Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-08-26
TREMENDOUS HOST OF WOMEN TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT

of the United States the coming November
That is the bald statement of the outcome of tremen
dous struggle covering period of sixty poll
tcal Justice for of America of the thrill
ling chapters of the history of the suffrage movement
pete with They fascinating than novel,
They include and comedy well pathos and
tragedy.
The American Indian, whom the Pilgrim fathers and
mothers found shores to the of their
spectve tribes the honor of providing food and filling what
soil titled while they reserved their male rights the
pastme hunting and fishing nterspesed with frequent
expeditions We look down proudly and condescendngy
the aborigin wanting in delicate and tender consera
ton for fair in he considerable
of the rights of the than of his white
lords and masters of the land The white of Amer
lea have been compelled to fight for their right to part the
public guiding of enid 1e Whie the Indian recognized the
well as its dusky madens.
One would suppose Constitution of Vermont had
recently seriously menaced by the proposal the
of the Green Mountain State degree of suffrage
AS long ago 1880 however, the Vermont Legislature passed
an act extending to the women of Vermont the right of su
frage the of the public schools which stand
next to the home shaping future youth
Nobody discovered that the public welfare seriously
menaced by this recognition of the special interest of the
mothers in the education of their children
Even forty years ago. however, Vermont in granting the
school vote to behind other States in consi
erng that had rights to share in public af
fairs AS early 1889 Kentucky school suffrage to
widows. That comedy and tragedy mingled wife had
to wait for her husband to die naturally if the end not
fastened other before she could vote in school meet
ing Twenty later the sense Of the udcous evidently
prevailed leading Kansas to extend the school vote to all
whether their husbands were dead or alive or yet
to be-
Another long period of waiting occurred and then another
step taken by various other States. Michigan and
Minnesota granted school suffrage to 1879 and the
following year, Colorado started idea by writing this
political justice into its State constitution New Hampshire
Ns Oregon e e gave right to WON s " g W nd
consn in 1885, North and South Dakota Montana Arizona
and New Jersey in 1887 Illinois in 1891 Connecticut in 1893
dents" in 1894
We accustomed think of Britain and other countries
as backward 1t is significant however that long as
1869 England municipal suffrage to single and
why wives excluded from this right be plain in view
the pc % Long hf held by d @ as to the
STA even municipal officers by vote OF real estate owners
right of municipal suffrage and afterwa,d Quebec
and the other provinces followed this example
Of slow growth although given early root in few of
the States The of Wyoming granted full suf
trage 1869 and those of Colorado 1898 while Idaho and
Utah have had equal suffrage since 1896 Washington since
1910 California since 1911 Kansas and Arizona and Oregon
since 1918 Montana and Nevada since 1914 New York since
1917 Michigan Oklahoma and South Dakota since 1918
AT this time altogether thirty ~ S Sta es have granted full
America less than 1750oooo could have voted for
president under their State the Anthony ID
taken from the totals for both
trv whole was 1S 600 The for eec
tors Vermont 64465 while the State had 124506 males
Republican conventions is based On the vote the CLOTH
ing OF women With the suffrage will have manifold effects in
contests between political parties
The eXigences of presidential politics helped rat
cation of the federal suffrage amendment although
wonans work in the World War helped materially. In view
of the claim of Democrats credit for the action of Tennessee
it significant that less than three times during the adj
mnstration of President Wilson Democratic Congress de-
feaed the proposition to submit suffrage amendment to the
State. The first test was in March, 1914. With clear
majority the Senate the Democrats furnished less votes for
the resolution than did the Republican minority In the
second session of the Sxtyh Congress the Democratic
vote in the House stood 80 for and 03 against while the
Republican vote 72 for and only s3 against The sub
mission of the amendment brought about through the
support of the project by Republicans controlled II Sixty
sixth Congress that sumbitted the suffrage amendment
Despite the action of Tennessee under outside pressure
the Solid South for while has been against suffrage
North Carolina this week having been the latest horn
State refuse to ray. The other Democratic States
fusng ratfy have been Alabama Georgia. Florida Louis
iana Mississippi South Carolina Virginia and Maryland No
less than Twenty-Five of the thrtysx Legislatures ratfy
ing the amendment were Republican.
The first organized body to formulate declaration of the
political rights of according to history by the late
Susan B. Anthony. the maron saint of equal rights,
which met in Seneca Falls N " in July, 184S and adj
1ourned to Rochester two weeks later In connection
with the resolutions adopted at that time inequality OF
the existing laws and customs carefully considered
readustments demanded.
The proceedings of that convention ridcled by the