Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-11-16
ADVANCE OF WOMAN

WRITER THINKS THERE IS LIT.
TIE MATERIAL GAIN.
Municipal Suffrage in Massachusetts
Declared to Sc Good Deal of a
Fraud-Votes for Women Who Pay
Taxes.
The statement made recently that
instead OF al! having been gained"
0y women, they are still struggling
for foothold has just received
practical illustration III Washington
city. During the last two years for
the first time q woman has been per
mltted to enter the law department
II Columbian university in that city
and prepare for it's degrees.
A paragraph has been eofng tho
rounds setting forth the small mum
Der OF women who votef in he re
'ent 'municipal elections in Maeea,
g 'ISetts and asserting that the nrrl-
Der is constantly growing smaller.
IN Boston. it is said, only 1850
women cast their ballots.
The fact is that women have no
municipal" suffrage in Massacbu.
setts. II 1879 in a burst of gener.
osity. law which never has been re-
peaied was passed by the legislature
providing that woman q wears Of
age who could stand the educational
test and who should give notice in
writing that she wished to be as
sesSed roll tax go and who should
give, under oath. a statement of her
taNable property and be therej,non
assessed. and who should go at an
appointed time an1 register, and re-
peat 'hls performance every year.
should be allowed to vote for school
trustees. She could not attend the
primaries and help select the candi.
oates; she could not vote for SUPER
Visors or any other officials, nor for
appropriations for new schoolhouses.
nor III the selection Of teachers nor
on any question connected with the
public schools, bat simply could make
4 choice OF trustees from ballot pre-
pared without her sanction
Under these conditions men pretend
to be shocked and grieved that the
women of Massachusetts o not rush
en- masse to the polls. To compare
the size of the WOman's vote with
that OF the men under such widely
different con litions, is more than un.
fair, 1t is dishonest The only legiti-
mate comparison mnst be made in
the four states where conditions are
precisely the same, ard here the
women come out Of the tes: with fly.
ing colors
The indianapolis Journal said in a
recent editoria! referring 70 the grow.
ing sentiment in favor of tax-paying
women having municipal suffrage:
The conviction undoubtedly has
become widespread that they should
be allowed to assist in choosing the
ness OF such direct importance to
them. lesser number probably, be.
lieves that if all women were allowed
to vote at city elections the tendency
to political CORFU sion would be
checked; nevertheless, this idea is
gaining ground also
The important Interview with Prot.
". H. Fl Hart Of Howard university
on the race problem, which was pub
lished recently, contained this strong
assertion:
''In the end, whatever may be the
condition now. IT, right of suffrage
must be the sword and shield of all
the people of der 3cracy. In
monarchy it is tie GEty Of the mobiles
70 guard protect aud help the sub
ject classes. bat in democracy such
as ours Il ballet is absolutely the
only protection Of the citizen. and it
Is as necessary in the long run to the
man whose skin is dark as to him
whose skin is light, and WAen the
race question is settled properly it
can only be on the theory that the
perpetuity of the nation depends upon
the equality before the law Of all its
-itizens. .'-Chica9o Tribune,