Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-06-04


from Tuscany as "the lady from North
America.
Women IN Republics.
Mrs Kate Trimbe Woolsey of Ken
lucky is Il descendant on both sides of
her house of men who helped to found
the American republic. but she thinks
the secession of the colonies from British
rule the greatest misfortune that ever
befell American women" She describes
the republic as Il ''monstrouS masculine
monopoly "a government for men and
by men, a purse seXocracy.' The eX-
clusion of women from politics Mrs.
Woolsey has found to be a popularity of
all republics but history will not re-
cord, he believes, "a more brutal or
complete usurpation of power than the
men of this land are guilty Of
The women of America Mrs Wool
sey said. had struggled, worked and
suffered that the new government might
be born. They came into the republic
under the banner which bore the inscrip-
ton Liberty and Equality for An and
they expected to share the rights they
helped to win Abigail Adams. the wife
of one President and the mother of an
other, wrote TO her husband during the
Continental congress at Philadelphia.
and told him that the constitution of
the republic should set forth specifically
the right of women to vote and if this
were not done the time would come
when women would foment rebellion
against the government. as they were
not to be called on to obey laws in which
they HAD no voice in the making Mrs
Corbin, a sister of the noted Revolution
airy Gen. Lee of Virginia after the first
inauguration of the republic refused TO
her 1tnrtf bo- hppt hap v,-bn
had helped form TINS government, as
sured her that the republic did grant
women the right TO vote. Then Helen
Margaret Livingston became so indig-
nant when her state introduced the word
male into its constitution that she left
Americas shores never to return. And
| am pleased to tell YOU that under the
British flag everyone of her female de-
scendants is today a full fiedged voter,
whereas of her Livingston kinSwomen
who renamed in the republic not one
had even municipal suffrage.
The fact of the matter is that the dis
reimbursement of women az women is a
democratic novelty. Place the republics
of the world upon one side and the ars-
tocracies on the other and you will note
that in the matter of justice to women
the aristocracies lead and the republics
follow far in the rear. | care no more
for aristocracy than for democracy-nor
does the former care more for women
than the latter. But woman forms an
indispensable part of the framework of
aristOcracy, and she does not form an in
dispensable part of the framework Of
democracy"
Mrs. Woolsey's ideas on this subject
began to take shape. she said, when,
after witnessing the Inauguration of a
President, she saw Queen Victoria open
Parliament and was afterward presented
to her.
LAS the Presidents carriage passed
me-" she said, Il noticed that there were
no women at his side, but only men; in
the vast procession following him | no
| ticed only men, and when he mounted
the nlatform to take the oath of office no
women were at his side, but only men.
attended a reception at the white house
| and discerned Immediately that the Pres
ident was the cynOsure Of all eyes and
that his wife in no respect was a presi-
dentesS; that she had no official rank,
power or recognition of any character
whatsoever at the hands of this govern
ment. | noticed the President was sur
rounded on all sides by men who bore
| titles-senatorS, governors, judges, may
ors. generals, colonies, titles galore-but
| in no instance did they share these titles
| With the woman of their families
Shortly after this / sailed for Eng
attracted my attention was Queen Vic,
! toria passing through the streets of Lon.
| don upon a state occasion. As hel
majesty's carriage passed me | noticed
| there were women at her side as official
attendants. | attended reception al
Buckingham palace. There stood the
| Queen in crown and robes of state and
before her were passing the ambassadors
and representatives of all the govern
ments of the world. And as each man
| knelt and kissed her hand he had to con
| cede to himself that she. Il woman. was
! the mightiest potentate on earth. the ru-
| Ter of more than three hundred million
souls. And /, for the first time in all
| my life, lifted my head in pride of sex.
| discerned that an Emperor's wife is
an Empress, a Kings wife a Queen, a
| dukes wife duchess. a marques wife
a marchioness, an earl's wife a countess;
| and / said to myself, This is an arts
| tocracy! 1t is not absolutely a mon
! strous masculine regimen!
Il see that Mrs, Taft and Mrs. Sher-
| man are going to accompany their hus-
! bands in the parade following the inau-
guratiOn," said woman in the audience
Does that mean that the government
| acknowledges their official eXistenceT'
Not at ALL said Mrs. Woolsey, ut is
| only a courtesy New York Tribuup