First place must be given to the Grand Duchy of Finland, far more
advanced than any other part of the empire. In 1905, by permission of
the Czar, after a wonderful uprising of the people, they reorganized
their Government and combined the four antiquated chambers of their
Diet into one body. The next year, on demand of thousands of women,
expressed by petitions and public meetings, this new Parliament, almost
without a dissenting voice, conferred the full suffrage on all women.
Since that time from 16 to 25 have been elected to the different
Parliaments by all the political parties.
In Russia women as well as men are struggling for political freedom. In
many of the villages wives cast the votes for their husbands when the
latter are away; women have some suffrage for the zemstvos, local
governing bodies; the Duma has tried to enlarge their franchise rights,
but at present these are submerged in the general chaos.
In Poland an active League for Woman's Rights is cooperating with the
Democratic party of men.
A very strong movement for woman suffrage is proceeding against great
difficulties in the seventeen provinces of Austria, where almost as
many languages are spoken and the bitterest racial feuds exist. Women
are not allowed to form political associations or hold public meetings,
but 4,000 have paraded the streets of Vienna demanding the suffrage. In
Bohemia since 1864 women have had a vote for members of the Diet and
are eligible to sit in it. In all the municipalities outside of Prague
and Liberic, women taxpayers and those of the learned professions may
vote by proxy. Women belong to all the political parties except the
Conservative and constitute 40 per cent, of the Agrarian party. They
are well organized to secure the full suffrage and are holding hundreds
of meetings and distributing thousands of pamphlets. In Bosnia and
Herzegovina women property-owners vote by proxy.
In Hungary the National Woman Suffrage Association includes many
societies having other aims also, and it has branches in 87 towns and
cities, combining all classes of women from the aristocracy to the
peasants. Men are in a turmoil there to secure universal suffrage for
themselves and women are with them in the thick of the fight.
Bulgaria has a Woman Suffrage Association composed of 37 auxiliaries
and it held 456 meetings during the past year.
In Servia women have a fragmentary local vote and are now organizing to
claim the parliamentary franchise.
In Germany it was not until 1908 that the law was changed which forbade
women to take part in political meetings, and since then the Woman
Suffrage Societies, which existed only in the Free Cities, have
multiplied rapidly. Most of them are concentrating on the municipal
franchise, which those of Prussia claim already belongs to them by an
ancient law. In a number of the States women landowners have a proxy
vote in communal matters, but have seldom availed themselves of it. In
Silesia this year, to the amazement of everybody, 2,000 exercised this
privilege. The powerful Social Democratic party stands solidly for
enfranchising women.
A few years ago when the Liberal party in Holland was in power it
prepared to revise the constitution and make woman suffrage one of its
provisions. In 1907 the Conservatives carried the election and blocked
all further progress. Two active Suffrage Associations approximate a
membership of 8,000, with nearly 200 branches, and are building up
public sentiment.
Belgium in 1910 gave women a vote for members of the Board of Trade, an
important tribunal, and made them eligible to serve on it. A Woman
Suffrage Society is making considerable progress.
Switzerland has had a Woman Suffrage Association only a few years.
Geneva and Zurich in 1911 made women eligible to their boards of trade
with a vote for its members, and Geneva gave them a vote in all matters
connected with the State Church.
Italy has a well-supported movement for woman suffrage, and a
discussion in Parliament showed a strong sentiment in favor. Mayor
Nathan, of Rome, is an outspoken advocate. In 1910 all women in trade
were made voters for boards of trade.
The woman-suffrage movement in France differs from that of most other
countries in the number of prominent men in politics connected with it.
President Fallieres loses no opportunity to speak in favor and leading
members of the ministry and the Parliament approve it. Committees have
several times reported a bill, and that of M. Dussaussoy giving all
women a vote for Municipal, District, and General Councils was reported
with full parliamentary suffrage added. In 1910, 163 members asked to
have the bill taken up. Finally it was decided to have a committee
investigate the practical working of woman suffrage in the countries
where it existed. Its extensive and very favorable report has just been
published, and the Woman Suffrage Association states that it expects
early action by Parliament. More than one-third of the wage-earners of
France are women, and these may vote for tribunes and chambers of
commerce and boards of trade. They may be members of the last named and
serve as judges.
The constitution of the new Republic of Portugal gave "universal"
suffrage, and Dr. Beatrice Angelo applied for registration, which was
refused. She carried her case to the courts, her demand was sustained,
and she cast her vote. It was too late for other women to register, but
an organization of 1,000 women was at once formed to secure definite
action of Parliament, with the approval of President Braga and several
members of his cabinet.
The Spanish Chamber has proposed to give women heads of families in the
villages a vote for mayor and council.
A bill to give suffrage to women was recently introduced in the
Parliament of Persia, but was ruled out of order by the president
because the Koran says women have no souls.
Siam has lately adopted a constitution which gives women a municipal
vote.
The leaders of the revolution in China have promised suffrage for women
if it is successful.
Several women voted in place of their husbands at the recent election
in Mexico. Belize, the capital of British Honduras, has just given the
right to women to vote for town council.
Throughout the entire world is an unmistakable tendency to accord woman
a voice in the government, and, strange to say, this is stronger in
monarchies than in republics. In Europe the republics of France and
Switzerland give almost no suffrage to women. Norway and Finland, where
they have the complete franchise; Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Great
Britain, where they have all but the parliamentary, and that close at
hand, are monarchies. New Zealand and Australia, where women are fully
enfranchised, are dependencies of a monarchical government.