Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-09-23
To Friends OF Education.

To Friends OF Education.
With remarkable unanimity, educators
of this State have united to accomplish
popular approval of the proposed amend
ment to the constitution permitting wo
men to vote at school meetings. An APP
peal has been prepared and widely dis
tributed, signed by the county superinten-
dents of schools, and the State Superinten-
dent, ]. M. Green, principal Of the Norma
School, and large number of prominent
citizens of every section of the State, hence
we gladly comply with the request to pub
lish the substance of same, as follows
Every female citizen of the United States Of
the age of twenty lone years, who shall have
been a resident of the State one year and Of the
county OF which she claims her vote f1ve months
next before said meeting, shall be entitled to
vote at any School Meeting, held in any School
District OF this State in which she may reside, for
members of Boards of Education and all other
school officers that now are or hereafter may be
elected at such meetings"
As will be seen, the proposed amend
ment only affects school meetings held in
rural districts, and not the choice of mem
bers of Boards of Education in cities, but
the special election will be held in all parts
of the State and in every borough and
township. Voters in cities and boroughs,
as well as rural districts, will, therefore, aid
il the passage or defeat of the amendment.
We would, therefore, call your attention
especially to the following facts:-
FIRST. The amendment will give no
new rights or privileges to women, but
will simply restore to them the right to
vote at school meetings for the election of
members of Boards of Education. This
right was granted to them by the Legisla-
ture OF 1887, and was used by women in
increasing numbers and with decided bene-
I'll to the schools until November, 1894
when the Supreme Court decided that it
was contrary to the Constitution for wo-
men to vote for School Trustees.
SECOND. right of women to vote
upon all other questions that come before
school meetings, such as the voting of q
tax, or authorizing the issuing of bonds,
was wholly unaffected by the decision of
the Supreme Court, and is still possessed
by the women of our State. (See official
opinion of Hon. A. B. Poland, State Super
intendent of Public Instruction in 1880.
THIRD.-It is also the law of New Jer-
sey that women can hold the positions of
School Trustees, and number are doing
so in different parts of the State at the
present time, having been elected thereto
by the votes of men. Chapter CCCXXXVI
of the laws of 1878 provides as follows:-
mo person shall be eligible to the Office of
School trustee unless he or she can read or
write; and women who are residents in the
district and over twenty-one years shall
also be eligible to the office of School Trus-
tee," No new power of holding office,
therefore, will be conferred upon women
by the proposed amendment.
FoURTH.-Women at School Meetings
possess at the present moment precisely
the same rights as men, with the single ex-
ception that after voting tax or bonding
district, they are debarred from voting
for the men who are to expend the money
voted to be raised by tax or bond. At a
school meeting woman may lawfully pre-
side as chairman, or act as secretary of the
meeting, or as teller to count the votes.
She may move and debate any business
that may come before the meeting; in
short, with the single exception named,
rights, power and privileges as if she were
man.
FIFTH.-It is evident, therefore, that
this exception brings about an anomalous
condition of affairs, which needs to be
rectifed, and 1t is simply to remove this
incongruity that this amendment to the
Constitution has been framed.
SIxTH.-The Legislature of New jersey,
h. 1f a.
called to their notice, voted with hardly q
dissenting voice in favor of the above
amendment which has been passed by
three successive Legislatures, namely those
of 1895, '96 and '97, and is now, in pur-
suance OF the requirements of the Constitu-
ton, to be voted upon by the people at
large.
Believing as we do that Public Edu-
cation is one of the most important bull
warks OF our system of Government; that
this amendment will promote the welfare
Of the Public Schools by securing the CO.
operation of the women, and especially the
mothers of our State; and believing also
that all intelligent citizens will vote in its
favor if the. matter is brought to their at
tention, we would urge all clergymen to
bring it to the notice of their congrega-
tions in such manner and at such times
as may seem proper to them, and we would
also urge all good citizens, and especially
the women of the State, to use their in
fuence in favor of this amendment, and to
see to it that full vote is called out on
September Goth, lest this good measure,
designed to restore to the women of the
State the privileges exercised by them SO
acceptably from 1887 to 1894, should be
lost through lack OF knowledge or in
terest on the part of the intelligent voters
of the State.