The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-24
Unequal Suffrage.
(Rutland Herald.)


Limited suffrage for women, accord |
ing to good judges of Legislative tenn
per, stands an excellent chance for
passage in the House of Representa-
tives this week. Some warrant is
cited for this proposal from the fact
that it was prominent part of party
platforms during the recent campaign.
The Republican platform, however,
merely pledged the party to the sub
mission in due time of a constitutional
amendment granting full suffrage to
women. The proposal for limited suf-
frage, municipal and presidential, is
a Progressive-Democr propaganda
and should be so regarded.
As to the demand for the pending
measure, Chairman Stanley c. Wilson
| of the Republican state committee adj
| dressed postal card inquiries to all the
women of his constituency in Chelsea
and out of 254 replies 81 favored suf
frage and 1913 opposed it. Of the 81
favoring the proposal 10 are taxpayers
and of the 1913 opposing it 20 pay
taxes, according to the Randolph Her
aid and News.
This brings up phase of the prob
lem not seriously considered by the
good-natured gentlemen of the sen
ate, viz. suffrage without taxation,
which the pending bill proposes, to
reverse the usual slogan.
The first section of the bill is prac-
tically a duplicate of the present law
permitting women TO vote in school
affairs, but extending the right to all
municipal matters. The second see
ton extends the right to include vot
ling for presidential electors.
According to w. H. Blanchard OF
Montpelier, who has apparently givef
the matter some thought:
'The exact meaning of the pres
emit school law has been pretty
thoroughly established by the SUI
preme court in two decisions. See
50 Vt. page 81 and So Vt. page
3S3. 1t means that any woman of
T the age specified who has a list for
, taxation taken for April can
: vote and act on everything pertain
! ing to schools, provided, of course,
she is a citizen Of Vermont and her
y tax if due is paid.
If this same Interpretation shout
apply to the proposed biiiy provides
IT becomes law then E.. according I
2 Mr.. Blanchard, the situation woul
{, work out thus: s
c This list can he any amount,
= however small. One dollar is am
!, pie, on which tax of about two
: cents is levied. 1t Is plain that it
discriminates against men as so
: many "new' laws do. If a man
r and woman each have one dollar
Il of taxable property on April /, the
t. woman is q qualified voter when
!. her two cents of tax is paid, but
the man here in Montpelier must
have paid four dollars and two
cents, and the man is taxed two
/ hundred and one times as much as
the woman
This comes, naturally, through til
- taxation of polls, and women, undo
II the school law or the proposed law #
al equal municipal suffrage, would e
L. cape. 1t is something of a pose
; however, to reflect that not only is IL
= proposed municipal suffrage limited
women who have a grand list, but tn;
it will still further extend the inequa
Id tiles of the taxation problem. NJ
IF Blanchard states it thus:
IN cit is proposed to extend this
in unequal right to all municipal mat
,r terS-all things pertaining to mu-
inequalities, and reverse an under
lying pflnclple that mas been con
sidered as of great Importance ever
since Vermont came into existence,
- and which the settlers brought with
ay them. This prime requisite was
1t that any one who voted in town
en- meeting must have some financial
a stake in the community, and a sub
Re- stantial polI-taX has been held to
be necessary, and for many years
= each voter has been taxed on two
III hundred dollars in addition to the
ut tax on his property, thus making
ed the poorest man feel the response
in bility of his vote on town expenses.
a. Shall we give up this principle?''
~ The practical and fundamental 81
"t of this business of women s suffra
on seldom gets a clearer presentati
it's than this and should make the legis
lp- tor stop and ask himself whether t
is men, who naturally must provide