The Washington herald., 1908-02-28
By FREDERIC ]. HASKTN

The American woman who believes in
the ballot for herself and her sisters Is
another Banquos ghost-she viii rot
down. Like her English sisters of more
strenuous nature, she has lately taken TO
street professions. and in her eagerness
10 show her earnestness OF purpose. is
needless of the fact that she may some
day violate civic ordinances, as she came
near doing IN New York last week. There
are usually about ten bills introduced in
each Congress in regard to woman suf-
frage-and that is the last OF them. This
sessions champion of the equal suffrag-
ist has so far been only Representative
Davey. of Louisiana. who introduced
joint resolution IN the House asking for
a constitutional amendment giving women
throughout the country the right Of the
ballot
For about thirty years Congress has
maintained a select committee on woman
suffrage, and over a committee-room
door in the Capitol the advocate OF the
cause may resd the letters that spell
Woman Suffrage" but that is about
all that the national lawmakers have to
show toward interest in the matter The
committee is not characterized by the
frequency of its meetings and Senator
Clay, the chairman. cannot be said to
be an overworked man in the discharge
of this particular duty. The support that
Congress in general gives the movement
is found chiefly among the members of
the Rocky Mountain delegation and the
West. where Wyoming, Colorado, Utah.
and Idaho have admitted women TO equal
suffrage with men.
The women who have led in this effort
10 have the ballot given all women of the
United States have been of unconcuer-
able zeal. and of commendable devotion
to their cause. They have been quick
10 see an opening of any kind. It was
Chief Justice Teney who gave the first
definition OF citizens that caused WOm-
en- to give up hoping to get their Qualifca-
tiOns as voters from the Constitution it.
self. He defined the word as the poll
teal body who, according to our republ-
can institutions, form the sovereignty and
hold the power. and conduct the govern
ment through their representatives"
This was interpreted by the women. on
the face Of things, to mean "nen." and
it was then nat they took other steps
for recognition. For thirty-six years they
have been working for an amendment
that viii enfranchise them, and there are
those who believe that the suffragettes
will ultimately win
When the fourteenth amendment TO the
Constitution was adopted the women who
believed in suffrage for women interpret
ed it TO enfranchise their sex as well as
the negroes, and they set about taking
advantage Of their newly acquired right.
At several places they went publicly TO
v,r11- nd A. m
where their votes were accepted how
ever. were few and far between. and
more often they were firmly prohibited
from doing this. When Miss Susan B.
Anthony. the late leader and one Of the
great moving spirits for equal suffrage
went 10 cast her vote In Rochester she
was arrested and tried, the case going
against her when appealed before the
Suprenie Court. About the same time
Mrs Francis Minor attempted to cast
her vote in st. Louis. and when she was
refused admission TO the polls, promptly
brought suit against the inspectors of
elections. Her case was finally decided
by Chief Justice Waite, who declared
that the fourteenth amendment did not
forbid discrimination against sex.
In twenty-eight of the States of the
Union women have suffrage in some form
from the New York woman's tax assess
ment vote and the Louisiana woman's
right TO vote on questions submitted 10
taxpayers, TO the full suffrage of the
four Rocky Mountain States already
named. Kansas women had the right
Of school suffrage in 1851 the first vic
tory 10 crown the efforts OF those who
had worked so ZealOusly for such results
since lS51 when the woman suffrage move
nent first began work as an organized
force Twenty-six years later Kansas
women were given the privilege OF voting
on municipal questions. Wyoming has
had equal suffrage since 1862 so IL is an
old story there. 1t came to Colorado in
1898, and to Utah and Idaho in 1895.
Eighteen other States allow women
vote on school matters. and in two more
they may vote on the Issuance of munich
pal bonds.
Like Oliver Twist with his empty por-
ridge bowl, the American suffragette
still asks for more" She looks across
the seas to discover that in Australia.
New Zealand. Iceland Finland and the
Isle OF Man. women have the same rights
at the polls as men, and wonders why
She too, may not have that all over the
United States. She encourages her Brit
ish sister in the clamOT for more rights
in England. where women already vote
Tor all officers except members of Parl-
lament To further the work, associa-
tons have been formed all over the coun-
try, the pioneer meeting Of its kind being
that held at Seneca Falls N Y, on July
49, lS4S-a date as sacred TO the suf-
fragette as Is that OF the signing of the
Magma Charta or the Declaration Of In
dependence. Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Lucretia Mott, Martha c. Wright. and
Mary Ann McClintocx called this meeing.
Since the day these four startled the
world by advocating publicly the prin-
ciples that many had nutured in private,
the movement has grown worldwide. The
international Woman Suffrage Associa-
tion' converting in Copenhagen in 1906 re-
ported twelve countries working for
woman suffrage. and since then two 9TH
ers have Joined the ranks The next
meeting of the international association.
which Will be In Amsterdam on the I5th
OF June, will doubtless show more When
the International Council OF Women met
In Berlin four years ago they adopted a
resolution that a strenuous effort be made
10 enable women to obtain the power of
voting in all countries where representa-
tive government exists. and this body.
comprising as il does seven or eight mill
lion women, has done much since to carry
out this resolution
The arguments in favor of suffrage. as
advanced by the women of the hundreds
OF American clubs and organizations
formed for its promotion. are many and
interesting. Many women fear. IL seems.
the justice of any laws that the men of
their family might make, and so inadvert-