The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06
TIE CAUSE OF WOMAN.
SrOBY or THE SUFFRAGE IN
GREAT BRITAIN,
.,ner,encc With Women ON the School
Boards-The New know.NOthing As''
rattan From the W0man's Rights Side
-prlmar. Laws and Jones Of Toledo
A Hindu OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES In
s,ec,or. and Others - Matrin,Ony.

primary Laws and Jones Of Toledo
A Hindu COmpliment-WOman In
s,ec,or. and Others - Matrin,Ony.
Th. various items OF news that come
.-or Great Britain show that the woman
.uss,,on is attracting the same attention
...ro "a i, the United States. At recent
seating of the Woman's Local Govern
n,or, society, Lord Reay chairman of the
ioraon S,,hoo! Board, made a strong ad-
drsss ON the great value to the board OF
,bs servicns of its women members. AT
10 CLOSE Sir William Collins moved reso-
m,ion that the cooperation of women was
mo, loss important for the London Council
,or Board of AldermenD and that the meet
inc urge the Government to bring IN bill
10 render them eligible to serve on that
.,1 other borough and county councils.
n. said that when he remembered the
;,dirnir,Cs which the Government had
nl,ced upon women he was staggered at
,bs moderation of this request. After
showing how many enterprises carried
on by these councils vitality concerned
women and needed their judgment and
assistance he closed by stating that the
London County Council, of which he had
been a member for the past eleven years,
had itself three times petitioned Parlia-
nent TO make it legal for women to serve
IN that body, and that it would continue
N worry the Government until this point
was gained
The franchise was granted to women
in 1855 for members of these county ooun-
r,,n hor e oil far
pertaining to the county, and it was sup
nosed they were made eligible to serve on
them; but, after hard-fought battle in the
colrts, the final decision was against this
privilege. In 1894 they were made eligible
to serve on parish and district councils.
For some years previous to this they sat
on the vestres, which controlled municipal
affairs, but in 1899 Parliament passed
new act for the government OF London,
changing the vestries to borough councils
and deriving women of seat on them.
In 1870 the Elementary Education act
created school boards and placed women
on a complete equality with men as electors
and as eligible for election. A large num-
her Of women have served since then
throughout England, to the great adj
vantage of the schools, it is universally
admitted. But now the bitterly contested
Education act, which was recently passed,
very largely deprives the voters of the privi-
ege Of electing their school boards, whose
appointment will be in the hands OF the
Church. While there is nothing in 1t to
prevent the appointment of women, the
general opinion is that, as this privilege
will be used to strengthen the political
power Of the Church, women will not be
placed on the boards. To show the ex-
tent to which this opinion prevails may
10 ;tal ha af,tin nj M
mttee of the London School Board, which
BY vote of ten to one resolved that "the
experience Of this board shows that edu-
ca,onal work cannot be properly carried
on unless women be eligible"
1t will be seen by the above instances
that almost every privilege gained 70
women through years Of laborious effort
has been swept away by various acts Of
Parliament, and they furnish emphatic
and incontrovertible proof of the help
lessness Of class without the suffrage.
While the women of England have a local
franchise, not one of them has a vote for
Member of Parliament. AS the newt
slightest regard for the interests or wishes
Of women. They are tossed aside like
chaff in the consideration Of all measures,
,Hor the officeholder recognizes but one
'power-the ballots OF his constituents.
The women OF England have but duplicated
the experience of the women OF the United
States, and 1t will continue to be repeated
30 long as women citizens are utterly with
out authority to enforce their demands
In the proper and legitimate way provided
by the Constitution for male citizens.
The tremendous immigration Of the past
year. exceeding all previous records, has
aroused the people of this country from
their apathy on this question. and they
are beginning to consider the consequences.
There is decided difference of opinion
as to the wisdom Of permitting this in
pouring Of the poverty and ignorance Of
Europe. but there is no division as to the
great mistake Of endowing them Mt once
with the immense power Of the suffrage.
Even il those are right who hold that we
should furnish refuge for the whole world,
that does not make it obligatory that we
should Immediately put into the hands
OF these strangers and aliens sceptre
with which to rule u.s. One scarcely knows
whether to be more amazed at the way
the politicians are allowed to override the
naturalization laws or at the supineness of
the rest Of the people in permitting it.
Not only is the required time OF residence
ignored but the tests for citizenship are
reduced to a farce, and men who have
not yet become citizens are given franchise
rights exactly equal to those possessed
BY native-born educated Americans.
The New York journal OF Commerce,
after demanding greater restrictions and
more exactlng observance of them, SAYS:
'No man should be clothed with the
night Of suffrage in any State until he has
TIT ~.