The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-11-24
SUSAN B. ANTHONY.

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SUSAN B. ANTHONY
(The Queen Of Woman's Rights Agitators)
body who has not given attention to
the subject adequately realizes what
great progress women have made dur
ing the latter half of this century.
Within very few years they will have
completed their emancipation. Fifty
years ago they possessed no civil or po-
litical rights. There was the same
law for free white women as for negro
slaves, the husband taking the place of
the master.
The slave mother had no right of
guardianship over her child, neither
had the white mother. The latter had
no right when married to inherit. pos
sess or dispossess property. When she
married everything belonging to her
became the property of her husband,
and likewise whatever she might sub
sequently inherit. She could not sue
or be sued. Her husband even owned
the wages which she earned. All this
has been changed. At present in near
ly all the states married woman holds
and controls all of the property which
she had on entering wedlock, or to
which she may have fallen heir after
ward. She is entitled by law to the
money which she earns by working for
anybody except her husband.
Every development must have be-
ginning, and after reforms have been
long accomplished it is difficult to as.
certain their genesis. In this mat
ter of the gradual growth of political
power on the part of women in this
country, it is easy at this date to re-
cord the fact that the beginning of it
all was an effort on the part of women
to secure control over the schools. At
present rs states of the union allow
them to vote for officers of schools. In
nearly every state women are elected
as school trustees, members of school
boards and county superintendents of
schools. At one election nine women
were elected as members of the school
board of Boston, 10000 of their sex vot-
ing. In Illinois women vote for trustees
of the state university, this privilege
having been accorded them five years
ago. Fully one-half of the counties in
Kansas have women superintendent
of schools. North Dakota has had
woman for state superintendent of
schools.
In Kansas, which in 1860 was the first
state to grant school suffrage to wom-
en-, the latter enjoy many additional
privileges. They vote equally with men
in all the cities, casting their ballots
for mayor, aldermen. judges and other
municipal officers.
It is particularly important because
in that state there are no less than 285
incorporated cities, whereas in the
state of New York there are only %
such cities. This peculiar condition of
affairs is due to the liquor Dealers
Some years ago there was law in force
which obliged every liquor dealer out
side of the cities to get his petition for
license signed by more than one-half
ship, irrespective of the sex. With re-
markahle unanimity the women de-
clined to sign and the result was prac-
teal prohibition in all small towns.
Accordingly the liquor dealers got
around the difficulty by securing the
passage of law which permits any set
tlement of over $50 inhabitants to be
as city.
This deprived the women of their
control over the sale of liquor in the
towns, but the arrangement has since
proved very advantageous to them.
At present in Kansas they are on an
absolute equality with men, excepting
as to voting for state and national Of
fcers. However, it is likely that they
will soon acquire all of these rights,
inasmuch as. all parties seem to be
united in favor of proposition to
strike one word out of that clause
which grants the right of ballot to
every male citizen" That word is
male" Thus it is likely that before
long Kansas will elect women as rep
rcsentatives in congress, and perhaps
as senators. Respecting all municipal
affairs they already hold the reins, be-
ing effectively in control.
Thirty years ago the legislature of
Wyoming passed a. law granting to
women all the rights as to voting which
men possessed in the territory. There
is nothing to prevent a woman from
being governor of that state. The sue
cess of the system has been fully DEM
onstrated there. Odd as it may seem,
the men like it. s:.,,....
1t is true that women are still dis
eliminated against apart from matters
political. In every state of the union
the old common law is still>in force
which permits a man to beat his wife
SO long as he does not use stick big
ger round than his thumb. He is per-
fectly within his rights SO long as he
does nothing more than tie her to a
bed post and whale her in moderation.