Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-24
WHAT WOMEN
ARE DOING

N dent of the New England Wo-
-A'A man Suffrage association, has
sent letter to the London Times in
reply to Mrs. Humphry Wards recent
attack upon the equal suffrage move
ment in America Mrs. Ward said
that the movement in this country was
strong in the second third of the nine
teenth century, but is now almost ex-
tinct, owing to the organized opposi-
tion of women. Mrs. Howe says:
Nothing could be further from the
facts. In the second third of the nine
teenth century the movement was
small and unpopular. 1t has grown
steadily in numbers and strength ever
since. The change of sentiment in its
favor among women has been espe-
cially marked The National American
Woman Suffrage association grows in
membership every year, and its annual
income has risen from $2544 in 1892 to
$25,662 in 1907.
"Of the forty-six states of the Union
there are anti-suffrage associations in
only four, and small 'anti-suffrage
committees in four more, while there
are suffrage associations in thirty-tWo
states and several territories.
I'm New York, at the time of the
last constitutional convention the suf-
fragists secured more than 100000 sig
natures; the anti-suffragists only 49,
900. The woman suffrage petitions pre-
sented to the recent constitutional con-
vention in Michigan bore 175,000 sig
natures. There were no petitions on
the other side. In Chicago, not long
ago, ninety-seven organizations, with
an aggregate membership or more than
10000 women, petitioned for woman
suffrage clause in the new city charter,
while only one small organization of
women petitioned against it. In every
fof IA ~ T1afiffnnc for cIIffrq and
remonstrances against it have been
sent to the legislature the petitioners
have always outnumbered the remon-
strants. On the only occasion when
the government took an official refer
endum among women on the subject
Gin Massachusetts in 1880, the women's
vote was in favor of suffrage rs to l.
"Of the women In America who take
any lively interest in woman suffrage
either way, the vast majority are in
favor"
Mrs. Howe quotes large amount
of testimony to show that woman suf-
frage has worked well in practice. She
adds:
Mrs. Ward ascribes all the defeats
of woman suffrage bills to the organ
lied opposition of women. In most Of
the states where such defeats have
taken place, there was no anti-suffrage
organization of women at all. In the
few cases where these organizations
existed there is no reason to think that
their influence turned the scale. Whit
tier said years ago that the men who
were opposed to equal rights for wo-
men merely used the opposition of a
few women as a cloak for their own
hostility. This Is equally true today.
The great obstacle to woman suffrage
is the inertia of conservatism, added
to the strenuous opposition of the
nj oil "a uininIfS pla-
ments."
Mrs. Laura Holtz Schneider is an
alderman of Buena Vista, Colo. 1t is
said of her that she has given the most
effective service ever given by an
alderman of that town.
Jane Adams is said to have a larger
constituency than any college presi-
dent in the world. Nine thousand men,
women and children go to Hull house
to study various useful arts, literature,
philosophy and political economy. Miss
Adams is an earnest advocate or Wo-
mans enfranchisement.
DR.. Kathryn Standby of Brookfield,
Mo, has been appointed by Governor
Folk as {. delegate from Missouri TO
the international congress on tuber-
culosis to be held in Washington Sep
tion meets triennially and this is the
first session to be held in America.
Miss Dorothea Klumpke, the Cali
fornia astronomer, was the first Wo-
man to win the degree of Doctor of
Mathematics in France. She has a
special building of her own in the great
observatory garden of Paris When
nhotographing the stars in that section
of the heavens known as the Paris
belt. which is one of her duties, she
makes frequent balloon ascensions.
Mrs. Mary E. Miller, woman attor-
new of Chicago, has just received a
fee of $40 900 for prosecuting suit on
hehaIf of the grandchildren of the late
William Bross. She has been prac-
ticing law thirteen years ana says
there is nothing remarkable about a
woman lawyer winning VIII case, as
in noany Instances women make better
LAWYERS than men. Mrs. Miller is
firm believer in woman sunrage.
s Re1Ie Chamberlain is state super
intendent of public instruction for
Idaho. where women vote, and Is an
efficient official. Through her efforts
the expenses were paid OF all the Idaho
county superintendents OF schools VINO
attended the recent meeting or the Ma
tional Educational association In
cleveland The Journal of Education
asks: "Has any other state ever done
as well?" This is commended to the
attention of Mrs. Humphry Ward, an
English woman, who says that the
woman suffrage movement keeps
American women from doing their
duty by the schools. It has rather
given them an opportunity TO DO their