Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-05-09
Political Meeting Held.

IoittNNi MtetfUI i1tlu.
! In 1895 Frau Nina Cauer of Ber-
/ lin decided on the bold step Of at
tempting TO hold n political meeting
! for women. Lilli Braun. another pio-
neer in the movement, made an ad-
dress ON THE Duty of Woman as a
Citizen Frau Or. Augsburg, who
was also to become prominent suf-
| fragist leader, assisted in the arrange
ments for the meeting, which luckily
passed off successfully. This was the
first non-socialist political equality
meeting ever held in Prussia.
Propaganda work was continued
Tor the next few years in the face Of
great difficulties, ana in 1902 Fran
Heymann Dr. Augsburg, Frau Cauer
and others established--at Hamburg,
which, as republic had more lib
eral laws than Prussa--the Woman's
Franchise union (Verein fuer Frau
enstimmrechD. This union although
Of necessity founded in Hamburg. set
about the battle throughout Germany.
At first the contest was especially di-
rected against the Prussian law pro-
hibiting women from holding or at
tending political meetings, and against
similar restrictive laws in other fed
eral states. The hardest battle was
naturally that in Prussia. Here the
police were deliberately provoked to
action, but they confined their atten-
ton chiefly to socialist gatherings,
and the non-socialist movement gain
ed steadily in strength.
This was the situation when, in
1904, DR. Augsburg and Frau Cauer
were commissioned by Susan b. An.
thony, Anna Howard Shaw and Car
RE Chapman Gait TO organize in Ger
many q branch OF the international
association. II was In this year that
the worlds congress of woman suffra-
gists was held In Berlin, in connection
with which the German branch was
organized under the leadership Of
Miss Anthony despite the law for
bidding such meetings as were held to
organize it, small number Of Ger
man men assisted in the work, and
the meetings were held in large part
in private homes.
Growth of Movement.
BY 1907 the movement had grown |
to such proportions that 1t was pos
sible for the woman suffraglsts to
hold a congress at Frankfort, where !
they organized the German Alliance |
for Womans Franchise. one of the |
two associations just consolidated at
Weimar The platform of the alli- |
ance demanded the active and pas
sive franchise for women in all law
giving bodies. ION the basis of the |
reichstag franchise" The phrase
quoted proved to be the rock on which |
the woman's movement eventually |
split For a better understanding of |
its Importance II must be borne in |
mind that the reichstag. franchise is
direct, secret and universal in contra /
distinction to the three class, Indirect |
non secret franchise of Prussia. the
medieval system Of the Mecklenburg |
stricted franchise Of certain other |
German states.
The following year Prussia adopted |
a new law, which granted women the
right to hold and attend political /
meetings one OF the womens strong
est champions was Bebel. and the only
serious opposition came from the con-
Conservative opposition within the
ranks Of the women themselves first
showed its head in 1909, with the or
ganization in western Germany of the
German Association for Woman's
Franchise. While this association
proclaimed as its purpose the secur-
ing Of the vote for women its consti-
tuition omitted any reference to the
franchise.
Suffrage Club Formed.
Frau Cauer organized In the same
year the Prussian Provincial Womans
Suffrage club other pioneers In the
grouped themselves about
her and the organization was rapidly
extended to all parts of Prussia. Like
the original alliance, the provincial
organization Incorporated in its con-
!