Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-10-16
Growth of Equal Suffrage.


interesting study. II is the un-
checked advance of vital form OF
characterization. II moves ahead al
ways. and never rceedes California
adds one more to the list and others
will follow. as men recognize the alb
surdity OF their position in assuming
all the concrete knowledge and
political astuteness.
California is the sixth state To grant
fun suffrage to women. The first
state in the Union to take this step
was Wyoming, in 1869. There was no
other addition To the states where wo-
men might vote until 1899. when
Colorado granted them the franchise.
In 1896 two states. Utah and Idaho,
passed suffrage amendments Ia their
constitutions. The state OF Washing
ton had vote on the question at the
election of 1910, and gave the vote to
women, although the measure had
been twice defeated in that state, in
1889 and again in 1898. once by 10000
and later by 5000
The state of Kansas will submit the
question to its voters this fall, n reso-
| luton having passed both houses of
| the state legislature last February
calling for a popular vote on the suf-
| frage amendment. In that state wo-
men have enjoyed the right To vote on
public school questions since 1851
eight years before Wyoming gave wo-
men universal suffrage. Municipal
suffrage was granted in 1857 and
| bond suffrage" in 1903. The leeisla-
ture of Kansas defeated Il resolution
granting full suffrage in 1903
| AT the election of 1910. when Wash
ington voted in favor of woman suf
frage, the proposal was defeated in
/ the neighboring state of Oregon. 1t
was also on the same day in South
| Dakota and Oklahoma. The consti-
| tutional conventions of both Arizona
and New Mexico were urged to insert
the suffrage provision. but in both
cases it was voted down.
School suffrage for women exists in
twenty nine states from New Hamp-
shire to Washington. These states
are Arizona, Colorado. Connecticut
Delaware, Florida, iowa, Illinois. In
diana, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mas
sachusetts, Minnesota. Mississippi,
Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire.
New Jersey, New York. North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah,
Vermont, Washington, Wyoming and
Wisconsin.
In addition to the right 10 vote on
school questions certain states allow
women to vote on questions of taxa
ton and bond issues In 1887 Mon
tana gave women who were taxpayers
| the right to vote on all questions sub
mitted to taxpayers. The state of
| Iowa granted bond suffrage In 1894.
Louisiana in 1898 gave women tax
payers the right to vote In person or
| by proxy on all questions of taxation.
Michigan made the same provision by
Il constitutional amendment in 1908.
| Minnesota provided that women might
vote on public library questions in
1898.
| The state of New York defeated bills
presented in the state legislature ON
llfldllN biiSi CIT pNthSi'liS III ApHA a
law was passed providing that "a wo
man who possesses the qualifications
to vote for village or town officers, ex-
lcept the qualification of sex, who is
the owner of property in the village
assessed upon the last preceding as
sessment roll thereon, is entitled 10
vote upon proposition to raise money
| by tax or assessment"
| The legislature of New York i'll 1910
passed a bill granting suffrage to wo-
men taxpayers on all bonding pro-
posals in villages towns and cities of
| the third class.
The first constitution OF New Jersey
allowed the women In the state to
vote from 1875 until 1907, although the
provision was an inadvertence in
drawing the document. The first or
gained effort to obtain votes for wo-
1 men in this country may be said to
have begun in 1S4S with the first suf-
frage convention. a second conven-
| ton was held in 1850, and one every
year until the civil War. Since the
war the work of the advocates Of votes
| for women has been constant. NO
| men delegates from Utah and wy
oming sat in the Republican national
conventions in 1892 and 1900. In 1900
Mrs. Cohen. a delegate from Utah To
the Democratic national convention.
seconded the nomination ef w },
Bryan. The women expected sup
port from the Populists in the cam
paign of 1896, but were disappointed
although some of the county and state
platforms of that party called for NO
,ianan suffrage. The Prohibition party
4 Fas often inserted a suffrage plank IN
their platform.
Some of the older states have
&c - - z sa....