The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-18
THEY MAY VOTE YET.
Althea Briggs stryker. the New
Leader of the Suffragists,
IS BEHIND THE SPECIAL BILL

Eo-4ha ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Ten A@n-
r..a WOmen-Her Agitation OF the
Orastion il Attracting Lots OF AT
tentIOn. :.
Several Kansas women whose anOi-
tons will be gratified some crisp NoVe.n-
her morning, when they put on their Oil
vided skirts and go to the polls 10 not
only improve the moral atmosphere at
the precinct polling places, but help
elect a governor and president nave
decided on new way Of boosting tnem-
selves into full fedged citizenship
Since the suffrage amendment was ue-
feated at the last general electlon Ine
eoual suffragists. with that perseverance
c6aracteristic of their sex, have been
LAYING plans for trying it again. some
of them would be satisfied to have the
amendment resubmitted, but Mrs Althea
Priog5- Striker. who has suddenly be-
come a leader of a large following OF
nopuIist women throughout the state,
saws she has a better plan. AN act OF
the legislature" she counseled, "Is ali
we need Or at least L think It's All we
need. If we could get bill through the
LEGISLATURE enfranchising US, we could at
least get this question settled ID tAe
courts before the next election"
So far as the ladies know this question
has never been settled, at least as applied
to the Kansas constitution, SO Senator
Parker introduced a bill (the particulars
have been published) enfranchlsIng the
following women: Mrs. Althea Briggs
Stryker OF Great Bend, Mrs. c. A Moss
of LYON county, Miss Eva Harding. Mrs
q r Puryiance, Mrs l. D. Whittemore,
Mrs. J. E. White, Mrs Gracia Potts, MRS
7. S Lyon, Mrs W. D. Church, Mrs. d.
F. Nichols, all of Topeka.
This bill was put on second reading
at once and referred. There was con-
siderable opposition to the bill. from
the two Democratic senators and
the Republican and Populist senators
who are not advanced" from suffrage
standpoint
The Parker bill, which is admitted to
be more of an experiment than anything
else. will probably pass both houses and
become law.
1t is a cruel legislator, indeed, who
will deny Mrs. Stryker and her associates
so small a favor. Mrs. Stryker will then
be able to test the point in court
which she desires made, that wo-
men can be enfranChised by
specific personal bills. While she
is not lawyer she says
there is nothing in the Kansas consti-
in the senate say maybe she is right.
Whether she is or not she will have a
chance to find out, and if it is all right
she will have rendered the women of
Kansas a great service. All those women
who desire to vote will thereafter have
only to hand their names to their SEN
ator or representative and have it in
cluded in the Acknowledgement bill This
would be a happy solution Of the suf-
frage question. Those who wanted to
vote could do so and those who don't care
to vote couldn't if they wanted to.
Mrs. Stryker said to a JOURNAL re-
porter this morning:
EThis question has never been tested
in Kansaa We claim the legislature has
just as much right to confer suffrage OF
women who ask for it as to give US mu
nicipal suffrage. If the legislator,
shows a disposition to treast US half-wa,
decent all will be we'll. The Republi
cans promised to do something for tn
women when they had redeemed Kan
sas, and now is their chance. But l tel
you the women are getting tired of beg
ging and being insulted.
''Soon after the defeat of the suffragt
amendment many of the most Influential
women in Kansas began agitating the
subject of calling a convention of thu
women of Kansas, and framing a declara
tlon OF independence, Dill OF rights, anC
setting up government of our own
The constitution is not finished yet, bu
the women are working on it. We CLAIM
that we can tax the women and have
government of cur own. This is no
treason, for we are not citizens of Kan
sas under the law and owe no allegianc
TO the state. We are taxed without rep
resentation and we have no voice in stat
affairs. As say, if the legislature treat
US half way fair this will not be done
but if they continue to refuse our re
quests the women will create govern
ment of their own and make the me
ashamed of themselves"