Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-11

TT MAY not be generally known,
says the Philadelphia Record, that
Il the international movement for
woman's Acknowledgement had its be-
ginning in the United States In l9O2'
when the late Susan B. Anthony and
others called together a representative
group of women from various countries
to confer on the subject of a world
union of suffragists, at Washington,
D. c. Six countries, in which there
were existing national women Suffrage
bodies, responded to the call. These
were Canada, Germany, Great Brltaln'
Norway. Sweden and the United States.
Australia was represented by dele
gate sent by several of the state So
cieties. And one delegate came from
Chile, Russia and Turkey.
Two years later, at brilliant series
of women's gatherings in Berlin (Wheh
Susan 3. Anthony was received by the
empress of Germany, and the woman
movement was thus given great pres
tige in theEatherland) the International
Womans Suffrage alliance came into
existence as permanent organized
body. Germany, Great Britain, Sweden,
the Netherlands and the United States
being the charter members, and Aus
tralia. Norway and Denmark joining
soon after
The stimulus of the new worlds union
was at once felt in lands where suffrage
work had been dormant. AT the third
convention in Copenhagen in 1906 there
were twelve affiliated national assoc1-
atoms in the membership. At Amster-
dam in 1908 the membership increased
to sixteen, and the movement was
started in five others, thus giving suf-
frage foothold in twenty-one differ
ent countries
Methods Employed Abroad
The methods employed by the women
in the different lands are as varied as
the nationalities and customs of the
people concerned In Austria, where
the new national union has just been
formed by Mrs Gait, the committee
on woman suffrage, which was constl-
tuted in 1905, began its work by pre-
senting a suffrage petition to the pub
lie men and legislators, and two years
later it presented a public address with
more than 1000 signatures of men and
women, asking for the repeal of the law
which forbids women to become mem
bers of a political society. The Aus
trians have used suggestive way OF
drawing women's attention to the ques-
ton. 1t appears that when the hard
times in Vienna led to a great increase
in the cost of living. the woman suf-
frage committee called a special meet
ing to discuss the problem as it a&ects
women. And the public discussion
which, took place before a large and
deeply interested audience led to the
conclusion that, without the ballot,
women are helpless to bring about any
Improvement in conditions of living.
A similar law to that of Austria, for
bidding the political organization Of
women, has been recently repealed In
Germany, clearing the way for the ad-
vance of suffrage. The conservative
Germans do very aggressive work,
making a special effort to convert legis-
lators to the idea of women's enfran-
chisement, petitioning political leaders
for a Woman's suffrage plank in their
party Platforms organizing lecturing
tours. etc. Among other things that
the German suffragists have done has
been to petition the federal parliament
against the use of saloons or bar rooms
as polling places, and the Prussian
suffragists. basing their claim on an
old law, which, it was conceded, gave
them legal foundation for it, demanded
that their names should be inscribed
in the lectoral lists. preparatory to
participation in the municipal elections.
This was refused of course, but the dis
cussion aroused much public interest.
Hollands Way
To convince and secure the support of
statesmen and legislators is a method
common to all lands. When the prime
minister of Holland recently asked for
all argument and information on the