Women -- Massachusetts; Women -- Suffrage -- United States; Women's Anti-Suffrage Association of Massachusetts
The little book entitled "Woman Suffrage, History, Arguments, Results,"
tells all about the suffrage states and gives the good laws that have
been enacted since women voted. It gives the impression that none such
are passed in male suffrage States. It has just two words about
Massachusetts; under the heading of "School Suffrage," it says,
"Massachusetts--1879." Under California, however, it gives a list of the
following laws and institutions:
Mothers' Pensions.
Minimum Wage.
Juvenile Court.
State Training School for Girls.
Teachers' Pension.
Weights and Measures.
Civil Service.
State Housing Commission.
Milk Inspection.
Tuberculosis.
Workingmen's Compensation
Psychopathic Parole.
But it carefully omits to mention that Massachusetts has all of these,
that some of them are much broader in scope, and that many are of longer
years standing.
You go into the Western States, and you find that legislation is
conducted on a different basis from what it is in Massachusetts.
Altogether too frequently, bills are pigeon-holed; the bills can't be
reported out of committee unless the chairman consents; and the result
is that many bills never see the light. Here in Massachusetts
law-making is better managed. The number of bills presented is large;
3,459 were printed during the session of 1914, and 2,802 were printed
during the last session. Some of these were offered by women. A woman,
as well as a man, can petition the Legislature. Every bill is referred
to a committee; it is given a public hearing, is reported upon and
action taken, one way or another; not one bill is pigeon-holed. The
Massachusetts system of legislative procedure is not surpassed anywhere
in the United States, and there are competent boards and officers who
carry out the various laws. Many of the things the suffragists agitate
about and think they need the franchise to bring to pass, they would
find are already being administered at the present time if they would
only look into the facts.
V
HOW MASSACHUSETTS FOSTERS PUBLIC WELFARE
MONICA FOLEY
_Miss Monica Foley, was educated in the Boston schools, graduating
from the Boston Academy of Notre Dame; is a member of the
Massachusetts Bar and Secretary of the Massachusetts Association
of Women Lawyers. She is a director of the Notre Dame Alumni
Association of Boston, and is connected with the State Commission
on Economy and Efficiency._
_J. A. H._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account