The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-01
Mrs. Gait Advances Arguments
for 1t.
Senator StOckwelI of Minneapolis Speaks
Few Words In Favor of Women
Having the Franchise.

made telling points.
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, presi
dent of the National American Woman
Suffrage association, of New York
City, gave the principal address of the
evening and was listened to with the
closest attention. She is splendid
speaker, logical and convincing, with
a dry wit running through her dis
course. She spoke for an hour an d a
half.
The speaker opened by saying that
six hundred years ago nobody voted,
the wills of kings and emperors being
absolute. Then the barons demanded
a vote on important questions and OBJ
tanned the magma charta. The lords,
the aristocracy and so on down success
sively obtained the right of suffrage,
until finally all men who owned pro-
perty and paid taxes were accorded
the right. Every civilized country re-
cognized this right. Then a step fur
ther was taken and every male person
was given the right.
Women, said Mrs. Gait, pay large
amount Of taxes, and if property own
ing is a just basis for allowing men to
vote it ought to be for allowing women
to do so. Women who own property
should have a voice in the direction of
affairs the same as men who own pro-
perty. If every man who is qualified
to vote is allowed to do so, then every
woman who is qualified to do so should
be entitled to vote.
Mrs. Gait said that when women
get the electoral franchise they would
be in duty bound to vote and thus dis
charge the duty placed upon them.
This duty must not be shirked.
Senator Stockwell of Minneapolis,
husband of the president of the state
association, was present and was call
ed upon for remarks. He said that
women of the state had petitioned the
legislature many times for the pass
age of a certain measure, and it re-
quired three sessions of that body to
get it through. Had any class of
voters asked for the measure it would
have been passed and become a law
within two weeks. Because the
women did not have the right to vote,
little attention was paid to their re-
quest. Had they had that right, the
members would have fallen over them
selves to please their constituents.
Senator Stockwell said that women
ought to have the privilege of voting,
and it should be their duty to do so.
After the meeting, a number of
names were added to the local
woman 8 suffrage club, and some of
the men were enrolled as honorary
members.
It is and has been for years the con-
tention of some of the ablest thinkers
of the country that as the regulations
for the choosing of presidential cleo
tors is left to the legislature of each
state, any state can provide by statute
that women may be electors in voting
for president, regardless of the general
electoral clause of the constitution
which restricts the privilege of yot-
ing to men.
The question was presented during
the convention by Mrs. B. G. Nissan
of Minneapolis and awakened much
interest. Governor Van SAINT was
quoted as saying that if the ladies of
the association would appeal to the
legislature with a strong force presi-
Dental suffrage would be granted in
this state.
Mrs. Cats subject last night was
lone Hundred Reasons Why Women
Should Vote" In the course of her
remarks, she said that there were
more men who ere disposed to accord
women suffrage than there were
women who desired to accept it.
Many of the gentler sex shudder at
the term 'strong-minded, not realiz-
ing that its opposite was "weak-
minded" Mrs. Cats view of the
present strength of the suffrage move
ment was decidedly optimistic.
Mrs. Gait left for Omaha on the
night train.
The convention yesterday afternoon
decided to offer $50 as prize fol
the best essay written by pupil of q
Minnesota high school or university
on "Women in Politics. 1t was
voted to place Scandinavian and an
American organizer Immediately in
the field to obtain new members fol
the association, and to arouse interest
in the suffrage question among both
men and women. The executive
board will name the organizers.
After some discussion it was decid.
ed to have the dues remain 90 cents
instead of making them rs cents, the
additional quarter to pay years sub
scription to the Bulletin, the state
suffragist's organ. ALI notices in re-
gard to the state association will here
after be published in the Bulletin.
A party is in the city who desires tt
open a temperance billiard hall and
bowling alley. He is looking for a