Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-19
By
Frederic
j. Hdskin

have the right to vote for Judges of the
courts of commerce. ,
In Great Britain, where the woman
suffrage movement is now more active
than in any other part of the world. wo-
men have the right to vote, subject to
the same restrictions as men, for the
election of all officers except members
of parliament. This right is very generally
exercised in municipal elections. and there
are several women members of the Lon
don county council, which is the great
est municipal legislature in the world.
Women participate more generally In
politics in Finland than in any other
country in the world. The Finnish women
always have been prominent in CONNER
cial and economic enterprises, and when
they demand political rights they soon
got what they wanted. The Finnish diet
has had a great many very able wo-
men parliamentarians, and their infiu>
ence has been positively on the side OF
those who have resisted the Russian at
tempts to throttle the liberty of the
Firms.
It has been said. and truly. that In the
United States the crusade for votes for
women has made very little Roadway.
This is quite true. but 1t may be attrib-
uted principally to the lack of interest
upon the part of the women themselves.
In Massachusetts and New jersey where
woman suffrage once existed, the women
offered no resistance to the abolition of
their right to vote a century ago, and
they have manifested no general desire
for a restoration of their old right. In
Massachusetts, particularly, they failed
to respond when the legislature left the
decision of the question to a. vote of the
women themselves. Women had the
right to vote in the territory of Wash
ington, but lost it when that common
wealth was admitted to the union as a
state. But Washington is western
state and the women always have been
active in pushing their demands for the
franchise. In other states the move
ment is carried on by very small per-
centage of the female population. In the
east and the south a vast majority of the
women not only remain Indifferent to the
appeal of their emancipated sisters. but
actually are opposed to the entire move
ment.
In the United States, as we'll as in
England. there are active organizations
composed of women who are opposing
the demand of the suffragfsts. In Eng
land Mrs: Humphrey Ward, the novelist,
is the head and front of the anti-suf-
fragist movement. In the United States
there are now working anti-suffrage or
CARNATIONS in Massachusetts, New York,
Maine. Illinois, Oregon, Iowa, Rhode
Island and the state of Washington.
with such officers in the New York asso-
citation as Mrs. Francis M. Scott. Mrs.
Arthur NJ Dodge, Mrs. Elihu Root, Mrs.
Richard Watson Glider, Mrs. George
Phillips and Miss Ida NJ. Tarbell. T.
anti-suffragists have collected data to
show that the standard of morality is
no higher the condition of the working
women no better. the progress of phi
lanthrophy no swifter in the states grant
ing equal suffrage than II Is in the states
where women follow their more feminine
bent and correct the evils of society
through their home influence, their clubs
and their church work.
AS early as 1886 a protest was made by
anti-suffragists before the select commit
tee of the state on woman suffrage. I'VE
believe that God has wisely and we'll
adapted each sex to the proper perform
ance of the duties OF each. We believe
that woman suffrage would relatively
lessen the influence Of the ignorant and
Vicious" the women wrote.