Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-14
VOTES FOR WOMEN.
KIN OTHER COUNTRIES.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

According to Mrs. Carrie Chapman
CAtt president Of the international
Woman Suffrage Alliance, which is
made ND of the woman suffrage assoc1-
atoms of twenty-five countries. the
states and countries in which women
have some form of suffrage now cover
more than one-fifteenth of the whole
surface of the globe. There are at least
1890. 1000 women in the world who now
have the ballot, not counting China.
where the new republic will enfranchise
many millions more. Within the next
wear additions will be made to this
suffrage area, not only in America. but
in various other parts Of the world. &C
cordinS to Mrs. Gait. In every civilized
country the slogan, Votes for Women,
has become familiar.
Immediately after the international
suffrage convention last summer MIS-
Gait started upon tour OF the world
her object being Ito organize the whole
journeyed through Africa. forming many
organizations and delivering hundreds
Of suffrage addresses under unique and
novel conditions. In Egypt. as well as
in South Africa, the awakening of the
women has begun, and sentiment Tor
equal political rights for men and women
has been called into existence. MIS-.
Gait was planning to go to Ceylon
that the women of that oppressed coun-
try wanted her aid. She changed her
plans and went directly to Teheran.
where she has founded the first suffrage
fore her return Mrs. Gait will visit
India. China and Japan, and In each
of these countries will establish organ
izations. which will affiliate with the
Mt proti G,YHP
Of which she is now the president.
Since the beginning Of the twentieth
century three important events have
greatly augmented the woman suf-
meeting in Berlin of the International
Council of Women drew to that con-
sentative capital gathering of the
In 1906 the International Woman SUI
frage Alliance was held In Copenhagen.
aEi last summer another great woman
holm In Sweden women have had a
limited municipal suffrage for more
than hundred years. but this year is
likely to see them fully enfranchisga.
T,ent King Gustavus announced hat
the government would introduce a bill
t. grant full suffrage to women.
Municipal suffrage was granted in 1901
to the women of Norway. who. IN the
country districts,
Women of Norway pay taxes on an
Receive Suffrage. c moUe 81 ~Vt
$73 and in the cities on an in
come Of 400 crowns. The women have
fought valiantly since then to obtain
full suffrage. In 1907, after a hard
struggle, the parliament, by a vote Of
chise upon all those who had municipal
suffrage. This included about 100000
of the half million women of the coun-
try. They were made eligible for men,
bership In parliament and at the first
election one woman was elected a dep
uty. In 1910 bill was passed abolish
ing the taxpaying qualification for the
municipal vote, and last year a bill for
full suffrage was carried by large
votes of the required two thirds This
j. ear 1t will be brought up again.
Denmark was the first of the Scandi-
nayian countries to extend the ballot to
women In 1908 the Danish parliament
gave municipal suffrage to women on
the same terms as men-that is. to all
taxpayers over TWENTY-FIVE years of
age. Property owned in common by
husband or wife entities each to a vote.
Al the first election 68 per cent of the
women in the country voted and 10 per
eGHl VI Tic WOmeH III cope nnaEGn.
Seven women were elected to the city
council of forty-two members and one
vas afte.w ard appointed to fill a va
cancy- One hundred and twenty seven
were elected to fiji other offices, two of
them being city treasurers. The lower
house o. parliament has passed q bill
to give women complete suffrage which
has not yet been acted upon by the up
per house. although the prime minister
ard ths speakers Of both houses are
outspoken in advocating the full e.
reimbursement of women.
Iceland is a dependency of Denmark,
and in 1852 its parliament gave mu-
nicipal suffrage to all widows and spin
sters who were householders or who
supporting In 1902 it made these voters
eligible to all municipal Offices, and since
then fourth of the members Of the
council of Reykjavik. the capital city.
have been women. In 1909 the franchise
was extended to all taxpay1ng women,
and, because of a petition signed by q
large majority of the women Of Iceland,
parliament last year voted to give full
franchise to all women over twenty five
years of age This must be voted upon
by second parliament.
In Russia political conditions are little
worse for women than for men, In manv
of the vii
Condition Of Women lagos the
in Russia. wives may
votes for the husbands If the latter are
away. The women themselves have some
votes for the zemstvos or local govern
ing bodies. The duma has tried to en-
large women's suffrage rights, but at
present they are retarded by other condi-
lions. The Grand Duchy Of Finland con-
1erred full suffrage upon women in 1906
by almost unanimous consent of the new
parliament organized the year before
under special permission Of the car
Since that time sixteen to twenty five
women have been elected to the different