Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-03

the elective franchise N the hands of wo-
men would help the Mormon cause. When
the territory was admitted as a state one
of the constitutional clauses declared for
the enfranchisement of women. In 1896
Idaho enfranchised her women by a con-
Stitut1onal amendment. In these four states
women have exactly the same rights as
men under all conditions and circumstances.
But one state, Kansas; gives women full
municipal suffrage. This was granted Feb
ruary IS. 1887. Women can vote for all
trustees and directors when elective, for
school bonds or school appropriations and
for city officers, bonds and all public i'm
provements.
Partial Suffrage.
1t will perhaps surprise a good many peo-
pie to know that there are now twenty
eight states and territories where women
vote on at least one proposition. although
the restrictions are at times almost pro-
hibtive
The women of Arizona, Connecticut, Della
ware, Illinois. Kansas, Kentucky, Massa-
chusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Montana.
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North
Dakota, OHIO Ok ahoma, Oregon. South Da-
kota, Vermont. Washington and Wisconsin
vote for all trustees and directors when
elective; in Minnesota, New York and North
Dakota they vote for county superintend-
ents: in North Dakota. Kansas. Idaho, Col
orado, Utah and Wyoming, for state su.
perintendent; in Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska. New Jer-
sey and North Dakota they vote for school
bonds and for school appropriations: in
Louisiana and Montana. for public improve
ments submitted to taxpayers.
In Arizona and Michigan the women who
vote must pay taxes or be the mother or
guardian of children of school age. In
Michigan municipal suffrage was granted
by the legislature in 1893, but it was de-
clared unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court.
In Connecticut and Massachusetts there
is an educational qualification for women
just as for men. In Delaware, Vermont
and Oregon there is property qualifica-
ton. In kentucky widows with children of
school age vote for trustees, and widows
and spnsters who pay taxes can vote on
school taxes in the country districts. In
the three second-class cities women can
hold school offices and Vote on the same
terms as men. In Wilmington. Del. wo-
men have municipal suffrage. and they may
also vote at the town elections in Town
send, Wyoming, Milford and Newark.
In Illinois women vote for trustees of the
state university and, if adult owners of
land. for drainage commissioners. In Mis-
sissippi the code gives freeholders the
right to vote on the stock law In Louis
lana by law of June 2S. 1894 women own
ing immovable property in drainage dis
trict may vote on plans of drainage to be
adopted and amount of tax to be levied, in
person or by duly authorized proxy.
Washington. while yet a territory. gave
women the franchise, but the Supreme
Court declared the act unconstitutional by
decisions in 1856 and 1888.
Every one of these laws have been placed
upon the statute books of the various states
since 1861, and they are directly traceabe
to the influence of Miss Anthony and her
coadjutors. In 1863 public agitation for
year John Stuart Mill presented the subject
to parliament, and all Europe has since
discussed the ACCESSIBILITY of enfranchising
women. Full suffrage is enjoyed by the
IF Now Zealand Spnth Australia
and the Isle of Man, while in all other
English colonies, and in England. Ireland,
Scotland and Wales women possess munic-
ipal suffrage. limited suffrage based on
ownership of property is possessed by wo-
men of Norway, Sweden. Iceland, Den
mark, Finland and Russia; and through
Prussia, Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein.
Saxony, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Luxem-
bourg and Roumania.
Miss Anthony's Work.
Thirty-three years ago Miss Anthony APP
peared before Congress asking for recog-
milton under a sixteenth amendment and
thirty-two times she has duplicated her
arguments before the two houses of the
national legislature. For long years no i'm
preston was made at all. Then the Senate
finally appointed select committee to
consider woman suffrage That com
mittee, however has never been known to
do anything. In the House the committee
on Judiciary grants a brief hearing
For fifty years now Susan B. Anthony,
with her splendid courage, 1ndom1t able
ing power. has kept the suffrage associa-
ton together. To test the fourteenth
amendment, she voted, suffered arrest,
trial and Imprisonment When the notori-
Gus Victoria woodruff got into the organl-
cation, and undertook to force upon it her
"free-love'' theories. Miss Anthony was
the only one of the whole lot who had
backbone enough to disavow all connection
with such heresy, and to kick her out
Then Mrs. Stanton undertook to carry the
organization into politics. Like flint Miss
Anthony set her will against this, and
won.
A little later some preachers who had
never had any use for the organization
took it upon themselves to arraign Miss
a Polish woman who did not believe the
Bible to be an inspired work. Miss An
thongs answer was brief. and nfpped in the
bud a religious revolt among her subjects.
She said: when this platform is too mar
row for people of all creeds and no creeds
to stand on I shall not be on it, Every
new issue that came up along the by-paths
of the years found some one among the SUI
fragists to champion its cause, and ready
to lead the famous organization into de-
vious ways, but Miss Anthony. with fixed
purpose. led her girls back into the
straight and narrow path and stood guard
over them.
The latest rock on which they must have
gone to pieces was that OF the so-ca1led
Nv OmanS Bible, whose autnOr IS EllZ-
abeth Cady Stanton. Mrs. Stanton tllrsted
for the Endorsement of the suffrage asso-
citation. When the resolution was presented
to the convention Miss Anthony quickly left
the chair and began to speak. Il consider
it great waste of time. and have told Mrs.
Stanton so. to descant on the barbarisms of
5000 years ago." she said. when peo-
Pile then did cruel and brutal thing they
claimed to do it by command of God and
so it has been ever since. always distrust
people who know SO much about what God
wants them to do to their fellows" And
then her girls" voted just exactly as she
wanted them to, and 1t was as IL the "Wo-
mans Bible had never been written. The
yeriest despot that ever ruled, Miss Anthony
has been able to keep out of all heresy, all
yaingiorious matters, and the organization
which is the apple of her eye, the heart of
her soul has kept on its onward and up
ward course, fretted by no selfish or per
sonal interests, and free of rings and
schemes.
There are now suffrage organizations In
almost every state. and the younger