Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 151, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 June 1910 — WOMEN VOTERS IN NORWAY. [ARTICLE]

WOMEN VOTERS IN NORWAY.

One Woman Klected Substitute Deputy to Preaent Parliament. In Norway every parliament lasts for three years and no ministerial crisis or vote of want of confidence can end its life before the appointed term. Nor is its peaceful tenor even broken by the ripple of a by-election, owing to the prevailing system of “understudies.” For every deputy there Is at the same time elected a substitute, who takes his place In case of death or illness or retirement or any other cause. That is why the women of Norway, though the franchise was granted them in the summer of 1907, had to wait till the end of 1909 for an opportunity of exercising it. Before the vote was given to women Norway had -manhood suffrage, and therefore the mere removal of the sex disqualification would have at once resulted in adult suffrage with a slight preponderance of the female vote. A way out of this difficulty had t.o be found, and this was done by conferring the vote on those who already had the municipal franchise, 1. e., women over 25, whether married or single, who pay taxes to the amount of 400 kroner (about $110) in towns and 300 kroner (aboflt $80) in country districts, about 300,000 In all. A significant number, for there had been 300,000 names affixed to the document by which the women of Norway expressed their adhesion to the resolution of June 7, 1905, which decided the separation of Norway from Sweden. Indignant at being excluded from the plebiscite which was to decide the question of their nationality, the women collected signatures to a document of their own. According to the queen this action of the suffragists enlightened the country and achieved their enfranchisement. , * The act of registering a vote was no novelty to the women of Norway. They had been school board electors since 1889, and in 1901 they obtained the municipal suffrage and right to election. At the next election ninety women were chosen as councillors and 160 as substitutes. In a country where they practice at the bar, serve on Juries and are eligible for nearly all state appointments the conferring of

the parliamentary vote simply marked* their entrance on an .inheritance long overdue. If Norwegian women were of one mind in desiring the votes, diversity appeared as soon as It had to be exercised. As ln Finland, New Zealand and Australia, they voted loyally with their parties. Of these there are three In Norway—the liberal-conserva-tive alliance (who might be described’ as antl-soclallst liberals), the radicals, and social democrats. As far as can be ascertained, the number of women voting for the first was 74,000, for the second 40,000, for the third 30,000. A* every elector Is alsfi eligible, there was not a little speculation as to whether Norway would follow the example of Finland, where the woman deputy appeared simultaneously with the woman voter, or of Australia, where women may sit in the federal parliament, but hitherto the electorate has preferred to put its trußt in men. Among the women candidates who went to .the poll there were three for the office of deputy. Of these Froken Gina Krog, one of the leading suffrage workers, stood as a radical. She" polled only 863 votes, as against 9,038 for the conservative. Fru Martha Tynaes, a socialist, polled 2,521 against her opponent’s 5,141, and at a second ballot in Tromso another socialist woman received 264 votes as against 380 given to the conservative. Of the candidates for the place of substitute, one actually secured a majority, Froken Anna Aogstad, who might be called a member for the teaching profession. She has been engaged in school work for thirty-six years, is chairman of the Christiania Teachers’ Association and its representative on the school board. And with all thfs professional *and public work she found time to help In organizing a new political party known as the progressive left. A capable teacher, a and many-sided woman, she is universally regarded as the right person t 9 inaugurate the era of the woman deputy in Norway. And it is by no means improbable that she will be called on to fill the more responsible position, since the deputy whom she would have to replace, General Bratlle, may, ln case of a change of ministry, be» summoned to a place in the cabinet. In that case, without further election, Froken Aogstad would take her place as full member of the storthing.