The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1913-08-15
Suffrage Movement in France


ment is growing in France. as in 9TH
er leading countries In Europe, but
S8lng lines of its own-lines which ex.
press In a way the national genius.
The report which the French Union
for Woman Suffrage made before the
international suffrage congress In
Budapest. Hungary. June 15. gives a
concrete basis for an estimate of just
where the movement stands:
First, we may cite the passing Of a
law for the establishment of pater.
nifty" says the report. For many
years this reform of simple justice
was demanded by public opinion. We
have now obtained 1t in a very imper-
feet state, with shocking inequalities;
but the fact of having established the
Dnprinciple represents nevertheless a
Ectk-<--~
law for assistance to mothers,
(which was before the senate for thir-
teen years. has also just been passed.
thanks to the efforts of Senator Paul
Strauss. This law, as it will be pre-
sented to the chamber Of deputies, Is
not absolutely in accord with our de-
sires, either Il must be recognized,
though, that 1t Is progress which will
enable us to reopen the question and
to demand more.
"a law for juvenile courts and pro-
.bational release was adopted In 1912,
and we may note that women have
their part In It In the case Of sup
Elementary inquiry says the law,
lawyers Of either sex and members Of
societies OF patronage OF either sex
may be charged by the court with a
supplementary inquiry This Is the
first time that legal function, how
ever small, has been accorded to wom-
en-
This very notable progress has al
ready been followed by other sue
cesses for women. Thus Nine. Maria
verone, lawyer. has recently been
named a member of the 'extra-parlia-
mentary commission to draw up a bill
for a code for the protection Of chill
dren.'
9 ALSO Nine. d'Abbadie d'Arrast and
Nine. Pichon-LAndry have been called
upon to present reports to the So
ciety Of Legislative Study presided
over by the first president Of the SUI
preme court.
1.-TWO very important laws are soon
to be discussed In the chamber Of
deputies. One is a law for equal
treatment of male and female school
teachers, which would be Of great ma
terial and moral help to women IL
passed. for the principle Of economic
equality would then be established.
and the whole working world would
feel the consequences.
THE second law aims to fix mini
mum salary for women who work at
home. This law would sensibly better
the situation of thousands Of exploit
ed and overdriven women, and more
over IL would establish the principle
of minimum salaries, which hitherto
has met the liveliest opposition as in
fringing on liberty of contracts.
=. "The collaboration of women In com
0ssions where they are naturally
comNNtent is being found quite nor
NAL, and II Is, II seems to us, a logi-
cal and practical stage of transition
which will accustom public opinion to
men and women working together In
political assemblies.
When, late in 1912, commission to
fight against depopulation was or
sanized the press. even those news
papers which are least feminist, pro
tested because II had been forgotten
to put any women on It. The press
remarked humorousiy that women had
some right to give their opinion on
these questions and pointed out, not
without irony, that number of bach
elors had been called upon to express
themselves while mothers Of families
were excluded.