New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-03
CONTINENTAL WOMEN
NEAR RIGHT TO VOTE
prooresS in Last Decade Wide
spread and important,
Mrs. Harper Reports.
DENMARK FRANCHISE NEXT
Austria Almost as Distant as
Russia, but Recent Buda-
pest Suffrage Con
gress Has Helped.
IN IDA Hustled HARPER.

IDA HI SLED HAhGEh.
paris July 25.-Eleven years ago. when
u,ss susan 3. Anthony and Mrs. Carrie
I,,opr1an Gait undertook TO form an In
..-,ational committee on woman suffrage,
NV had found, after a great deal Of re-
,.srcb. half dozen countries aside from
,ha Tinted States and Great Britain hav-
10 some organized movement for the en-
4-snchisement Of women. Strenuous eff
,o,t during the next two years slightly
,,.ressed this number. and during the
r-sst meeting OF the International Coun-
~ ~ Women at Berlin in 1904 which
..uAd together those engaged in all kinds
=, activities, an alliance was formed 70
r,o-k solely for the suffrage. At its re-
rant congress In Budapest twenty-four
Countries. nationally organized, were rep
resented.
Go much for progress in organization
M, what OF actual gain7 When that in
,.-nstioual committee was formed, in the
v,-ter OF 1902. Just one country in all the
rorI6 had enfranchised its women-New
ZEALAND. in lse3-and four Of our own
,narsely settled states in the Far West
T,st summer the new Federation OF the
Australian States gave full suffrage TO
women and the right to sit in the national
Parliament. Nevertheless. all OF these
ware looked upon as experiment sta
tons" IN government and votes for
rousn was largely an academic ques-
ton.
lust ten years later what is the situa-
sor7 To New Zealand and Australia
have been added Norway and Finland,
With complete universal suffrage for
women and eligibility TO every office.
denmark has conferred on them every
franchise except that for members Of the
parliament. Great Britain. in addition to
the municipal suffrage which rate-paying
women have possessed for the last forty
wears. has given the right 10 be elected
Sc MAYOR and members OF city and
county councils. In the United States the
four states where women vote have been
Increased - ten and one territory. and the
number Of women voters has been almost
ousdrupled. But what is quite as I'M
portant as these concrete gains. and per-
laps even more so. is the undeniable fact
that woman suffrage has passed from the
realm OF speculation and become live
rolitical issue in every country making
snv claim TO progress. The situation In
the United States docs not need TO be DIS
c,,ssed-the advance has been little short
of 3 revolution. Great Britain has been
almost rent asunder. and the question
divides the attention OF the government
with the three national issues-Home
Rule Welsh ESTABLISHMENT and the
abolition OF plural voting. Bills to en-
franchise women are before almost every
nsrHarent In Europe, and China at the
verv INSCRIPTION of constitutional govern
r,e7t finds herself facing this problem
Denmark May Be Next.
In making a survey Of Europe to fore
cast which country will be the next 70
,nfrsnchise women. Denmark and her
dependency. Iceland, seem nearest 10
taking this step, with Sweden probably
third. Belgium holds out good deal OF
announcement, and there is a possibility
Of some favorable action by hoera!
government In Holland. Southern hu-
rope holds out no hope OF political rights
for women in the near future. In all OF
the countries there IS organization al
though in most Of them II is not srons'
but is rather a reflex action OF the strug-
gle among men 70 establish democracy.
With the men themselves this would not
include a vote for women any more thSh
II has done so IN that great example TOT
the whole world. the United States.
Where the movement among the men
s weak. az IN Galicia and Rumania' the!
stand by the women. but when II grows
strong. as in Hungary. they thro" the
women overheard In the hope OF sa'Ihs
themselves. Women are included In the
Socialist organization in oil OF Them OuI
thsy are trained 10 believe that men
should have the suffrage first and that
women must not join In an EFFORT 10 get
II from any party that is IN postum
70 give II. but wait till the SOCIALISTS se'
INTO power THIS is simply repeutlo"
Of the way women have been fooled IN
other countries by other parties. some OF
them have not yet got their eyes open
but with others they are open very "4ue'
Run1ania and Galicia were admitted 70
the alliance this year, having given satls-
factory evidence OF national orsanlEa-
ton. Societies exist In a number Oh towns
in Poland. but the one in WARSAW" uhuer
the autocratic rule OF Russia ana IN
Posen, under that OF Germany cahhoI
unite IN any kind Of association IN
Galicia women taxpayers may cast
municipal vote through male proxy am
proposition 10 allow them direct vote
is said 10 be favored by the Diet Last
March 900 delegates from 100 Polish ana
thirty Rutheuian wouen's societies pre-
sented A petition for electoral rights ana
we're favorably received. Thousands OF
men and women gathered In the square
before the House Of Parliament 10 await
their return, and great demonsua'loH
took place. The movement Is bitterly
opposed by the clergy, who possess shoi
nous power.
The Polish Deputies in the Russian
Douma are all friendly. but entirely heiP-
less. There has always been strong
sentiment IN the Douma for enfranchls-
ing women. but with the government anu
the Church absolutely hostile. there is no
immediate hope The women are settlhe
the cameTs head under the tent through
all kinds Of congresses, where althoush
a discussion Of suffrage is strictly pro-
hibited by the authorities. It crops out
in every speech and is received with loud
applause. The Russian League Tor
Women's Rights. which has succeeded In
getting some legislation favorable TO
women. asked permission OF the govern
nent TO invite the international Suffrage
Alliance 20 hold us next congress in 81.