Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-02-11

| Contrary to the belief of some peo-
pie who have been talking about con-
stltutfonal conventions and amend
ments, the people of this State have
| never had an opportunity to vote on
the question of woman suffrage. and a
| curious error prevails in regard to
| proposed amendments on the subject
OF suffrage. Some people have the
! ldea because one of the amendments
voted upon at the special election of
June IL. 1883, was called the suffrage
| amendment that 1t was a woman suf-
rage proposition to amend the Con-
| stitution of the State so that women
would have the right of franchise.
The use of the term suffrage was
| purely technical and the amendment
really related to abolition of poll tax
ana not to women at all. This cleo
tion, by the way, was the last special
Statewide election held and is mem
orable because it was at this time that
the people voted on prohibition
| amendment. Prior to 1889 there had
| been tremendous temperance wave
and State after State voted on the
question of wet or dry. The Legis-
iatures of 1887 and 1889 voted to sub
NIT the amendment and there was so
much popular clamor that a special
ELECTION was ordained for the pro-
hibition and suffrage or poll tax
amendments. The prohibition amend
ment was defeated by 1SS,00O, in
round numbers and the other amend
ment by 236,000. Dauphin voted wet
by 5000 and Cumberland went dry by
4,OOo. These figures are approximate.
And while we are on the subject of
constitutional amendments it is inter-
esting to note, in view of the demand
for q constitutional convention, that
In November. 1891. the regular No
vember election, the people of the
state voted overwhelmingly against a
constitutional convention, the vote be-
ing only 1888 in favor to 42O,59S
against. Dauphin county went against
the proposed convention by a big ma
Jor1ty. In this case the names of men
TO SIT IN the convention were SUBJ
inltted TO the people at the same time
tnat they were called upon to vote on
the main proposition, a plan similar
TO that proposed in the last Legis.
lature and which is likely to be sub
mltted to the next General Assembly.
The people of the State have been
rather slow about changing consti-
tut1ons in the last 100 years. The
state has had only four or rather.
three. because the first was more or
less preliminary. These constitutions
were dated 1776. when the State fol-
lowed the example of the Union and
set up a government; 1890, when It
got down to business after the Reyo-
luton and began to find out what it
wanted; 1888, when experience showed
that 1t needed a new palladium of
liberties, and 1873, when the progress
In life had become so advanced that
the earlier document was found anti
quated.
The State S bee keepers will come
mere for their annual convention next
week and it is rather remarkable that
one-tenth of the farmers of the whole
State are eligible to membership in
the association. The honey bee is bet
ter known in jest, poetry and accident
reports than in agriculture, yet this
States output has been growing and
growing rapidly. Oddly enough, It is
estimated in tons, although we com.
monty associate 1t with a pound or a
comb. The meeting next week will
bring to the city men who have in
vested tens of thousands of dollars in
apiaries.
Among visitors here yesterday for
the editorial association meetings were
dietrich Lamade. the head of the
states great weekly, Williamsport
Grit, and Frederic E. Manson, man
aging editor of the paper. Both make
1t a business to attend the meetings
here every year and their interest in
the association is often referred 10 hv
the publishers