The History of Woman Suffrage Volume IV Part 111

New Hamps.h.i.+re was the first State in New England to give School Suffrage to women.

OFFICE HOLDING: Women are eligible to all elective or appointive School offices except where it is forbidden by special charters. They are not eligible to any other elective office.

A number are serving on School Boards. They may sit on State Boards which are appointed by the Governor. They have done so only on the Board of Charities and Corrections and on that of the State Normal School.

There is no law requiring women physicians in any State inst.i.tutions, or police matrons in any city. One has been appointed in Manchester.

Women may act as notaries public.

OCCUPATIONS: On July 25, 1889, Chief Justice Charles Doe of the Supreme Court delivered the opinion that women may become members of the bar and practice in all the courts. No occupation or profession is legally forbidden. Ten hours are made a working day.

EDUCATION: The old college of Dartmouth at Hanover is for men only.

The State Agricultural College at Durham admits both s.e.xes.

In the public schools there are 256 men and 2,714 women teachers. The average monthly salary of the men is $69.75; of the women $40.59.

FOOTNOTES:

[364] Among other officers since 1884 are: Presidents, Mrs. E. J. C.

Gilbert and Miss Josephine F. Hall; vice-presidents, Judge J. W.

Fellows, Gen. Elbert Wheeler, the Rev. Enoch Powell, Mrs. Martha E.

Powell, John Scales, Mesdames C. A. Quimby, Caroline R. Wendell, N. H.

Knox, Marilla H. Ricker, M. L. Griffin, f.a.n.n.y W. Sawyer and Mary Powers Filley; corresponding secretaries, Mrs. Jacob H. Ela, Mrs.

Maria D. Adams; recording secretary, the Rev. H. B. Smith; treasurers, Mesdames A. W. Hobbs, C. R. Meloon, Uranie E. Bowers and Miss Abbie E.

McIntyre; auditor, Mrs. C. R. Pease; executive committee, Mrs. Mary E.

H. Dow and Mrs. (Dr.) Tucker.

[365] President, Miss Mary N. Chase; vice-president, Mrs. Elizabeth B.

Hunt; secretary, Miss Mary E. Quimby; treasurer, the Rev. Angelo Hall; auditors, Miss C. R. Wendell and the Hon. Sherman E. Burroughs.

CHAPTER LIV.

NEW JERSEY.[366]

Although many local suffrage meetings had been held in New Jersey prior to 1867, in that year a State Society was organized by Lucy Stone, which met regularly in various cities until she removed to Ma.s.sachusetts a few years afterwards, when the a.s.sociation and its branches gradually suspended, except the one at Vineland, with Mrs.

Anna M. Warden as president. Mrs. Cornelia C. Hussey, Mrs. Katherine H. Browning, Mrs. Warden and others continued to represent the State as vice-presidents at the national conventions.

In 1890 Dr. Mary D. Hussey, who had been a member of the old society, invited a number of active suffragists to unite in forming a new State a.s.sociation. Eleven responded and, at the residence of Mrs. Charlotte N. Enslin, in Orange, February 5, a const.i.tution was adopted, Judge John Whitehead elected president and Dr. Hussey secretary and treasurer.[367]

In 1891 the Rev. Antoinette Brown Blackwell became president; Mrs.

Amelia d.i.c.kinson Pope was elected in 1892; and in 1893 Mrs. Florence Howe Hall, daughter of Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, accepted the presidency.

The first public meeting of the a.s.sociation was held at Orange, March 4, 1893, where Mrs. Clara C. Hoffman of Missouri, gave an address. The first auxiliary society formed was that of Ess.e.x County, with forty members, Mrs. Jennie D. De Witt, president. Five other State meetings were held and the members.h.i.+p trebled. Among the lecturers were Aaron M. Powell, Mrs. Blackwell, Mrs. S. M. Perkins of Ohio, and the president. A number of clergymen gave sermons on suffrage, 14,000 pages of literature were circulated in seventeen of the twenty-one counties, and the _Woman's Column_ was sent to 200 persons at the expense of Mrs. Cornelia C. Hussey. The women's vote at school meetings greatly increased and a number were elected trustees. The annual convention was held at Newark in November.

The const.i.tutional amendment campaign in the neighboring State of New York had a very favorable effect on public opinion in New Jersey during 1894. In addition to the usual meetings a memorial service in honor of Lucy Stone was held in Peddie Memorial Church, Newark, one of the largest churches in the State, with more than 2,000 people present, Mrs. Mary A. Livermore being the chief speaker. Another meeting was held in Orange, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe making the princ.i.p.al address.

A sunflower lunch was given to raise funds for the campaign in Kansas and $200 were sent, of which half was contributed by Mrs. Hussey.

Among the vast amount of literature circulated were 1,000 copies of suffrage papers. The State convention was held as usual in Newark, November 24. This year the Populist party declared for woman suffrage in its State convention. The Knights of Labor also have indorsed it.

In 1895, before entering upon the three years' campaign for the restoration of School Suffrage, which had been declared unconst.i.tutional the previous year, the a.s.sociation presented to the Legislature pet.i.tions signed by about 1,000 persons, asking for the restoration of full suffrage to the women of New Jersey, which had been taken away in 1807. This was done not with any expectation of success but in order to place the a.s.sociation on record as having demanded this right. In the new measure for School Suffrage they begged that it might include the women of towns and cities instead of merely country districts, according to the law of 1887, but this was refused.

Mrs. Anna B. S. Pond arranged a course of lectures for the benefit of the School Suffrage fund and, with a souvenir, $100 were raised. A handsome suffrage flag was presented to the a.s.sociation by Miss Martha B. Haines, recording secretary.

Four meetings of the State a.s.sociation were held in Newark, and one in Plainfield during the year, and lectures were given by Mrs. Lillie Devereux Blake of New York, Mrs. Annie L. Diggs of Kansas, Miss Elizabeth Upham Yates of Maine, and Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, chairman of the national organization committee. The fifth convention a.s.sembled in the chapel of Trinity (Episcopal) Church, Elizabeth, November 29.

Mrs. Ella B. Carter, chairman on press work, stated that many leading papers were advocating the restoring of School Suffrage. Mrs. Harriet L. Coolidge, chairman of the School Suffrage Committee, reported that about fifty women had held the office of trustee since 1873, when this right was given, that twelve more were still serving despite the Supreme Court decision, and that women had voted in school meetings in almost every county.

The School Suffrage Resolution pa.s.sed the Legislature, but as it had to be approved by two successive Legislatures before it could be submitted to the voters, it was necessary to agitate the subject so the law-makers might see that the people really desired the pa.s.sage of this measure, and the winter of 1896 was devoted to this purpose. A new circular setting forth the success it had previously been was circulated in connection with the pet.i.tion. As the president was unable to attend the session of the Legislature, Miss Mary Philbrook, chairman of the Committee on Laws, took charge of the measure, which in March was pa.s.sed for the second time without opposition. It was decided, however, to have certain other proposed amendments to the const.i.tution altered, and that for School Suffrage was kept back with the others, as the const.i.tution can be amended only once in five years.

In the spring circulars were sent to 300 newspapers to be published, urging women to attend school meetings and to exercise the sc.r.a.p of franchise still left to them--a vote on appropriations.[368] New Jersey sent $150 to the National a.s.sociation and $50 to California for its campaign this year, in addition to the money spent on State work.

The annual meeting was held in Orange, Nov. 27, 1896. A vote of thanks was tendered Miss Jane Campbell of Philadelphia for her generous gift of 300 copies of "Woman's Progress" containing an account of suffrage in New Jersey by Mrs. Hall.

The signatures to the pet.i.tion were increased to over 7,000 in 1897, and the Legislature pa.s.sed the resolution for the School Suffrage Amendment for the third time, in March. The a.s.sociation at once began active work to influence the voters. Meetings were held in halls, churches and parlors in all parts of the State and many articles were published explaining the scope of the amendment. The State Federation of Women's Clubs, the Granges, Working Girls' Societies, Daughters of Liberty, the Ladies of the G. A. R., the Junior Order of American Mechanics and other organizations gave cordial indors.e.m.e.nt. Mrs. Hall delivered three addresses on this subject before the State Federation of Clubs; Mrs. Emily E. Williamson, afterwards its president, also made a strong speech, urging the members to work for the amendment, and paid for 5,000 of the Appeals which were sent out. The W. C. T. U.

rendered every possible a.s.sistance in securing signers for the pet.i.tions and educating public sentiment.

During the summer an extensive correspondence was carried on with prominent people including the State board of education, State, county and city superintendents of public instruction, etc. They were asked to sign An Appeal to the Friends of Education which clearly set forth the advantages of the proposed amendment. Having obtained the one hundred influential signatures desired the doc.u.ment was widely distributed to the press. Copies were sent to many organizations of men and women, and also to the clergy, with the request that they would use their influence with their congregations. A number did so, but probably many were afraid to speak on this subject lest they injure the chances of the Anti-Gambling Amendment to the const.i.tution, which was to be voted on at the same time. The school authorities strongly indorsed the amendment and related the benefit which School Suffrage for women had been within their experience. Extracts from these letters, including one from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Hon. Charles J. Baxter, thanking the a.s.sociation for work in its behalf, were widely published.

The Republican State Executive Committee and some county committees indorsed the amendment. Efforts were made to have it presented at the many meetings which were held in behalf of the Anti-Race Track Amendment, but they were not always successful. Through an unavoidable circ.u.mstance the press work fell princ.i.p.ally on the president. The corresponding secretary, Dr. Hussey, gave an immense amount of labor, devoting the whole summer to the work of the campaign. Mrs. Angell rendered most efficient service, a part of it the sending of a letter to nearly every minister in the State. Mrs. L. H. Rowan was chairman of the finance committee but so sure were the friends of success that only $150 were expended.

The special election was held Sept. 28, 1897, and the result was a great disappointment. The School Suffrage Amendment, to which it was generally supposed there would be practically no opposition, was defeated--65,021 ayes, 75,170 noes. The adverse vote came almost entirely from the cities where the actual experiment never had been made. The country districts, where women had exercised School Suffrage, understood its workings and voted for the amendment. The Germans in particular opposed it, and it was said that they and many other voters understood it to give complete suffrage to women. As it was printed in full on the ballot itself, the carelessness and indifference of the average voter were thus made painfully apparent.

The labor was not altogether wasted, however, as through it the people were brought to understand that women still had a partial vote at school meetings. (See Suffrage.) For instance the women of Cranford, where a new schoolhouse was badly needed, were told by their town counsel that they had lost the ballot, but the president of the suffrage a.s.sociation informed them of the error of this learned gentleman, and they came out and voted, the campaign being conducted by the Village Improvement a.s.sociation, a club composed of women. The majority in favor of the new schoolhouse was only seven. The opposition called a second meeting and reversed this decision. The women circulated pet.i.tions and compelled the school board to call a third meeting where they won the day. It was voted to erect one new building to cost $24,700 and another on the south side to cost nearly $11,000.

This same year, in South Orange, two unsuccessful attempts were made to get an appropriation to build a much-needed High School. The men finally decided to call upon the women for help. Nearly 500 attended the meeting, and the $25,000 appropriation was carried by an overwhelming majority. The school at Westfield and two new High School buildings at Asbury Park and Atlantic Highlands were built because of the women's vote. Manual training was introduced into the Vineland schools through the zeal of women. A report from Moorestown says: "The year that women first began to vote at school meetings marks a decided revival of intelligent interest in our public schools." In Scotch Plains, where the meetings were held in the public school building, a holiday afterwards had always been necessary in order to clean it.

With the advent of the feminine voters, expectoration and peanut sh.e.l.ls ceased to decorate the floors, and the children were able to attend school the next day as usual. The Women's Educational a.s.sociation introduced manual training into the public schools of East Orange.[369]

A number of meetings of the State a.s.sociation were held during 1897, and among the speakers were Mrs. Mary C. C. Bradford and Mrs. Ellis Meredith of Colorado, Mrs. Celia B. Whitehead and Miss Laura E.

Holmes. The annual convention took place at Wissner Hall, Newark, November 30.

Three State meetings were held in 1898, the conference of the National Board co-operating with the State a.s.sociation, taking the place of the convention. This was held May 6, 7, at Orange, and was the strong feature of the year. Through the efforts of the local committee, Mrs.

Minola Graham s.e.xton, chairman, a large attendance was secured. Among the speakers were the Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, vice-president-at-large of the National a.s.sociation, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, Mrs. Mariana W.

Chapman, president of the New York State a.s.sociation, and a number of State women. New Jersey contributed this year $648 to the Organization Committee of the National, most of which went to the Oklahoma campaign. The largest contributions were from Mrs. Cornelia C. Hussey, $450; Moorestown League (Miss S. W. Lippincott) $50; collections at Orange, $41; Ess.e.x County, $40; Mrs. A. Van Winkle, $20.

The annual meeting was held at Camden, Nov. 29, 1898. Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery, corresponding secretary of the National a.s.sociation, and Miss Jane Campbell, president of the Philadelphia county a.s.sociation, were the afternoon speakers, Mrs. Bradford making the princ.i.p.al address of the evening. The New Jersey Legal Aid a.s.sociation was formed this year in Newark, Dr. Hussey taking an active part. The first president was Miss Cecilia Gaines, who was succeeded by Mrs.

Stewart Hartshorn. Its object is to give legal a.s.sistance to those unable to pay for it, and especially to women. All its officers are women, and a woman attorney is employed. Up to the present time (1901) it has had applications from 700 persons.

Two meetings of the State a.s.sociation were held in 1899. A contribution of $220 was made to the National Organization Committee.

At the annual meeting, held November 28, at Jersey City, Major Z. K.

Pangborn, editor of the _Journal_, made an address at the evening session. The princ.i.p.al speaker was Mrs. Percy Widdrington of London, who gave an account of woman suffrage and its good practical results in England.

Resolutions of deep regret for the death of Aaron M. Powell, editor of _The Philanthropist_, were adopted.

The State a.s.sociation held two meetings during 1900, and did a great deal of work in preparation for the National Suffrage Bazar. Dr.

Hussey was made chairman of the Bazar Committee, while Mrs. s.e.xton arranged the ten musical entertainments which were given during the Bazar. The tenth annual convention was held at Moorestown, November 13, 14. There was a large attendance, including many men. The new national president, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, was the princ.i.p.al speaker. Others were Mrs. Lucretia L. Blankenburg, president of the Pennsylvania a.s.sociation; Mrs. Mary V. Grice, president of the State Congress of Mothers; Mrs. Catharine B. Lippincott, representing the Grange, and Mrs. Hall, who spoke on the American Woman in the American Home.