“ The suffrage was still confined exclusively to males, although in 1916 the Women's Club had organized fifty-seven Mothers' Clubs for the welfare of infants; had secured through women lawyers legal aid for over thirty poor women ; had been instrumental in having 15,000 people make gardens to give variety to their fish and rice diet and done a vast amount of other valuable public work. The Act passed by large majorities, members voting for it who had persistently voted against the Federal Amendment to enfranchise the women of the United States. ”

“ This constitution gave the suffrage to every masculine citizen of whatever nationality- Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese who could read and write Eng- lish or Hawaiian, and it repeatedly used the word "male" to bar women from having a vote or holding an office. ”

“ Indian men have a vote if they have "severed tribal relations," which is interpreted to mean that if an Indian moves to a white man's town or lives on a creek or in a camp in such a way that the missions or the marshals think he has left his tribe, he can vote. Indian women have a vote if they marry white men who have a vote ”

“ As a result, Congress enacted the Bone Dry Prohibition law for the Territory Feb. 14, 1917. It is believed that about three-fourths of the qualified women vote but there is no means of knowing. The percentage of illiteracy among white women is negligible and the young native women taught at the Government and mission schools can read and write. IN THE TERRITORIES AND PHILIPPINES 715 The women of Alaska did their share in all kinds of war work, for conservation, bond drives, Red Cross and kindred activities. ”

“ The interest of Alaskan women in such public questions as affect women elsewhere is that of the spectator rather than of the worker. When legislation on housing and tenement laws, pro- tection of factory workers, prevention of child labor and like problems becomes necessary they will not be lacking in interest or energy. HAWAII. The Organic Act under which the Territories of the United States were created said that at the first election persons with specified qualifications should be entitled to vote and at subsequent elections such persons as the Territorial Legislature might desig- nate. ”

“ The Act limited the voters to "male persons 23 years of age or over," thus again putting up the barriers against women and including them in the list of the disqualified as listed "insane, feeble-minded, rebels and traitors." ”

“ They are guardians of their own chil- dren; married women may hold property; of that which accrues to a married couple, the wife is half administrator. These are vested rights and cannot be taken away. A short time ago the question of woman suffrage was introduced into the Legislature, not by the initiative of American women but urged by Madame Apacibile, wife of one of the government secre- taries. A petition signed by 18,000 women asking for a joint legis- lative hearing was sent to the law makers who granted it. ”

“ It declared the elective franchise extended to such women as had the qualifications required of male electors. The Alaska Code had permitted women to vote only at School elections. The new law gave them the privilege of voting for the officers in incorporated towns and cities ; for members of the Ter- ritorial Legislature and for Territorial Delegate to Congress. It is estimated that there is a white population of 30,000 of whom between 5,000 and 6,000 are women. Probably not 500 native women are voters. ”

“ She is very much given to trade and trafficking. If any rights and privi- leges are to be granted to the natives, do not give them to the men but to the women. Q. Then you think it would be much better to give the women the right to vote than the men? v A. O, much better. Why, even in the fields it is the women who do the work ; the men go to the cock fights and gamble. ”

“ All over the islands they are highly co when old they exercise full sway over the family and have the laM wrd in all financial matters. The married children still rlintf t<> the mother as adviser. I he vmintf marry , ”

“ They have the same opportunities in the professions as men, are successful physicians and lawyers and members of the Bar Asso- ciation. Laws made for them have combined the best of Spanish and American precedents. ”