The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-13
THE CAUSE OF WOMEN. |
UNFAIR DEDUCTIONS DRAWN FROM
THE SUFFRAGE STATISTICS.


Once more the school elections in New York
State have come and gone. The election re-
turns show tho most varieGated results. In
some towns no women voted. In others, the
women voted more generally than the men.
Where the womcns vote was light. the fact Is
made an argument against equal suffrage. as
usual But whore only few men cast their
ballots. no one draws n similar conclusion. In
one town. only three persons voted two
men and ono woman. Syracuse editor
quotes this incident. and claims that
the majority 81 the women, by their indiffer-
ence. showed their unftness for suffrage. But
what about the majority Of the men?
1t is inferred that since women do not vote
in large numbers at school elections. they
would not do so at any elections: but this idea
is quite irrational Everybody knows that the
vote OF men Il large or small according as the
election In large or small. 1t varies in exact
proportion to the amount OF interest and ex
element which that particular election calls
OUT. Thus. in Massachusetts. ut Presden-
tial elections the majority OF the men who can
register and vote generally do so: at an or
binary State election. less than half Of them
turn out at an ordinary municipal election.
n still smaller mum her: and at a school election.
wherever school officers are chosen on n sepa-
rate day. only very small fraction Of the men
ever go to the polls
In the States where women have only school
suffrage. their vote is generally small; whore
they have municipal suffrage it is much larger:
and whore they have full suffrage. they vote as
generally rs the men. In Colorado. women
received the school suffrage in 1876 Their
vote was small. In 1893, full suffrage was
granted and at the next election the women
cast - per cent. of the total vote OF Denver.
and they have continued ever since to vote as
generally as their brothers. In 1861. school
suffrage was given TO women in Kansas. Their
vote was mall In l~SI thoy received munich
pal suffrag". Their vote Immediately became
very much ar er.and has increased at sue
cecGins elect, Ions.
Thcle is n great deal OF human nature in
women. and their vote varies according to
circumstances. rs the vote of men does hut
the ANTS" refuse to make allowance for this
fact. Kansas cities OF the first and second
class elect their mayors and the greater part
OF the city governments bicnnially. leaving
only a few comparatively unimportant officers
to be chosen in the Intervening year. Hence
on the off year the vote OF both men and wo-
men is always light. But for a long time after
municipal suffrage was granted in Kansas.
every alternate year the opponents Of equal
rights at the East published the figures Of the
women's vote at the tull election and at the of
election SAYING. last year Sc many women
voted, and this year ONLY many Kansas
women are losing their interest in suffrage
their vote is declining; municinal woman sun.
the of year the vote Of the men declined as
much or more was never mentioned.
The tulacy il the same in making women'S
small school vote an argument ARaluat general
suffrage. Thus the anti are circulating n leaf
let calling attention to tho fact that nj the last
women voted But u 'iishcd ieto the num-
Der of men voting at the school elect ions in dif-
ierent Illinois towns. shove that III one town.
only two men voted; and in s"y"ral others the
record was not mach better. Toronto used To
choose its school hoard at II ser2rnt" election.
the school officers at the regular municipal
election. one Of tn" rcas%ns given fer the
change was that 1t was found tmposs thl" to get
more than n handful OF men out I" vote for
school oflic"r3"nlv, The exreronc" is the same
York school elections, New York anti SOL
EMMY concludes that it is contrary To the gen
ius Of women to influence public ;;irars by the
have full suffrage The report of the Wyoming
Women vote. In New Aaaand when iu SUI nj
frage was granted to women six years ago. the
ony was i3!'.nI3 and iO'i,ii OF them regis
torcd to vote at the first election.
their S Vote 4 as large AMI as Uniform as that Of
the men. Where men are called upon t" vote
for school officers only, their vote is as small
ticuarly exciting school election may call out
Il large vote Of either men or women, or both;
small. 1t is a matter Of quite as much moment
that we should have good school Gh officers as
tnht we SnDNl'l nave u Ep'n lT''SlleHI ~ lIle
United States: and il il a cause for regret that
more women DO not take advantage OF the
truth Of Mrs Poysers famous remark; Il am
not denying that women ar" FOOLISH; God
Almighty made them to match the men"
Mrs. Ellen VI. Henrotin of Chicago. eX-
president OF the General Federation OF
Womens Clubs. has been collecting the statis-
tics OF womens clubs and their membership.
In the July bulletin Of the Department OF
Labor. she publishes the figures. There are
now 2.1lO women's clubs and associations,
with 100. O23 members. out of l .2S3 clubs be-
longing to the federation whose special rur-
poses are mentioned by Mrs. Henrotn.
only three give as their chief Object the
effort to secure equal suffrage. The vast
majority. OF suffrage, clubs are clubs OF
to mem bershlp in the federation which is limit
ed to clubs composed Of women, exclusively.
4 few political equality clubs in Pennsylvania.
HOWEVER. happening to have no men among
their regular hers Iopsd the state asa"r,
caused quite a little breeze. both among tho
more ultra ants. who thought they ought not
old line sufragists. who regarded it as a sort
OF treaSon for suffrage cn9 TO pay dues to
vana Women kewavsr san% by their asSn
Thev say that membershiri in I'll" state Fedora
Conservative clubs Mrs Hcnrotim ilndS everv-
where among Ifl'' 'lNbS u RToWll'E IutfI'Sl III
soc al and economic questions. which Is educnt-
ing the women for suffrage.
Tho only survivor OF the Bens expedition
reached San Francisco the other day on the
steamer Bertha from st. MichaelS, or scvcn-
teen people who left Port Townsend June II.
1898 for KOtzrbue Sound to prospect for gold.
only one is now living. and that one il n woman
Mrs. II. w. Bens. Of Clay City, Ky Her tale
OF hardships in the far North would make a
| thrilling romance For twelve weeks she
| nursed her scurvy-strcken husband without
| any one 10 help her. far from human habita-
| ton. When he died she was loft alone in tho
| bleak wilderness. She started out over snow
| waist dccp in search Of help. and after travel
| ing for miles found n cabin where three fisher
| men were wntcring. Then she fell ill., but was
! kindly cared for by them and helped on her
| way to st. Michacs, BY the law Of most States.
| when husband and wife perish in n shpwreck
| or other accident. and there is no way of tell
| ing which survived the longer. the law assumes
! that the wife. as the weaker died frst. Thus
| her husband is held to have inherited her prop
erty. and in the absence of n will it goes to his
| raIatiyng not harS This incident in the \nrf H.