The Doctor, shaking his head over Prop 1, travels back ninety-two years
The website Good As You has unearthed a fascinating piece of history. In September 1917 the voters in Maine went to the polls once more, this time to grant or deny women the right to vote. Some people apparently voted no even though they didn't understand what the vote was about.
The anti-suffrage crowd was out in force, stoking up support for their archaic and unfair opinions. The pro-suffrage crowd pointed out that there was no good reason not to give women the vote. Newspapers carried adverts calling for equal rights.
And the pro-suffrage side lost, by a far greater margin than the pro-gay side lost last week.
The pro-suffrage side vowed to continue fighting. Two years later, the voters of Maine ratified the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, and women gained the right to vote.
You can see some of the material at http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2009/11/maine-september-1917.html
The anti-suffrage crowd was out in force, stoking up support for their archaic and unfair opinions. The pro-suffrage crowd pointed out that there was no good reason not to give women the vote. Newspapers carried adverts calling for equal rights.
And the pro-suffrage side lost, by a far greater margin than the pro-gay side lost last week.
The pro-suffrage side vowed to continue fighting. Two years later, the voters of Maine ratified the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, and women gained the right to vote.
You can see some of the material at http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2009/11/maine-september-1917.html