
The Legislature passed a resolution
there lately which states: "That it has
largely aided in banishing crime, vice
and pauperism from the State; and that
1t has secured peaceful, orderly and in
telligent citizens; that the crimes are
few; that they have no poorhouses, and
Iails are almost empty; and it advises
every civilized community in the world
to enfranchise women without delay"
Colorado has also granted full suffrage
to women. In the great State OF New
York, where Constitutional Convention
is now In session, one of the most i'm
portant questions before it is women suf-
frage.
New Zealand has lately granted fuIl
suffrage to women, and the reports from
there lately received Of the first election
held under the new law speak of it's
workings in the most flattering terms.
But, with all these favorable facts he
fore US and the many other things that
have been and can be said in its favor.
would it be wise at this time and in the |
unsettled condition of this country and |
the many complications of the suffrage |
question already existing, to add the ex
pertinent OF woman suffrage? Your |
committee are Of the opinion that II |
would not be wise to do so. and therefore |
recommend that the first request of the
petitioners be indefinitely postponed.
AS to the second request in the petit
ion, that the Legislature may be author
zed to grant such right hereafter. a
arge majority OF your committee can
zee noreason why this Convention should
say that no future Legislature can grant
women suffrage without first passing an
TO the Constitution.
Therefore your committee recommend
hat new section be added to Article
"A, as follows: amendment of President
Dole.)
Section s. The Legislature NAV enact
avs extending the franchise to women.
Signed: w. G. WILDER.
WILLIAM HoRNEr.
;. NJ DAMON.
ID. B. SMITH,
j. KAUHANE.
Councillor Brown presented the
report as follows:
70 THE Hos. s. B. Dole, President Con-
stituiional Convention.
Strive, a minority OF the Committee
o whom was referred the petition regard
ng women's right to vote, &c, beg leave
o report that we cannot agree with the
majority report, believing that woman's
lace IS at home, and that the less she
las TO do with politics or any Of the call
ngs or duties that have heretofore been !
egarded as those peculiar to the male {
ex, the better of she will be, and more {
ited Tor the duties and engagements
hat have been heretofore allotted to and
nown as her particular sphere in life.
We therefore recommend that the NO.
tion be laid on the table. &
CECIL BRowH,
A. S. Wncox,
Honolulu, June q, 1894. c
Delegate Kalua moved adoption of I
ne minority report. There was no I
emand for woman-suffrage outside
Honolulu. He had never heard ~ v
elsewhere. 1t was simply asked for 4
y lew ladies in Honolulu, assisted S
y more gentlemen. The great diffi- o
llty now was that there were too e
lany ignorant voters-men who +
ould sell their votes for ten cents d
orth of tea. No doubt some women n
property would make good voter, b
ut the Hawaiian women were NOT o
idcated up TO the point of appreci n
lng the ballot. If women had ideas b
Z them express them IN tb.i. - |