Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-19

Women have the right to vote on a
basis of absolute equality with men In
four states of the American union, in the
commonwealth of Australia, in New
Zealand, Finland, Iceland and the Isle of
Man They have limited right of suf-
frage in a great many other states and
a 1t is impossible to
form an intelligent opinion of the mer-
its or dement's of the woman's suffrage
cause from geographical deductions.
Israel Zangwill, the great English-Jew-
ish writer, is an enthusiastic suffragist
who has admitted frankly that he be-
longs to the class of male supporters OF
this peculiar propaganda who have been
described as linen of putty seduced by
women of brass" In a speech In de-
Tense of the militant suffragettes and
II cir methods he said:
1T is told of a little girl who had been
brought up in a newly-built town In
remote western state of America, that
when she was taken to New York and
saw for the first time the crowded horse
cars outside the mighty station of the
Pennsylvania railway, she cried out:
How cruelv They are using horses to
This little girl never had seen anything
but an electric car Her town, being
brand new had jumped over this anti
quated absurdity of horse traction
Mr.. Zangwill used this incident to illus
trate his contention that I'm strange raw
regions of America and the Antipodes"
the march of civilization had jumpedAover
the traditions of. the barbaric system
which imposes political disabilities upon
women merely because they are women.
While II is true that the newest and
most recently organized states have been
most liberal in granting the elective fran
chise to the weaker sex, Finland and
Iceland and even the Isle of Man cannot
be included among these raw regions"
Outsiders differ in their opinion Of
whether or not woman suffrage is sue
cess in those communities where it has
been tried, their differences being In the
exact ratio of their prejudices. but the
insiders apparently are pretty well agreed
that woman suffrage is a good thing. In
New Zealand the constitutional provision
extending the privilege of the ballot to
women was carried, at the beginning. by
the narrow margin of two votes in an
election in which the whole male popuia-
ton participated. After trial of several
years the prime minister of New Zealand
ventured the assertion that there were
not two persons in all the dominion of
New Zealand who now would testify that
they thought woman suffrage a failure.
New Zealand is the most radical of all
cililized states in its system. of social
laws, but in the country, itself the word
progressive always Is substituted for
the word radical" and the superlative is
most strenuously insisted upon. The rest
of the world may or may not agree with
the New Zealanders that they have the
most advanced and most nearly perfect
Democratic government on earth, but the
New Zealanders firmly believe it, and
they give the women voters large share
of the credit for their political status.
An Australian woman of gentle birth
young, beautiful and somewhat shy
was present at a gathering in London
drawing room where the opinion was ex-
pressed, generally and vocferously, that
the possession of the right to vote would
unsex the gentler sex and would de-
stroy the bloom OF true womanhood.
Everybody but the Australian woman
agreed with the sentiment and, boldly ex-
turned to her and said: What Is your
opinion? You are far too modest. {" We'll
you see." she blushingly replied, Il al.
ways have had a vote" -;.
A few months ago a speaker in New
York declared that woman suffrage in
Colorado had been a complete failure and
that the elections in that state were in
the hands of some thousands OF fallen
women who hold the balance of power.
This statement Immediately brought forth
an indignant protest from Colorado, in
which the governor of the state former
Senator Patterson, and Judge Ben Lind
saw Of Juvenile court fame, together with
many others of the most prominent mer
In Colorado. vigorously denied the truth
of the statement made by the New York
sneaker. Practically every prominent
man in Colorado has signed the petition
for woman suffrage which will be pre-
scented to congress next week. In Utah,
wyoming and Idaho. while there is some
opposition and some adverse criticism,
the vast majority of the people express
entire satisfaction with the existing cleo
ton laws.
Within the last two years woman suf
frage has been rejected by the states OF
Iowa Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebras-
la. Rhode Island. South Dakota. New
York and Wisconsin. Twenty-Five states
now give women the right to vote in
school elections In Kansas they vote In
municipal and bond elections. but the
last legislature rejected bill giving
the full suffrage. Michigan, Louisiana.
New York, Iowa and Montana give tax
having women the ballot in elections re
lating to bond issues or tax levies. Thi
modified right of suffrage is given ais
in many foreign countries. including mos
of the provinces of Canada, the Kingdom
of Denmark and Sweden and the COM
monwealth OF South Africa. In France
women, engaged in manufacture or trade