The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-28
THE SUFFRAGE
SITUATION

Miss Jessie Alderman. author and
~ecturer has been spending several
days in Washington where she has
so taking an interest in the woman
suffrage situation. She has been par
ticularly interested in the recent dis
cusslon In the senate and the work
the National association has been do
ing to forward the woman suffrage
movement in the national capital:
MISS Ackerman has travelled all over
the world, and has but recently return
ed from an extended tour OF eight
years, in the latter part of which she
visited every country where the woman
suffrage movement has attained any
personally observe the results.
1T Is a worldwide movement" said
Miss Alderman, land this is a very in
teresting moment, because the woman
advance all over the world in the SAME
general direction for the betterment or
mankind. If the women of the world
were not in this movement, we would
be sitting where our grandmotherS sat
and would not harmonize with the
situation. 1t reminds me Of what hap
pened when l was in Scotland. Andrew
Carnegie wanted to do something for
his native town and had the greatest
window designers Of the world con-
struct a window for the cathedral. 1t
was made in New York, and was one uf
the most beautiful landscapes of the
kind l ever saw When it arrived in
Scotland, the dean would not allow it
to be placed in the cathedral. He said
1t was too modern for that cathedral
and would be in~congruous. So it IS
the general movement that is going Gu
all over the world we would be too
ancient to At into the picture.
Il have been particularly interested
s, L > F.
tinued Miss Alderman, because Of tho
vast good the discussion on the sub
ject Is having, not only in the United
States. but all over he world. The
ment was favorably reported. discussed
received a majority vote in the
senate make 1t a live and important
subject and draws the attention of all
cess which will mean very much good.
not only at home but abroad. 1t will
be much better for the women to have
the franchise after all this discussion
than If it had been thrust upon them
all at once without any preparation.
That was the mistake in Australia, Tho
vote there was given women for a po-
Iltlcal purpose and many OF them did
not know what 1t meant. AS a conse-
quent, in the first election in one state
only about Is per cent of the women
voted. Now, however, with kno Wledge
OF what 1t all means, IS per cent Of the
women vote and the complaints that
were made in the early days do not ap-
New Zealand is one of the very in
teresting countries regarding woman
suffrage. When l went there twenty
three years ago, Thomas Spurgeon did
not want to allow me to speak, and in
one church where I did speak, ana
started to AXE my hat OFF, the preache.
stopped me because st. Paul had said
that women should not uncover in
church. At that time. 1 also %encount-
cred opposition to allowing women. to
vote because the preachers said that
women would no longer be interested
In church work, charities n such 9TH
er organizations, known as church
auxiliaries. =
Seventeen years later, I was in New
Zealand and saw the preacher that
raised this question and asked him If
his prediction that the women would
not do church work when they got the
vote had been realized, He said that
1t a to some extent, that the women
were not doing as much church work
as before, BECAUSE they did not have to
do so. The women had voted the sa-
looms out Of seventeen provinces which
had greatly lessened the necessity for
charitable work and taking care Of in
ebriates, insane and poor people. It
was found In one province that the
police court instead of meeting 1lg
times met only thirty-six times ana
twice the court had nothing to do. In
one province the deposits. in the saw
ings banks had increased $4,000 per
month, II in another province the
tax rate had been lowered 6 per cent"
Zealand and Australia, went into China
rived in Finland" said Miss Acksr-
var Wss tu uat a E t Yssy op tntarsS 81 she t' Finnish +
parliament and twenty-one women
were members. They had introduced
twenty-seven bills and twenty,three
had been passed. All those bills did
special interest. but were for the bsne-
fit of entire communities. ] talked
with one of the women in the Finland
parliament and referred to the bills
that the credit was not luz entirely
to women, but it was because the men
had helped them. There. were more
s saindh ana aod f Re ahe IN h fa1 n asgi rsasIvea s shs
support of the men of course they
could not have secured the legislation.
But the fact remained thatsthese W,o-
men t Mers ne aels 70 f tmpf fss ie agan ias
and consequently were entitled to the
credit OF having 1t enacted"
Miss fisherman mentions a nunlbcE
New Zealand since the women have
had the vote and points out that there
was a decided decrease in the birch
rate before suffrage was granted. but
l III ELCll years dLLGT1 that CSpAktp LilW =
crease registered En-. as as compared
with 24.20 in England, Also the rate
| OF infant mortality has decreased since
women have had suffrage, until now Il
is the lowest in the world. Among
other achievements brought about bs
the vote and influence Of women" SAID
Miss Ackerman, was the enactment 81
an equal standard OF morals IN making
the condition of divorce the same fol
both sexes. Under the law g a has.
band is restrained from willing ava,
his property as formerly could hi
done. without making suitable provia'
ion for his wife and children. BABY
farming is now an impossible evil.
Several OF the leading statesmen
TOLD me that they had opposed tht
movement for suffrage to- the bitta.
END, but the practical operation OF ths
power lin the hands OF women has beer
a boon Beyond eatiTaate to the mora
Il tone OF the country
Miss Alderman has been also yer;
much interested In the e~ilfranchise.
naallt of women in China, where shs
/ aays unlike Australia. aufEraEe was no!