Parliament and some of the cabinet, and it is not impossible that after all these years of oppression the women of Ireland may be fully enfranchised before those of England, Scotland, and Wales.

In the Isle of Man women property owners have had the full suffrage since 1881, and women rate- or rent-payers, since 1892.

English Colonies

The Parliament of New Zealand gave school suffrage to women in 1877, municipal in 1886, and parliamentary in 1893. It was the first country in the world to grant the complete universal franchise to women.

The six states of Australia had municipal suffrage for women from the early days of their self-government. South Australia gave them the right to vote for its state parliament, or legislature, in 1894, and West Australia took similar action in 1899. The States federated in a Commonwealth in 1902 and almost the first act of its national parliament was to give the suffrage for its members to all women and make them eligible to membership. New South Wales immediately conferred state suffrage on women, and was soon followed by Tasmania and Queensland. Victoria yielded in 1909. Women of Australia have now exactly the same franchise rights as men.

In all the provinces of Canada for the last twenty years widows and spinsters who are rate-payers or property owners have had the school or municipal suffrage, in some instances both, and in a few this right is given to married women. There has been some effort to have this extended to state and federal suffrage, but with little force except in Toronto, where in 1909 a thousand women stormed the .House of Parliament, with a petition signed by 100,000

names.

When the South African Union was formed its constitution took away from women tax-payers the fragmentary vote they possessed. Petitions to give them the complete suffrage, signed by 4000 men and women, were ignored.

Franchise leagues are working in Cape Colony, Natal, and the Transvaal, and their efforts are supported by General Botha, the premier; General Smuts, Minister of the Interior; Mr. Cronwright, husband of Olive Schreiner, and other members of Parliament, but the great preponderance of Boer women over English will prevent this English controlled body from enfranchising women in the near future.

There are cities in India where women property owners have a vote in municipal affairs.

Scandinavia

Parliament of Norway in 1901 granted municipal suffrage to all women who in the country districts pay taxes on an income of 300 crowns (about $75), and in the cities on one of 400 crowns; and they were made eligible to serve on councils and grand and petit juries. After strenuous effort on the part of women the Parliament of 1907, by a vote of 96 to 23, conferred the complete franchise on all who possessed the municipal. This included about 300,000 of the halfmillion women. They were made eligible for Parliament, and at the first election in 1909 one was elected as alternate or deputy, and last year took her seat with a most enthusiastic welcome from the other members. In 1910, by a vote of 71 to 10, the tax-paying qualification for the municipal vote was removed. In 1911, a bill to abolish it for the full suffrage was carried by a large majority in Parliament, but lacked five votes of the necessary two-thirds. It will pass next year. More than twice as many women as voted in 1907 went to the polls in 1910 at the municipal elections. Last year 178 women were elected to city councils, nine to that of Christiania. This year 210 were elected and 379 alternates to fill vacancies that may occur.

Sweden gave municipal suffrage to tax-paying widows and spinsters in 1862. At that time and for many years afterward not one-tenth of the men had a vote. Then came the rise of the Liberal party and the Social Democracy, and by 1909 the new franchise law had been enacted, which immensely increased the number of men voters, extended the

municipal suffrage to wives, greatly reduced the tax qualification, and made women eligible to all offices for which they could vote. At the last election 37 were elected to the councils of 34 towns, II in the five largest. The Woman suffrage association is said to be the best organized body in the country, its branches extending beyond the Arctic Circle. It has over 12,000 paid members and has held 1550 meetings within a year. In 1909 a bill to extend the full suffrage to women passed the second chamber of the Parliament unanimously, but was defeated by four to one in the first chamber representing the aristocracy. This year the Suffrage association made a strong campaign for the Liberal and Social Democratic parties, and a large majority of their candidates were elected. The Conservative cabinet was deposed and the King has called for a new election of the first chamber. As its members are chosen by the provincial councils and those of the five largest cities, and women have a vote for these bodies and are members of them, they will greatly reduce the number of Conservative members of the upper house. On the final passage of a suffrage bill the two chambers must vote jointly and it seems assured of a majority. It looks as if Sweden would be the next country to enfranchise women.

Denmark may claim this honor. Her Parliament in 1908 gave the municipal suffrage to women on the same terms as exercised by men—that is, to all over 25 years of age who pay any taxes. Property owned by husband or wife or in common entitles each to a vote. At the first election 68 per cent of all the enfranchised women in the country, and 70 per cent in Copenhagen, voted. Seven were elected to the city council of 42 members and one was afterward appointed to fill a vacancy, and 127 were elected in other places. Women serve on all committees and are chairmen of important ones; two are city treasurers. There are two suffrage associations whose combined membership makes the organization of that country in proportion to population the largest of the kind in the world. They have 314 local branches and one of the associations has held 1100 meetings during the

past year. The Lower House of Parliament has passed a bill to give women the complete franchise, which has not been acted on by the Upper House, composed mainly of the aristocracy. The Prime Minister and the Speakers of both houses are outspoken in advocacy of enfranchising women, but political considerations are holding it back. All say, however, that it will come in the near future.

Iceland, a dependency of Denmark, with its own Parliament, gave municipal suffrage in 1882 to all widows and spinsters who were householders or maintained a family, or were self-supporting. In 1902 it made these voters eligible to all municipal offices, and since then a fourth of the council members of Reykjavik, the capital, have been women. In 1909 this franchise was extended to all those who pay taxes. A petition signed by a large majority of all the women in Iceland asked for the complete suffrage, and during the present year the Parliament voted to give this to all women over 25 years old. It must be acted upon by a second Parliament, but its passage is assured, and Icelandic women will vote on the same terms as men in 1913.

Russia and Her Dependencies

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 coöperating with the Democratic party of men.

Austria-Hungary and the Balkans

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 4000 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. The International woman suffrage alliance will meet in Budapest in 1913.

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.

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