The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
THE CAUSE OF WOMAN.
~ orrrc1dL REPLY TO A PROTEST
or THE ANTS.

--... That Envo UlNNh SNhAVuA 70
women Have Never Taken 1t Back,-Mrs.
,obp,on,s Mistake About womeia Voters
- rleyeipnd-A Suggested P~urnEhment
Tor wife Beaters-A Railroad Woman.
r,. advocates OF suffrage for wuTnsn are al
eInd 10 have the ''aptls" nut the ir objec-
W. , into some definite form instead OF donl-
w. IN m, usual elitte ring generally s which
' a. diGlcult TO combat as Don Quixote's
H,.dmi,ls The article of Helen Kendrick
y.hnson In THE Sun OF JaIL 20 con-
~, sone remarkable statemtnts. One OF
-. IA that the States which n ve been first
- Grant school suffrage to NO man are those
ShIch have most perslstently and emphati-
vi. w,thheld from her cor stitutional suf-
Ss.g," intending to convey I ne idea that tho
r,0,ss which have tried paittal suffrage for
-omen have refused to lncrsI 80 II. What are
the iacts'
nan and in 1897 extended 20 them municipal
outrage. In 1875 Colorado gave school suf-
tr.pe and in 1893. by q 10 rye majority OF the
norular vote. conferred u ie full franchise. In
1870 wyoming gave the '.ull Territorial ballot.
and twenty years later. by unanimous vote OF
tbe Legislature. refuse 4 to accept Statehood
unless she could have II with equal suffrage
sor her women. In I S7S Oregon gave school
mrrses. and a few d avs ago her Legislature.
nv n vote OF so to u q the House and 20 to / In
the Senate. submit ed an amendment for full
sufIrage. The woI len OF Utah voted from
1869 TO 1885. wheI they were arbitrarily dis
franchised by the Edmunds bill. When the
conventions wers held In 1895 to form a State
Constitution all four Of the political parties in
dorsed woman outrage and 1t was carried by
an overwhelming majority when submitted to
the male voterb.
Women now have school suffrage In twenty
six statcs. instead OF twenty-five. as Mrs.
johnson sal d. In every case this was con.
ferred BY q ie Legislature. which could at any
time take ~ away. but In not one instance has
this ever been done. On the contrary. every
year sees, new States added to the list. Mrs.
johnson declared that women who possess the
school franchise do not use It. and presented q
startling array OF statistics. 1t is impossible
10 W. ify all OF these figures without much time
and trouble. but one 'statement was 90 incredi-
blL!as to.warrant an Investigation. In Cuya-
hoCa county tClevelandl. o.. IN 1898. only
nighty-two women registered and twenty
voted. It cost the State $4,000 to register
these eighty-two women" A letter ad-
dressed to the Board Of Elections. Cleveland.
O., brought this answer from its Secretary.
Edward W. Horn:
In the school election held In this city in April,
1879. there we're {. 73o women registered and 1891
women voted at the election. 1t cost the city in
round numbers about 81. 200 to register and re-
ceive the votes OF these women.
With all due respect to Mrs. Johnson, one
must assert that such an astounding mis-
statement as this casts discredit on all the
figures quoted.
Mrs. Johnson criticises the women Of Chi
cago for not voting in greater numbers for
school officers. when these include the trus-
tees o! Chicago University The fact Is tina,
these trustees elect their own successors-the
board is self perpetuatinR.
II is decidedly an unfair comparison to give
the number OF women who are eligible to vote
for school officers and the number who actu.
ally avail themselves OF this privilege. unless
the ratio OF men actually voting for them Is
also submitted. 1t is true that the majority Of
women do not exercise the school suffrage,
but it must be remembered that In order to
have even this little fragment women must 90
Vote Ior eyerv of,icer from rom constable 70 I Pres T.
dent VI he United States. They must regis
tel. often having to make moro than one trir
FOR school trustees. How many men would go
to t tfas ' Tomon { have @fhr sd Thu his e PTiyIisSse sew.
eral times they lind that school boards are not
e9nteolled by the comparatively few women
who vote for them. hut by that constituency
which stands behind the Common Council. the
Aaydr and the other;city and county officials
~Thelefore. in time. they are apt to ignore this
when there is some unusual issue at stake
,Theh they turn cut in large numbers and often
hoid the balance OF power. There are. how.
over. many localities where the votes Of wo.
men and the election OF women on the Schoo
Board have brought about numerous much,
needed improvements in school matters.
Where women have the full franchise there
Il, no complaint OF their lack Of interest, II
have voted at every election. In Colorado anc
Idaho this has. been trie ever since womeI
we're ,enfranchised. and in addition to THU
they insist upon tie men yorng. If this i
ne case in those Western States where condi
pected n the Eastern and Middle States wheI
women are permitiR d a voice in the great pub
lie questions OF the day.
That women all eady, are Interested in these
questions no one could have doubted who ga
n the Senate gallery last Monday during tn,
debate on the peace treaty. In the face of
oIindlnG Snowstcrm not hundreds, but thou,
fHnGs 4 81 them m u.ada their way to the CAPITOL
and through every open door a waiting lin,
could be seem hopine that some body would
body qld. and for hours they listened with tn
most intense Interest 10 the glowing orator,
OF the %nati2p. Over and over again each speak
eT declared with solemn earnestness. Il shall
caSI NV NctA. either for or against the treaty
and one '.iter another read impressively tn
lhstruetlfpns from the Legislature OF his State
backed ov the imperative demands of thei
e1nStity ants. In all this there was, not tn
slghl7- I impress of n woman's mind or a VIC
inan,s wish. y" woman could say Il cast m,
.ote. In all these last months Of stormy cen
wow rsv the opinions Of the women OF the mn
NOV have not had a feathers weight. and We
tIry will. share equally with men in the re
"-I,s OF this treaty whether for veal or woe.
Inc day before II was voted upon n petition
20 the Senate was published signed by twenty
Jour citizens Of the United States. selectei
from among tho most prominent. but anon
them was not enc woman. Whv? Not be
cause there are not women In this country dis
UNFINISHED for intellectual ability and gras
OF pubic affairs. but because their names at
!ached TO such a petition would not add on,
iota To- its weight. Indeed. they would de
ttact IRON. 1t In the eyes of many. and NOR
than one aigner of this very petition would oh
lect to icing clasSed with women in his att
tude upon public questions. We are forced L
accent as n reason for these things the fao
,lat women have no political standing. an
therefore must necessarily be without infu
shce nron matters that must be settle
through political methods. Were they In
SesIeu with the same power. the opinions {
eminent women would he as much sought 10
and carry as much strength as those of emf
IehI men. The action taken by organization