The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-03-03


committees last week, did not ha'
-y everything their own way.
:, In opposition to Miss Anthony al
If her colleagues. a very strong deleg,
If ton, representing those who are OF
n posed TO woman suffrage, appeared bt
d lore the committee and very succintl
e and forcibly gave the reasons for the
: opposition.
: Miss Emily P. Bissell of Wilmington
Del. voiced the views of those who d
not favor the enfranChisement of wo
men in a paper, both thoughtful an
: forceful.
; Miss Bissell's opinions should be o
interest to the readers of The Inter
mountain Catholic, who have had thu
opportunity Of Witnessing the exercise
of suffrage on the part of women il
Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho
The following is her paper in full;
1T Is not the tyranny but the chival-
~ of men that we American women
have to fear. The men of America
want to give US everything we really
need, and the danger is that they will
mistake a minority for majority.
That is why we are here today. We
held brief for the silent majority
! who do not want the ballot. There
are no doubt. thousands of women who
wish the ballot and wish it earnestly,
but there are millions who do not de-
sire it.
The proof that we represent this
majority may be asked for. 1t lies in
this-that the suffrage movement must
be against the opinions of most of our
sex since it has been pushed for fifty
years by as able a woman and as pop
ular one as Miss Anthony, and yet
still remains a minority movement. In
these fifty years every other Woman's
movement really desired by women has
succeeded. The educational movement
(not necessarily the co-educatfonaD, Is
a magnificent success, and, by the way,
1 may mention here. that the prest-
dents of four of the prominent wOmen's
colleges are all i-suffragists. The
movement for property rights is so
successful that even married women /
now have more property rights than |
married men. The entrance of women |
in all occupations and professions has
been so great that out of possible
S69 occupations over $50 have been
for our sex. according to the
census Of 1890. while now suffragist
speaker at the conference this week
'laims that we are today represented
n over 400 trades and occupations. And
he club movement-well gentlemen,
wherever there are two women now
days there is a club; the remotest
amlet is no exception to this rule.
'hese movements have had no trouble
4 winning their way and they have
OF taken half century to do it,
ither. The woman suffrage move
lent is the only wOman's movement
l existence that after fifty years hard
ork finds itself not only in the minor :
Y. but with strong associations of wo-
len. banded against it. =,
THE suffrage movement is a minor
Y movement even where it has sue =
seGed. In Colorado. where 1 have =
zen twice since the Equal Suffrage ~
w was passed, and where I have u
lends who are old residents, 1 have %
en- assured that the majority of
omen did not desire the vote and ~
We been Indifferent ever since as to %
sting their ballots. When 1 was go -,
3 to Oregon last year had a most 49,
-eresting talk with an, Oregon suf- -,
Igiat. who sought to dissuade me g.
I'M opposing suffrage. I asked her ~
she did not think that represented -
majority and, she said; why of WI
lrse, the majority of women here in 81
east are against US, and you will Ue
d the majority out there against lis aS
!, but when they have to vote thew ~
Vote." And when reached Oregnn idl
ound that she was right in her first aSI
mark at least. The great majority W.
all the women. L met there did NOT nel
e button for the ballot, and q by
'ng organization has been formed De
re against it. In this connection Wo
add, since the success of municina1 not
rage IN Kansas is often spoken of oW
the suffragists that one of ma
members of the Standing ~
znnlttee of this Oregon STATE SUI
Opnosed n A. uat
sion of the Suffrage 70 cou
men, came upon that committee be- l n
Sc az she said, she had been living ~ Dul
Aahsds unGer municipal suffrage ~
was so disguised with it that when we
moved to Oregon she wanted No Ant
e suffrage at all. tor
no
ne suffrage movement is minor Per Per
movement too, in that the four ~
> "hlch have accepted suffrage are mo1