Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-19
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

In The Star of April II, 1881, is the
following relative to an action in In
c,%ro :; diana favorable to the
suffrage III enfranchisement of wom-
Indiana en-, this being modified by
subsequent statement:
The State Of Indiana steps to the
front rank in the recognition of wom-
ems rights. A bill has passed both
houses of the Legislature comforting the
right Of suffrage in all elections upon
women, and the measure now only
awaits the Governors approval. The
bill first passed the House, and as the
Senate is equally divided between the
two parties, some doubt was entertained
OF its success in that body; but Demo-
cratic Senators joined with the Repub-
l1cans in its support and it was passed
without either delay or difficulty. There
seems to be very general impression
in the State that the Governors ap-
proval is certain, and if this be so, then
the women of Indiana will be the first
of the sex in any State to exercise the
full privilege of the ballot. 1t appears
that the cause of woman suffrage has
been championed by both the Democrats
and Republicans of Indiana, but it was
never put into the substantial shape Of
law until the latter came into power
In the United States Senate 1t was
Senator Mcdonald who took charge of
the bill to confer upon female attor-
neys the right to practice in the United
States Supreme Court. Subsequently
the same Senator submitted resolutions
in behalf of woman suffrage and sus-
tanned the cause by an argument.
This action of the Indiana LegiSla-
ture indicates a progress Of the woman's
rights cause which will no doubt spur
the supporters OF that movement to
greater eXertionS than ever before.
Though Indiana Is the first State to
accord this right to women, two Of the
Territories, Wyoming and Utah, have
given them the ballot. The right to
vote in the Territories is, however, not
SO big thing by any means as that to
vote in the States.
THE politicians of the country, who
are SO much exercised about the vote
OF Indiana in presidential years, will
now have the additional problem on
hand Of how to operate to secure the
votes Of the women of that State"
In Abe Star of April IA, 1881, is q
paragraph explaining that the action
Of the Indiana Legislature was simply
the adoption of an amendment to the
State constitution which had to wait
for two years for ratification by the
succeeding Legislature before submits
sion to the vote of the people.
Seven NihiliSts, five men and two
women, were convicted of participation
Russian ASSASSIN ssg u atom Of Fly the so Car S
Tor+uras of Russia. Six of them
were hanged at once, the
seventh, a woman, being reprieved
pending the birth of a child. The Star
of April IA, 1881, says:
Gen. Melikoff, commandant OF st.
Petersburg. with unlimited power over
the inhabitants by orders Of the late
Gar of Russia, is reported by the cable
dispatches as having applied to the
Nthilist prisoners system OF torture
more barbarous and horrible than the
worst devices of the middle ages. 1t
appears to have been part of Gen.
Melikoff,s duty TO extort from the pris-
oners confessions not only of their own
guilt, but including by name all who
were concerned with them in their as
saults upon the life of the late Car.
He was prompt in the discharge OF this
duty, and it seems as If the method OF
physical torture was the only one which
suggested itself to his mind as means
of wringing from the unwilling tongues
of the captured NihiliStS the desired
confessions. None Of the hundreds OF
inhuman devices that history describes
as having been applied for similar pur-
poses in the past we're cruel enough for
this military savage. With an ingenuity
that would do credit to his satanic
majesty, Gen. Melikof invented form
of torture by electricity, which inf1icts
upon the human body all the agonizing
pains of the rack, the wheel and the
fire at one time. The electric current
was so applied as to shock and almost
shatter the muscles and nerves and also
to slowly burn to a crisp parts of the
skin and flesh. Via horrible even to
think of subjecting the human system
to such frightful suffering and, odious
as are the crimes of those. to whom it
was applied, the RussianA authorities
viii earn the detestation of mankind for
resorting to this unparalleIed refine
ment of theYart Of torture"