Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-08

.,,,hs more clubs than the men
:, ZINC take time to belong to-
=, Tho women who signed that re-
: - md they cannot take time 10
,oto The American woman To-Day -
,,,a,ranlv because all of our INSTITUTIONS
haro hssn in the direction OF giving
greater freedom 10 "on'"u
restricting her. an o+ ho
Gentlemen. / hope you will not pc
.oanced into opposing this legislation py
tbe eloouence of my friend from va"
Buren,. :, .;a that
women do not want suffrage. l ask IL /
any great reform started by majority
,oovements Did the abolition OF slavery
start by majority? But slavery was
abolished and it is now regarded as u reiie
of barbarism. There was reform starteu
1000 wears ago, that is the foundation Vi
all our institutions That reform was
started by II humble men on the SHORES
of Galilee. They had a living prlhclpie,
That has triumphed; and / believe touay
that this House is going TO 1naugurate
This movement of suffrage and that II, Will
90 on until in so years from now people
will look back to this time when women
were deprived of the right of voting anu
REGARD that as a relic of barbarism, just
as we regard slavery now. (Applause }
Mr.. Adams of Bowdoin said that II
noise would count for anything, my frlend
from Van Buren, would certainly have
the question During the last few years
we have had a constitutional amendment
which REQUIRES educational qualification
for suffrage. / would restrict 1t more TO
the ignorant. but would open the door
tn the intellige gent voters of this country
7 remember when boy that the vital
question was the slavery question, ana l
remember that the women OF those days
were right on that question, while the
men. although they acknowledged the
great evil did not see how slavery could
he abolished, but the women said 'God
will provide way" and history has
nroved that the women were right. The
women take more interest in school mat
ters than the men. They visit the schools
while the men say that they have not
time The gentleman from Van Buren,
has said that he will protect the women,
but we don't protect them from the rum
shops in this State, the greatest curse in
the State of Maine. Their sons are not
protected from the rum shops. The voters
of the State of Maine allow these rum
shops to go on day by day, placing these
temptations in the way of the sons OF
these women. Give them the ballot and
this question would be settled. That is
why the women of the country want to
vote and that is what has induced me to
say these few words today
Mr. Powers of Houlton said he had not
intended to take any part in this discus
sion, but it seemed that there had been
some assertions made based upon false
premises There seems to be a prevalent
opinion that we are forcing suffrage upon
women. That is not my understanding
of it at all. We are simply, by this act,
permitting those women who desire it to
register and vote. If it is one of
woman's inherent rights to register
and vote as an American citizen,
and she desires to exercise that right,
and if there be 30 others out OF
a hundred who do not desire to exercise
it, they not being compelled in any way
to exercise it unless they choose to, then
submit that it is not just, fair, or
polite to deprive that one woman of her
rights. (Applause)
NV idea about this question Is simply
this A certain number of women in the
State have asked for the privilege of
voting in municipal affairs. They
ask it as a right They will con
tinuc to ask it until they get it.
/ am not very tenacious that it should be
granted by this Legislature, perhaps it
may not be'granted; but gentlemen, as
sure as tides and sunrise come, you will
find that that is one of the things that is
not in the far distant future. applause
1t was my fortune to be present for two
years and vote at two municipal elections,
at least, in Massachusetts,, where there
was qualified female suffrage, where
they were allowed to vote for men,
bers of the experimenting school board,
which is a very important board in Mas
sachusetts | voted right along side of
them and saw no such i'll results flow
ing from it as some of the opponents of
this measure would haze us believe. l
do recall however, that some few years
ago when Boston was taken possession of,
not by the best elements of that city and
when City hall was not filled with what
was most desirable, and when the Re
publican party was in great minority
and continued so for years, that the school
board of the city of Boston year after
year was saved to the Republican party
from the mere fact that we had permitted
women to vote. l hope that no one will
vote against this measure upon any such
theory rs that you are forcing upon the
women OF this State what they do not
want. We arc simply recognizing the
right Of those who are compelled to pay
taxes to stand up and be counted if they
desire to be There are states in which
women have had full suffrage for many
years and have never heard of any such
results as have been predicted here by the
gentleman from Van Buren,. / think he
draws on his imagination for his facts
and his fancy for his theory. Applause.
Mr.. Fairbanks of Bangor said: Two
years ago this question was before the Seth
Legislature Then i voted against the
measure. Since then ] have devoted a