Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-25
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARS
WOMAN SUFFRAGE ARGUMENTS,
Delegations Report Representative Classi-
fication for Five Counties==-Kennebec
Delegation Votes Against Increase
of Salary OF Probate Judge.
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

The advocates Of woman suffrage
met no active opposition at the hear
ing before the judiciary committee on
Friday afternoon. Representatives
han was wali-tilled, the larger num-
Der of those present being women.
The women who addressed the COM
nittee We're all simply gowned and
made their appeal without giving the
impression that they are the Kind who
squander wealth on personal adorn-
mcnt.
Mrs. Fannie J. Fernald of Portland,
president Of Maine Equal Suffrage AS
ISOLATION was the first speaker and
named the others who We're to be
heard FROM Mrs. Fernald told of the
long hard road from the time the
movement began in Maine in 1854, and
was first presented to a Maine Leg
islature in 1856. Mrs. Fernald urged
that " 10 one who now believes in the
principles of Democracy denies the
right of expression for women. and
our purpose is to obtain the legal ac-
Acknowledgement of that right She
urged that women are in the church,
Grange and elsewhere assisting In the
maintaining of public order. They
work in the factory. store and office.
She answered to the argument that
women have influence by telling of
the danger of indirect and unresponsi-
Bile influence. The ballot has been
forced on the Negro Indian and for
eigner, without regard to their fitness
and women ask it on the ground Of
fitness.
Mrs. Annie G. Pepper of Waterville
told of the property rights of women,
and said that she was brought up in
a family where they talked over
things pertaining to the family well
fare, father, mother, boys and girls
all talked. ard they voted on the
subjects and sometimes Mother was
a majority. She said that this idea
IS opposed by the gamblers, prosti
tutes and drunkard makers. and
mourned over the inertia of the in
tclligent but not interested good peo-
pie.
Rev. Alfredo Brewster Wallace OF
Portland told of her life in Maine
and said that the same causes are
al work here which have caused the
downfall of old time republics. nam
ing the lack of woman's influence in
the government as one of those causes.
She had never heard a woman in jail
or a house OF shame express wish
for the ballot but had heard those
women say the same as Josiah Allen
said to Samantha that it would be
..indelieate" for women to vote. she
declared that the theory that women
ara represented by the men in the, ar
fairs of government is not tenable.
Miss Helen NJ. Bates, president OF
Portland Equal Suffrage Club, told OF
the spread of the woman suffrage
movement in the world, said that wo-
men nre as much affected as men by
the acts of the government. People
develop their powers through use ana
respunsibility A Frenchman who Vis-
tied the United States named jane
Addams as Americas first citizen yet
Miss Addams cannot have the vote TOT
which she asks. Six million women
are earning their living in the ! Cui.eu
States. She closed with a renl'Huer
OF the famous woman suffrage deeia
ration which Abraham Lincoln MADE
in the year 1888
Mrs. Maud Wood Parks of Boston
told of the history of the movement
in Massachusetts, and her own OBJ
soryations on tour around the Worid.
The principal effect of woman suffrage
has been proven 10 be more leglsla-
finn for the safeguarding of the Rome
and the family, and better enforcement
Of such laws. Mems legislation has
been for the protection of business:
woman suffrage and representation is
needed in order to insure legislation
for the protection of children and for
medical and domestic affairs.
Miss Harriet May Mills, president
of New York Woman Suffrage Asso-
cation, gave a lively talk from her
opening proposition that she wondered
WHY the men are so afraid OF letting
the women vote to her closing prom
Use to the members of the committee
that if they will report favoraoiy on
this bill their names will become inn
She thought that women who
are fit to train citizens are fit TO be
themselves. Ii suffrage Is the
burden thar is claimed the women
don't want the men to bear all the
burden. She thought that 1t Is not
much of a burden to some men. In
(ContIndea on Page Nine.l