The Anaconda standard., 1897-12-05
DETERMINED TO VOTE
Mrs. Marilla NJ Ricker's Work in
the Granite State.
is TRYING FOR CONGRESS
She Will Contest Representative Sullo-
ways Seat-Petitioned the Presi-
dent TO Appoint Her as Min
lister to Colombia.
Dcv. IN. II. Correspondence 10 the
hsaN Work SIM

Dov. IN. II. Correspondence 10 the
eseN York sun.
New Hampshire has more polit rs To
the square foot than any other New
England state. Al a distance ii hardly
SENS as if this was a fact but that is
because all Of the politics is not on the
surface. The most persistent and most
conspicuous of late surprises is Mrs
Marila Nj. Kicker.
Mrs. Kicker is the first woman i'm the
country who ever tried to vote That
was - years ago. She went boldly to
the selectmen OF her ward and asked
to have her name put on the voting
list. The selectmen We're paraiyzed
with astonishment, but yielding To her
eloauenee-perhaps ii was u mere show
of gallantry on their part-they did as
she requested. Three days later to
their aggravated aStonishment. Mrs.
Kicker came to the polls and tried 10
vote the straight republican ticket Her
vote was challenged by he democrats.
Thus she was the pioneer af woman
voters. On this act she bases all her
pride. all her ambition, When any one
essays to belittle her fame she points to
one of her books and says:
No woman voted before that time.
Now four states, Wyoming Colorado,
Utah and Idaho, give universal suffrage
to women, In 20 other stats there is
municipal suffrage or school suffrage.
which proves that the world do
move
Early last summer She petitioned the
president to appoint her envoy extra
ordinary and minister plenipotentary 10
the United States Of Colombia. Al first
even the serene citizens Of this com
monWealth smiled at her boldness. Two
prominent politicians forthwith am
nounced their opposition. Mrs. Rieker's
ambition was defeated, i}ut that was
no discouragement. So. last week she
declared that she would contest the
eastern congressional seat With CON
gresham Cyrus A. sulloway of Man
chester. Again the politicians laugh.
But Mrs. Kicker is serious. She AYERS
that she will continue To fight for the
principle of feminine representation.
i have always said that | expected
some day to go to congress. she says.
The present time. | feel. is favorable
for a direct effort to that end. Women
are fast coming to the front in all the
walks of life. including politics The
West is more progressive in this respect
than the Last. In Chicago for ex-
ample. there are women lawyers. jour
nalists and druggists. Those OF the last
class are AS apt in detecting the wink
as the men. Why should not women go
to congress? There is no valid reason
why they should not. Mark you. the
time is not far distant when il VIII be
possible FOR men Ia prevent their going
as representatives. of the people. See
the states that have granted universal
suffrage, ana the states that have
granted municipal suffrage See Mrs
Cannon, senator in Utah. See three
women in the legislature Of Colorado
Now. isn't ii a perfectly logical consc-
auence that women should ge 10 CON
greSs2 There is not a line in the con
stitution Withholding from them that
right A II thai * needed IL fat aa
pie to recognize The right, and give to
women possessing qualifications an
equal chance with the men
III is true, the West adopts more
readily new ideas Of social progress
han the East The Western eonmuni-
ties are made M largely Of young men.
who are inclined r. be Bohemians while
the East is governed by the ideas of
the rich and the conservative. ! have
been poking into the political wilderness
for these 40 years and am Vel 10 come
in sight of the promised land But |
am heading that way.
one thing is certain | shall never
find fault with my own party Or repu-
diate ii If ! am beaten. That is not my
way of doing things The average Wa=
man would not Wabble politically 50
much as the average man does ! am
sure ] shouldn't Wabble So far as to
vote for Cleveland. proclaim myself a
free trader and a political Ishmaelfe
and still go on thinking that | deserved
the suffrage of the people Of my dis
tliot.'
Mrs. Kicker was born in Durham s.
years ago She was graduated from the
public school and then entered the New
London academy. She says that she
has been a woman suffragist since she
came to the use of reason. II used to
NGx her when child, not II be per
mitted to go to town TO meet her father.
although her little brother could 60 as
often aS he wished. She does not r.
member the day when she did not have
the desire to vote.
She began 10 teach school when she
Was Is That WAS about the time TOO,
when She began to write about Wo-
man suffrage When she Was p she
was married 10 John Kicker a Neli-to-
do inhabitant of Aaybnry. Her hus-
band. at that time, owned a large Sec
tiGn of the present city Of Dover lie
died = years age. Since then Mrs Rick
ef has been abroad number OF times
and occasionally has resided in Galifof-
mia and other Western states In 1879
in order to perfect herself for the pro-
pagatien af woman suffrage. she took
up the study Of law with Albert q Rid
die and Arthur B Williams in Wash
il eron, -, &, She was admitted ia
practice before he supreme court Of
the District af Columbia in 1882 She
Il
there Were Is men. Three years after
NaId She was appointed United States
commissioner and examiner in chan
Gerry Of the district. She began tho ac-
tive practice IF laW in 1891, A year
before she had won her first notable
victory in her native state when Chief
Justice Doe decided that her applica
ton u the har of New Hampshire was
absolutely legal
After her entrance into politics In 1870
she waited Is Years before attempting
to wake up women To a sense IF the
political injustice that they Neie en-
during. a. She would say In that wear
she took tbe stump IN the West f9f
General Harrison. Four years later
found her on the stump in eastern Mas
sachusftfs Iu Essex county In that
campaign she also organized q Waman.s
republican club in MarshalitpNu. la
and wrote a great many political arti-
cles This il the essence 81 her views.
II say 10 all women, Get the ballot