The History of Woman Suffrage Volume IV Part 109

In 1895 the W. S. A. decided to do no legislative work except to second the efforts of the W. C. T. U. to have the "age of protection"

for girls raised to 18 years; and to secure a resolution asking Congress to submit a woman suffrage amendment to the Federal Const.i.tution. The latter measure was not acted upon; the former was successful.

In 1897 bills were introduced for the Federal Amendment, for Munic.i.p.al Suffrage, to allow women property holders to vote on issuing bonds, and to make the right of the surviving husband or wife equal in the family estate. Both branches of the Legislature invited Mrs. Colby to address them. Immediately afterward the House Judiciary Committee approved an amendment to the State const.i.tution, striking out the word "male," but this was defeated later in the session. The other bills were not reported from the committees.

In 1899 a hearing was granted to a committee from the suffrage a.s.sociation urging a resolution asking Congress to submit a woman suffrage amendment to the State Legislatures, and such a measure was reported to the House but not adopted.

Dower and curtesy both obtain. A widow is ent.i.tled to the life use of one-third of the real estate. In case the husband die without a will, after the payment of all debts, charges, etc., she may have household furniture to the value of $250 and other personal property not exceeding $200. If any residue remains she is ent.i.tled to the same share that a child receives. If there is no issue living, a widow takes the use for life of the entire estate, both real and personal.

If there is no kindred of the husband, the widow comes into absolute possession. If a wife die, leaving no issue, the husband has the life use of all her real estate. If she leave children by a former husband they are ent.i.tled to all of the estate which did not come to her as a gift from her surviving husband. If she leave issue by the latter only, or by both, then the widower has a life interest in one-third of her real estate. After the payment of her debts her personal property is distributed in the same way as her real estate.

The wife can mortgage or sell her real estate without the husband's signature and without regard to his curtesy. He can do the same with his separate property but subject to her dower. Both must join in an inc.u.mbrance or sale of the homestead.

A married woman may control her own property and wages and carry on business in her own name.

Father and mother have equal guardianship and custody of minor children. (1895.)

The husband is expected to furnish suitable maintenance according to his own ideas. The property which belonged to the wife before marriage can be levied on for the husband's debts for necessaries furnished the family if he have no property.

The mother is not "next of kin" and can not sue for damages to a minor child. In 1900 a child of thirteen was injured by a locomotive, and the Judge held that the father and not the mother was ent.i.tled to bring suit, although she had a divorce years before and had brought up the child without any a.s.sistance from him.

If a divorce is granted for the wife's adultery "the husband may hold such of her personal estate as the court may term just and reasonable." If she secure a divorce on account of his adultery, "the court may restore to her the whole, or such part as may seem just, _of her own property_ which she had at marriage. If this is insufficient for the support of herself and her children the court may decree alimony from the husband's estate."

The "age of protection" for girls was raised in 1885 from 10 to 12 years; in 1887 from 12 to 15; in 1895 from 15 to 18. The penalty is imprisonment in the penitentiary not more than twenty nor less than three years, but the law provides that if such "female child is over 15 and previously unchaste" this penalty shall not be inflicted. For such the law offers no protection. Nor shall there be conviction for the crime against a child of any age without other evidence than her own testimony. (1895.)

SUFFRAGE: In 1869 School Suffrage was conferred on women. In 1875 the Legislature repealed this law except for widows and spinsters. In 1881 it was again changed, and women since then have voted in school district matters on the same terms as men; _i. e._, if parents of children of school age or a.s.sessed on property real or personal they may vote at all elections pertaining to schools. They can not, however, vote for State or county superintendents or county supervisors (commissioners). As the last named levy the taxes, and the other two are the most important officers connected with the schools, it will be seen that women are deprived of the most valuable school vote. All efforts, however, to secure an extension of the school franchise have resulted in failure.

As it requires a majority of the highest number of votes cast at an election to carry an amendment, it is useless to ask the Legislature to submit one conferring Full Suffrage upon women.

OFFICE HOLDING: There is nothing in the State const.i.tution or the statutes making women ineligible to any elective office except membership in the Legislature.

Although they are not allowed to vote for county superintendents there are at present sixteen women filling this office, eight of them serving a second term and three a third, while nineteen are superintendents or princ.i.p.als of schools. A woman was candidate on the Fusion ticket for regent of the State University; another has been registrar since the university opened, and one is at present recorder.

Mrs. Ada M. Bittenbender was candidate for Supreme Judge.

A woman is deputy State auditor. Women are serving or have served as postmasters and as clerks in both houses of the Legislature, clerk of the State library and member of the State examining committee of education. Miss Mary Fairbrother was proof-reader in the House in 1899. Miss Helen M. Goff is a.s.sistant reporter in the State department of the Judiciary. Women act as notaries public.

The W. S. A. and W. C. T. U. secured a bill requiring the appointment of women physicians at three State insane asylums. There are matrons at all of the State inst.i.tutions for the blind, feeble-minded, etc., and also at the Girls' Industrial School, although the superintendent is always a man. The Milford Industrial School has a woman physician, a woman superintendent and a board of five women visitors. At the Home for the Friendless all the officers and employees are required to be women and there is a board of women visitors.

All cities of 25,000 or more are required to appoint police matrons at $50 per month. This includes only Omaha and Lincoln.

A woman is Secretary of the Board of Trade in Omaha and official agent for the Humane Society with police powers.

OCCUPATIONS: No profession or occupation is legally forbidden to women. A woman is president of one bank and vice-president of another.

Among the many in newspaper work, an Indian, Mrs. Susette La F.

Tibbles, is prominent.

EDUCATION: All inst.i.tutions of learning are open to women. In the public schools there are 2,038 men and 7,154 women teachers. The average monthly salary of the men is $45.05, of the women, $36.56.

The Prohibition party always puts a suffrage plank in its State platform and women candidates on its ticket, even for the office of Lieutenant-Governor, but it polls so small a vote that this can be only complimentary. The Populist and Republican parties have indorsed equal suffrage at county conventions and elected women on their tickets. Women go as delegates to the Prohibition and Populist conventions. One of the strongest of the State organizations is the Woman's Relief Corps.

FOOTNOTES:

[356] The History is indebted for the material for this chapter to Mrs. Mary Smith Hayward of Chadron, former president of the State Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation.

[357] The present officers of the a.s.sociation are: President, Mrs.

Clara A. Young; vice-president, Mrs. Amanda J. Marble; corresponding secretary, Miss Nelly E. Taylor; recording secretary, Mrs. Ida L.

Denny; treasurer, Mrs. K. W. Sutherland; auditors, Mrs. Mary Smith Hayward and Mrs. Getty W. Drury.

[358] Other names which appear from time to time as doing good work for this cause are the Hon. J. D. Ream, M. H. Marble, J. W. Dundas, Mesdames A. J. Marble, Susanna A. Kendall, Irene Hernandez, Miriam Baird Buck, Lucy Merwin, Vannessa Goff, Maria C. Arter, Mary E.

McMenemy, F. C. Norris, M. A. Van Middlesworth, M. A. Cotton, Misses Viola Kaufman and Edna Naylor.

[359] Mrs. Colby gives this interesting bit of description: "Our husbands were both in the Senate. We had apartments in the same house, where, hobn.o.bbing over our partnership housekeeping, we planned our public work. Our husbands each had a spell of sickness at the same time, and while our functions of State presidency were temporarily exchanged for those of nursing, our enemies took advantage of us and killed that bill, on the very day, February 15, that Gov. John A.

Martin signed the bill under which the women of Kansas have ever since enjoyed the munic.i.p.al ballot."

CHAPTER LII.

NEVADA.[360]

The question of equal political rights for women always has been a subject of discussion in Nevada. Through the efforts of Miss Hannah K.

Clapp and a few other women a suffrage bill was pa.s.sed by the Senate in 1883, but was defeated in the House. Miss Mary Babc.o.c.k was one of the most efficient of these early workers. Many party leaders, whenever opportunity permitted, have referred to the justice of enfranchising the women who with the men braved the dangers and endured the hardships of pioneer life, and are equally interested in the material development and political well-being of the State. After the organization of the Nevada Woman's Christian Temperance Union the superintendent of the franchise department distributed literature, brought up the topic at public meetings, urged it as a subject of debate in clubs and schools and thus secured a steady gain in suffrage sentiment.

The first step toward a.s.sociated effort was taken by the women of Austin, Nov. 30, 1894, in forming the Lucy Stone Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage League. One or two others were organized that year, and a general agitation was begun through press and pet.i.tion work by the suffragists in every community.

In the spring of 1895 the visit of Miss Susan B. Anthony, president of the National a.s.sociation, and the Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, vice-president-at-large, who were on their way to California, created such widespread enthusiasm that a new impetus was given to the movement. A little later Mrs. Emma Smith DeVoe of Illinois was sent by the National a.s.sociation to canva.s.s the State with the help of the local workers. As a result a convention was held at Reno, October 29, 30. Mrs. DeVoe and Mrs. Frances A. Williamson were the princ.i.p.al speakers, and the ten minutes' addresses by the delegates from various counties were very clever and acceptable. A State Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation was formed with Mrs. Williamson as president; Miss Clapp and Dr. Eliza Cook, vice-presidents; Fannie Weller, corresponding secretary; Phoebe Stanton Marshall, recording secretary; Elda A. Orr, treasurer; Kate A. Martin and Alice Ede, auditors; Annie Warren, press work; Mary A. Boyd, State Fair work; Emma B. Blossom, superintendent of literature; Marcella Rinkle, member national executive committee.

The president, who was also chairman of the legislative work committee, was in the lecture field four months. She had to act as her own advance agent, but during this time she spoke in every city and town in the State and organized numerous clubs. Her meetings were well attended, and great interest was manifested. The second convention was held at Reno, Sept. 24, 1896, with every county represented. Mrs. Elda A. Orr was elected president and Mrs. Williamson, State organizer and lecturer. Mrs. Orr has ever since been continued as president, and to no one person in Nevada is the cause of woman suffrage so much indebted for hospitality, financial aid and valuable work.

The public meeting called on November 9 to greet Miss Anthony and Mrs.

Carrie Chapman Catt, chairman of the national organization committee, was very successful. Miss Anthony gave a _resume_ of the exciting campaign just closed in California, and made an object lesson of its critical points which greatly amused the audience. Mrs. Chapman Catt followed in an able argument on woman suffrage as the best and safest means to secure and maintain good government.

In order to give the movement a more p.r.o.nounced individuality Mrs.

Williamson and her daughter, M. Laura Williamson, founded the _Nevada Citizen_, a monthly paper devoted to the social, civil and industrial advancement of women. They edited and managed it, publishing it at their own risk, and it received a liberal patronage. After a successful existence of two years, business called both from the State and it was discontinued.

In 1897 Mrs. Williamson again canva.s.sed the various counties, and the most prominent men and women were found willing to give the measure their indors.e.m.e.nt. The third annual meeting was held at Carson City, October 30, with delegates from most of the counties. The numerous greetings from leading politicians showed an increasing interest in this question. Mrs. Orr and Mrs. Williamson were both re-elected. The former made an able address, and Mrs. Frances Folsom gave a general review of the laws relating to the property rights of women in the different States.

The fourth convention was postponed till the meeting of the Legislature in the winter of 1899, in order that the speakers might appear before that body with their arguments for the submission of a woman suffrage amendment to the voters.[361]

LEGISLATIVE ACTION AND LAWS: In 1895 a bill was introduced in the House by Henry H. Beck, to amend the State const.i.tution by eliminating the word "male" from before the word "citizen" wherever it occurs. All amendment bills have to pa.s.s two successive Legislatures and then be submitted to the voters. The Rev. Mila Tupper Maynard and Mrs. Frances A. Williamson managed the legislative work this year. The former made an eloquent address before the Legislature in joint a.s.sembly. An exciting debate followed in the House, but the bill was defeated by six votes. About ten days later it was introduced in the Senate by Dr.

William Comins, who supported it with an able speech. It was strongly opposed but finally pa.s.sed by a two-thirds vote. Toward the close of the session it was reconsidered in the House, and after a spirited debate was pa.s.sed by four votes.

In 1897 the legislative work was conducted by Mrs. Williamson. She read a brief of the const.i.tutional grounds on which women claim the right of suffrage before the Judiciary Committees of both Houses, and addressed the Legislature in joint a.s.sembly.[362] This year the bill for a const.i.tutional amendment was introduced in the Senate by Dr.

Comins. The Judiciary Committee recommended its pa.s.sage, and after a lively debate it received a two-thirds vote. Later on the bill was presented in the House by Frank Norcross. It was held in committee and delayed in every possible way, but finally was brought up in joint a.s.sembly. A stubborn debate followed, in which the advocates made an able defense, but it was defeated by a tie vote. A motion to reconsider it was defeated also.