The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-04-06
MUCH CRY, LITTLE WOOL.
Meaasr Results Of a Half Century OF
Agitation For Woman Suffrage
Show That the Majority
OF Women Do Not
Want Z.

The agitation for woman sutrrag,
has been going on In this country 70,
nearly sixty years, What has been ac
complished2 During that time wome,
have entered $50 out of 36a occupa
tons, rs they were classified In tn,
census OF 1890 A few years ago 4
leading sutfragiSt claimed that women
were represented in over 100 trades
and occupations, In over half cen.
tury what have the woman sufrragists
accomplisAedy
The list of suffrage extensions Is
short And this Is In spite OF the many
evidences that II women are united ia
demanding suffrage they win undoubt.
edly receive It, whether that Is for tho
welfare of the state or not.
In Four States
Montana, Iowa, Louisiana and New
York there Is limited taxpaylng suf.
trage. II becomes operative only wheu
some special question IL submitted 10
voters on appropriatlng or borrowing
money for some given purpose and
does not carry with II the choice OF
officers.
In eighteen states women
May Vote For School Officers.
In no state Is this form OF suffrage
strongly opposed, and II women really
cared for il they could undoubtedly
secure ii In other states. But the mum.
Der OF women who avail themselves OF
this privilege In states where II has
been granted them is so small that no
ground seems to exist for asking its
extension. In Connecticut the proper.
uon or women voting at school elec,
tons Is about / per cent: in MasSachu.
setts, under ordinary conditions. II IL
not more than 3 or per cent, Occa-
sionally, when questions arise which
appeal 10 the emotions. and those eS
pecially In which religious antipathies
are involved, the woman's vote attains
large proportions, Conservative Amer
leans regard with apprehension vote
which comes out In force only when
issues are raised.
Municipal suffrage is
Found In Kansas Only.
The woman suffragists claim that the
experiment has worked satisfactorily. |
But none OF them is at any pains TO
explain the fact that Kansas since the |
'rant of the municipal ballot has stead.
ly refused to enlarge the rights OF
women at the polls. A state which had
'ecome accustomed to the spectacle OF
women contending on equal terms with
men at city elections might naturally
De expected 10 be favorably inclined
toward an extension of their privi.
eges, all the more so because the DO.
ltlcal power acquired by them In mu.
1lcipal affairs should make them
)ody whose desire for larger fran.
'hise could not be treated as a negligi.
lie quantity.
Full suffrage has been given to wom
N In four states-Wyoming. Colorado
daho and Utah. In those states WON.
n vote for all officers and at all elec.
ions
On Equal Terms With Men.
wyoming is a state of vast cattle
anges. Idaho is a state of mining
amps. In Colorado also mining Is the
hief industry. In Utah the Mormon
hurch dominates everything, and 1t Is
powerful political force in Idaho In
S9S, with the aid of the women's vote.
leading Mormon. Brigham Henry
'oberts, who was possessed of three
ives, was elected a member Of the
ational house of representatives. The
'tah legislature, elected in part by
'omen's votes, chose as United States
snator Reed Smoot, an apostle Of the
lormon church and a member of its
The senate has been food
with petitions for his unseatng.
These, Then, Are the Fruits
more than half century of persist
1t agitation for woman suffrage In
e United States or the forty-five
ates in the Union twenty do not give
omen any form Of ballot, twenty
We them the lightly regarded school
lllot or the still less important and
exercised ballot on ques-
ons submitted to taxpayers, one ad-
Its them to municipal suffrage, but
fuses them anything more, and four
We them the full ballot.
The explanation Of this check to the
oman suffrage movement is not far
seek The movement has been
ought to halt by the discovery that
e American women who ask for the
Hot constitute only small minority ;
their sex. =
The list Of defeats Is long one. To 4
int 1t entire would fill columns.