THE POLITICAL PROGRESS OF WOMEN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 323, 9 October 1908, Page 3

THE POLITICAL PROGRESS OF WOMEN.

The report of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, recently held at Amsterdam, is a remarkable document, showing as it' does the almost incredible , progress, of women in the political arena of every country (says Miss Vida Goldstein in an Australian jiaper); < ? When in February, 1902,, the first deliiiite" move to form' an'internatio'rial woman suffrage organisation was made in Washington. D.C., the ''organisers scarcely expected their efforts to produce in such a short period of time such rich results as the Amsterdam congress disclosed. Tho Amsterdam congress, which met in June of this year, received delegates from tho following 21 countries Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bohemia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Franco, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Airica;, Sweden, Switzerland,' United States, and' teported_ a membership-of 16 national suffrage societies and the woman suffrage committees of 'Austria and Bohemia,' where the law forbids tho formation of woman suffrage societies; Tho congress';was: held :in the great - concert, hall of Amsterdam. The back of the'stage was draped'with-the flags of the 21 nations represented, those of Australia, "Finland, and Norway being conspicuously displayed in the centre, so-that particular honour might be dono to tho full suffrage, countries. The proceedings'were opened with an address'of welcome by tlie' president of the Dutch-Woman 'Suffrage Association, Dr. Aletta Jacobs, - who, referring l specially to the co-operation of 'Australasian women, said:—"Still more appreciation is; due'to our Australian and New Zealand sisters,! who have not hesitated to coine from thevantipodes', 'and'this only to help the women of. the less favoured countries to attain the position in.the:state which they, themselves already occupy. ' This action shows-a generous feeling of solidarity, and by the mariner in which the women of their country use the ballot they facilitate, more than they can-imagine, the work of their sisters in the Old World."