The sun., 1902-06-15

proNed q boeo~SAba VI uuo>< Wuo
,..,- u-The New Austrsisn Pariis-
mrnt N.k-s women Neter~. and
tllsihl- for Nemb~r-hip p~al
women B~hind the rmes.
In January ~ last year bill Ia give the
p,,l,, ,ln.ntary franchise to women vs-
d...t',.d In the Council. or upper house.
4, Victoria. Australia Immediately the
,.~stater- ~ th. tni,~<i Staie- hlo-.som~,i
ou, in headlines Women suffrage Has
p,..,y.si a p.ath Blow In Australia and
various editors eravely informed their
-.i.rs that after this -overw hel ming
e.fra, II va- not likely thi. question would
h. h.Ard " again during the pre-cnt gcner-
atom n, leas, In this column on Jan IS
II was -aid This obstructive upper house.
,iy som 10 replaced by one which has
n. same nstituency as the lower house.
and 10 wear 1879 will So all tho women
a, this large country In the exercise of I he
ful franchise.
his prophecy has oven thus early in
,h. wear been practically fulfilled. a. the
nav National Parliament has Just oonferred
~. rght to vote for its mernbers on all
ths women Of Australia. and also the right
to he elected IN q seat In this body. There
ar. 1.ooo 90 inhabitants In this common
,..lth and this art thcreforc enfranchises
ahpu, $4,000 women When those Of
New z-alAnd are added. who have been
voting nine yrars, and thoss Of our own
four states. . total In furnished Of not less
,hAn q million and quarter English speak
,ns women Who are now exercising tho full
r.lrical suffrage. II seems therefore.
e. - AtNl<.,lfy hat.
ever IN ascertaining tho enact truth NJ to
the practical workings Of woman suffrage.
I. 4. entirely unnecessary that Il should
b either favored or opposed on merely
th.or-,ical grounds.
Au-srs.lia has heretofore bean composed
Of siI lndepsndent States owing allegiance
oLly to the Crown Of Great Britain. Five
o, the~- south and West Australia, New
South Wales. vktoria and Queensland are
compn.~d In the continent, and Tasmania
b separAied by . strip of water $50 miles
vide Each u these has its own state
Parliament or Legislature. compos>d Of an
Assembly or lower house. ele't"d for thres
years by the general adult suffrage; and
q Council. or upper house. one-half as
largo. composed Of only the wealthy and
ari--ocrattc class, who are elected by the
sam. class for from ak 70 nins years In
.ome of the States. and are appointed by
the crown for life IN others Herr. a. In
Great Britain. this upper houss In the OBJ
,,ruotive body. opposing any reform or
progress which would tend To place morc
power in the hands of the people or u en-
dow larger number with political privt-
-sos The majority OF sentim.nt In Au-
s,ralia for many years has been in favor
of enfranchising women. but bills for this
purpose have b-sn continually defeated
H. each State by this 'Huuss OF Lords
A. early ~ 1857 New South Wales granted
uuuicipal suffrage 10 women This was
done by Victoria In is6o; by West Australia
In 1871, by South Australia in iss0, by Tas-
mania In iss<, date In Queensland not known.
From that tim" the struggle ws- tn =-cure
the Parliamentary franchise, to which the
bo..s Finally in iset ths oppopents wsre
worsted and tho full suffrage was granted
u women In South Australia, with the right
u vi, In Parliament. six Year, afterwaryi
in 1910 III. full franchise was given Ia the
women 10 West Australia, but not the light
o. sit in Parliament. In New South Wales
the measure was defeated In 1901 by only
thr,- votes In Victoria the bin has pas-Sd
the Assembly six years In succes-ion. only
TO meet defeat nv q few votes In the Co,in-
ell This was not done by private under
standing t-tween tho two bodice. as 10 us
ually the casss in the United States. but II
simply indicated that the one house repre-
sented the people and the other did not
Finally. in 1901. the six States federated
In one great commonwealth with national
Parliament corresponding 10 our Congress at
Washington. the memt"rs oi both houses
% be elected by the same constituency.
via adult males This body Ia now hold
Ing its first session. and bill has recently
J@s~ei both houses conferring on ali the
women IN the six States the right 10 vote
for this Federal Parliament and To he eleC'ted
to IL There was some opposition. but u
VAS ~ slight that no division was call"tl
for The brief debate was almost an exact
reproduction of those which have taken
p.Ar- from time tO time in the legislative
bodies of tho United States women would
h. Influenced by their emotions; women
would vote Just A. their husbands told
th~rn to. and IL would only double the
surrac~. women would not vote as their
husbands told them 10 and II would break
up the family; all women would vote for
a." handsnIns'St man. the negro or aboriginal
women would vote, tho majority uf the
women did not wan, the suffrage Prof
Jarn.- Bryce - England Sns fr~clv quoted
to prove that woman siiTragr In the nit'-i
States l. n failure Thrre were some nnhlo
arguments mad" in favor of cnfranchisina
woman, and the opponents were referred 10
a. 't-'lunsing io tho ston" az" Ia poEiics,
All ~ the most primaval Of fossils
H. answer ~ the assert Ion that -if n plehis-
ct'" were taken 10 OUT 81 every 100 women
would d"'laro they did not wish Ia vote,
a.. statistics were given from the two
Australian States where they have the
sINrage. proving that fully as lnrgr per-
c"u'ag" q 20" women ~ Of the men vote
a. ev"rv election
The hin passed and NJ n dow not hav~
& d" suhinIt'sNi 10 tho States for ratifics-
trr II l. now part ~ IN" Federal Consu-
tI'Ion Four q tn. six States now present
a." anomaly - having their women en-
t'i'sl 20 vote f1r the n ational but not Tor
to stat. Parliament, and there u little
q ..' ''a' ~ the fret opportunity this
vi D." r"c'in.'d Probably the beginning
a. lSo viii 80" every gualin~l woman IN |
A.-'I1lia IN Possession oi th" conplct"
sg"rag"
I'," women themselves hav" worked |
eaD'~'.y to l-ing 1huU' these r"sult@, !
a 'n'ir .uf-pgn 1gtt"s and as-o'ia- |
'.E. hav" l'-nu 'nrrE-ti" ard efficient |
T. pr'u-Iug favorable sentiment through |
Do" meetings and house -to-hou-. can |
't--a- 70 -"Uur" '~'itiu'-. There. n in |
q. Iri'-l S'prr~ 'Ie-" women repre-
s".''i ,lr = small IRA tinn ~ th. masses |
.' r"rNiug g. h"lp the cs'i@" along
3 Tx 'p IA" ppll- ~ IN. hr-t chance. |
u .'sris vhi'h contains m" largest |
''N N,trrur. 10" woin"u urganiZ'si |
Or AFH. ~I.Nruvp S.stsfy tffiGsrssI an I