The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume Vi

Volume Vi

1900--1920

IN A TRUE DEMOCRACY EVERY CITIZEN HAS A VOTE

NATIONAL AMERICAN WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION

COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY

NATIONAL AMERICAN WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION

INTRODUCTION

WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN THE STATES OF THE UNION

In the preceding volume a full account is given of the forty years' continuous effort to secure an amendment to the Federal Constitution which would confer full suffrage on all the women of the United States possessing the qualifications required of men. Antedating the beginning of this effort by thirty years was the attempt to enfranchise women through the amendment of State constitutions. After 1869 the two movements were contemporaneous, each dependent on the other, the latter a long process but essential in some measure to the success of the former. There is no way by which the progress of the movement for woman suffrage can be so clearly seen as by a comparison of the State chapters in this volume with the State chapters in Volume IV, which closed with 1900. The former show the remarkable development of the organized work for woman suffrage, especially in the last decade, which brought the complete victory.

In Volume IV it was possible to give a résumé of the Laws specifically relating to women and one was sent with each chapter for this volume. The space occupied by the account of the work for the suffrage, however, made it necessary to omit them. It required thousands of words to record the legislation of the last twenty years relating especially to women in some of the States and the large part of it to women in the industries, which they had scarcely entered in 1900. The same is true of child labor. Every State shows a desire for protective legislation. Many States provide for mothers' pensions, a modern tendency. About half of the States now have equal guardianship laws. There is a gradual increase in those enlarging the property and business rights of married women. The "age of consent" and the age for marriage have been raised in most States where they were too low. In every State for a number of years the large organizations of women have made a determined effort to obtain better laws for women and children and Legislatures have yielded to pressure. In every State as soon as women were enfranchised there was improvement in laws relating to their welfare and that of children.

The Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment went into effect in August, 1920, and the following winter there was a greater amount of advanced legislation in the various States than had taken place in the preceding ten years collectively, and the résumé of existing laws that had been prepared for this volume was soon at least partially obsolete in many of them. A brief statement of Office Holding was incorporated but its only value was in showing that in all States this was almost exclusively limited to "electors." When the Federal Amendment was proclaimed it carried with it eligibility to the offices. In some States it included Jury service but in others it was held that for this special legislation was necessary. In all States the professions and other occupations are open to women the same as to men. In the way of Education every State University admits women, and the vast majority of institutions of learning, except some of a religious character, are co-educational. A few of the large eastern universities still bar their doors but women have all needful opportunities for the higher education. Some professional schools--law, medicine and especially theology--are still closed to women but enough are open to them to satisfy the demand, and the same is true of the technical schools. To meet the lack of space every chapter had to be drastically cut after it was in type.

Women now have in a general sense equality of rights, although in every State they have learned or will learn that this is not literally true and that further effort will be required, but now, as never before, they are equipped for accomplishing it. It will be a long time before they have equality of opportunity in the business and political world but for the majority this will not be needed. Women will find, however, that in the home, in club life and in all lines of religious, philanthropic, educational and civic work the possession of a vote has increased their influence and power beyond measure.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION i

Position of women in regard to laws, office holding, education, etc.

CHAPTER I.

ALABAMA 1

Early work -- Progress of organization -- Conventions held, reports and speeches made, activities of the association -- Officers and workers -- Legislative action -- Campaigns -- Help of the National Association -- Action on ratification of the Federal Suffrage Amendment -- Interest taken by President Wilson, National Committees and party leaders -- Celebrations.

CHAPTER L.

WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN THE TERRITORIES AND THE PHILIPPINES 713

ALASKA 713

Legislature gives suffrage to women -- Privileges to Indian women --Other laws -- Women in prohibition campaign -- Women's war work.

HAWAII 715

Congress refuses to let its Legislature control the suffrage --National Suffrage Association protests -- Its president, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, at Honolulu -- Mrs. Pitman, of Brookline, Mass., holds meetings there -- Legislature sends resolution to Congress -- Senator John F. Shafroth gets Bill through Congress -- Efforts of Hawaiian women with their Legislature.

THE PHILIPPINES 719

The National Suffrage Association demands franchise for their women -- Governor General Taft and Archbishop Nozaleda support the demand --The U. S. Congress ignores it -- Position of Filipino women --Commissioner's wife describes their efforts for the suffrage.

PORTO RICO 722

Status of suffrage for men -- They demand their own Legislature -- National Suffrage Association asks that women may share in the suffrage -- Senator Shafroth shows that it can not be put into the Bill -- Efforts of Porto Rican women with its Legislature.

CHAPTER LI.

GREAT BRITAIN 726

Situation as to woman suffrage at commencement of the present century -- Status of the Bill in Parliament in the first decade -- Premier Campbell-Bannerman advises "pestering" -- Strong hostility of Premier Asquith -- Beginning of "militancy" -- Its effect on the suffrage movement -- Mrs. Fawcett's opinion -- Constitutional societies repudiate it -- Labor party supports woman suffrage --Treachery in Parliament -- The Conciliation Bill -- Women left out of the Franchise Reform Bill -- Deputation to Premier Asquith -- Lloyd George's attitude -- Speaker Lowther kills Bill -- Suffragists go into politics -- Great suffrage "pilgrimage" -- Outbreak of war --Important war work of the suffrage societies -- Coalition Government -- Conference Committee on Electoral Reform Bill -- Premier Asquith supports Woman Suffrage -- Lloyd George becomes Premier -- Suffrage clause in Bill gets immense majority in House of Commons -- Big fight in House of Lords but goes through -- Royal assent given -- Two women elected to House of Commons -- Oxford University opened to women.

CHAPTER LII.

WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN BRITISH COLONIES 752

NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA 752

CANADA 753

First Woman Suffrage Society in Ontario -- The gaining of Woman Suffrage in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Efforts of the Women to secure action from the Legislature of each Province -- Victory in Ontario after long struggle -- War time Woman Suffrage Act of the Dominion Parliament -- Granting of complete suffrage in 1918 -- The Legislatures of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia give Provincial suffrage -- Quebec refuses -- Women of Newfoundland still disfranchised.

SOUTH AFRICA 767

The National Parliament persistently declines to enfranchise women --Their strong efforts for the vote -- Granted in several of the States -- Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, spends several months in South Africa conferring with the women.

INDIA 769

CHAPTER LIII.

WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN MANY COUNTRIES 771 FINLAND 771 NORWAY 774 DENMARK 776 ICELAND 779 SWEDEN 780 THE NETHERLANDS 783 BELGIUM 786 LUXEMBURG 788 RUSSIA 788 GERMANY 789 AUSTRIA 792 HUNGARY 793 BOHEMIA 794 SWITZERLAND 795 ITALY 797 FRANCE 799 GREECE, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, PALESTINE, CHINA, JAPAN, SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO 802-804

CHAPTER LIV.

THE INTERNATIONAL WOMAN SUFFRAGE ALLIANCE 805

Desire of Early Leaders -- International Council of Women -- Miss Anthony and Mrs. Catt call Conference in Washington on International Suffrage Alliance -- Ten Countries represented -- Proceedings of Conference -- Plan of Temporary Organization -- Declaration of Principles -- Valuable Reports on the Status of Women.

PERMANENT ORGANIZATION IN BERLIN IN 1904 809

Conference and Congress in Copenhagen in 1906 812 Delegates present, addresses, Memorials for Miss Anthony, reports, social entertainments, Badge adopted.

CONGRESS IN AMSTERDAM IN 1908 817

Welcome of Dr. Aletta Jacobs, president of the National Suffrage Association -- Mrs. Catt's president's address -- "Militants" present -- Entertainments -- Victories in Finland and Norway -- Jus Suffragii established -- A day in Rotterdam.

THE FIRST QUINQUENNIAL IN LONDON 828

Mrs. Catt's address -- Mrs. Fawcett, president of the British Suffrage Association, speaks, refers to "militants" -- Mass meetings in Albert Hall -- In touch with Queens -- Flag and Hymn selected --Resolutions adopted -- Officers elected -- Dr. Shaw in the pulpits.

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