The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-02-10


 more and more, so that to-day all mel
 who do not belong to the two classes
 criminals and lunatics-have the righ
 to vote.
 am sorry to be obliged to state tha
 to-day the Norwegian women have no
 the right of voting except in the cast
 of certain regulations as to the sale O.
 liouor in each community. They have
 not even so much as municipal suffrage
 still we have faint hope of getting i
 ere long. No less than seven different
 billie relating to it have been brought
 before the House lately. From the Par.
 liament these have been sent to the
 Government. and if the Government vii
 take this matter in hand the reform bll
 will probably be passed For the pass ing of this law is required only ma ioritv. while for the parliamentary suf- frage two-thirds majority is required, as it involves an amendment to the con-
 stitution.
 It is the question of this large majori-
 ty which will make the parliamentary
 vote SO difficult for us to obtain. Before
 the seyenty-six members out of the
 TIA composing our Parliament will vote
 for us many prejudices must be over
 come,
 I mentioned that our rulers had for gotten woman's existence. I don't mean | to say that their brains are not clear I now and then on this point And if i it were my task here to speak about the Norwegian fomen's position gene rally I should have long list of bright inatances to point out from the year 1854, when the right of inheritance was made the same for men and women,till the year 1892, when our only university was opened to women as students, with the same privileges as to men-and thus improvements have continued.
 But it is parliamentary enfranohise- ment that is my subject and with re- gard to this it is true that we have been ignored and political rights are just what Norwegian women want. In our country, believe, all questions and iI- terests are brought before the. Paria- ment In a greater degree than in any other country, and the greatest consld- eration is given to the electors.
 Politics causes a division in womens and mems interests which is not de- sirable. On one eide political views take the mems Interests too much from the home culture while in still greater de- gree our women show lack of interest in regard to political life. Our public schools, with compulsory education, give the same advantage to girls and boys, and one sees the girls fully stand ing on equal terms with the boys, but later on the women fall back in intellec- tual development. In my opinion the principal reason is that they are hind cred in taking part, and, consequently, wanting in interest inpublic life. 4
 Seeing that women were, so entirely ignored as to parliamentary franchise, we resolved at last to remind our broth CTS of our existence
 In 1885 we formed society for wo- mans suffrage. It's purpose was to ob- tain municipal and parliamentary fran chise for women on the same terms as it ie extended to men. One of our mem- bers of Parliament took upon himself to bring up a bill. Bills of constitu- tional importance have to be brought up and be referred to one of the three yearly parliamentary periods, so as to be discussed in the next period. For this reason the bill was not debated until the year 1890.
 The condition for mems suffrage still depended on property and taxes. If the bill had been passed then 1t would have given only a few women the right of voting, as married women who have not property in their own right are not i taxed
 There was warm dispute in our Par i liament on that first occasion. It is the 1 great deluge" coming, said one of the bishops of our Church who was present. i, It was seen, however that our cause had also gifted supporters In Paria ment When it came to division forty | four out of the one hundred and four teen members voted for the amendment. | The next time that the bill was debated | In our Parliament, in June, 1898. fifty [ eight members voted in favor of it, and | the third time. in May, 1885, 1t obtained | ifty-four votes.
 Meanwhile the Norwegian women nave tried to express their claims by the aids of petitions, meetings, etc., still not in so great number and with such energy as could be wished. As things were We could not complain much of our oarliament's relation to our cause up to his time, and we were grateful to the Liberal party for it's support of the bill. The theoretical objections against the 2 ,ause were lessened; at all events, it vas considered want of taste to use uch expressions in debating as former y. We had great hope to see ere long ome women in possession of the vote.
 But the political situation changed, nd now the prospects for a near issue lave darkened deeply.
 As before mentioned, Norway and 'weden were united under one king, on he basis of equal position, keeping the berty and rights that the constitution .ad given. Nevertheless, the union of he two kingdoms led to difficult crises n our political life. It has cost our ountry much toll and labor to keep its Independent position on level with it's evelopment In the case of foreign rep esentation especially veXations and have arisen which have aused a strong party strife within our ountry, and this has also influenced cause. The Liberal party,