The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-18
arthest North in Woman
Suffrage

Finland is now woman s Win-land
Barring few physiological differences,
woman there is now a man. Women
ARE sitting in the Diet, 10 of them, and
they are attending strictly to the order
Of the day.
Among the women members are ser
wants, a baroness and school teacher
or two. They are soldiers in COM
mon cause. They are holding together
well. One woman member sits next
to her husband.
There is no doubt but that the ex-
cellent state of mind that has pre-
vailed in Finland since these 10 women,
accompanied by their Isl confreres,
took the oaths of Office, has supplied
the suffragettes of England, as well as
the women suffragists of this country,
with much powerful ammunition in
their struggle, for this peaceful revolu-
tion-or evolution, as one pleases-is
s1farthest north y in more respects than
one.
Even in advanced New Zealand,
which hitherto has been the best argu-
ment of all for the believers in femin-
inc suffrage, the members of the sex
may only vote. They can not accept
legislative office. But in Finland every
holder of the suffrage, whether man
or woman, may be eligible for office
Adnd for office in the Diet as well as
Sofice in town council.
Office in che Diet means, of course, a
vote equal to anybody else's vote on
any subject that may require, in one
form or another, ballot for settlement.
In brief, the political rights of these
women in Finland are completely up
to the prevalent standard there; the
struggle of women for representation if
that country is ended, and the recent
election of the 10 women to the ma
tional assembly is the GROWING
triumph.
The Diet began its session recently
with every woman member in her seat
"a fact which did not escape the at
tention of women suffragists else
where, notably in England and France.
and. now that the news has crossed
the ocean, in this country also
OF this feminine representation, six
are affiliated with the Social Demo-
Gratis. six with the Old Fennomans'
so called; two with the Young Fenno-
mans. SO called; one with the SWedlsn
marty. and one with the Agrarians.
Among the Socialist women in the
Diet. one is a board school teacher;
the others belong to the laborlns
classes.
Nv all odds, the most remarkable
woman of the coterie is Miss Mllh1
SilIanpaaa, formerly a domestic ser
vant and now the editor of paper
called the Working Woman
six bourgeois women in the Diet are
school teachers Miss Lucina HaSIhdA
a. Miss All Nissinen, both prominent
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS have been very
art;,,a workers in behalf of women
rights for a number of years MISS
Dogrnar Neovfus comes out of exile
where she has been helping her oroth-
or DR.. Naovius, to edit a paper.
the hest known woman in the as
sen,blv is Baroness Alexandra trlPelt
barr-a familiar name TO woman SUI
fraeists all over the world. she rep
resents the Old Fennomans. Baroness
Alexandra has been hghting lot
causa az women's rights not ohiy ~
FINLAND. but elsewhere, ana hlahihs
,otab,e progress. but during the resiIii
~ Cen Bobrikoff she lost consloeraole
,onuIarity in her own country Ior CIV
ing her support to the policy Oh MS
nominees in the Senate. o,,,.
The woman who, perhaps is
to more hearty CONGRATULATIONS 'iia- -. !
on other novitiate in parliaIil y a.
,,oI,arnnaent is Mrs. Geoharo' OH
IiSt NJ nominations which went Oe ~
+be qualified 1.39s,e0o voters Q, -
1and were Mr.. and Mrs. Geoharu,
presented the unusual spectacle III
jitical campaigns of running loI s-h+
i1ar offices and conducting thei, HSrs
AZ double harness. MI dllu -.
cabbard quite won over many p,,9so.
Who disagreed with them on po,l0 -
,na together went into the raiH 1..to
,or1iamentarians by large pun 49,
A. The opening of the Diet theS w.
fortunate enough TO be assignee
+oqa.bAr. and now they expect 70 -
4;,,,s ~ work together. There j. 80
rs@nderment in Finland just nov -, !
&hhsrd will conduct herseA -
Mr., Gerhard is the object OF d 80
,,lsrlv nalevolent attack; Or -,
how Mr.. Gerhard will coh""S 60
self when Mrs Gerhard is unuei -
The opponents of the preseh -
twon,eu in the Finnish Diet ia
ready suggested that nothing OF Va.ae
may be expected from a repi