The Vote of Massachusetts on Municipal Suffrage for Women at the 
 
 State Election, November 5, 1895. 
 
 OVER 100,000 MAJORITY AGAINST IT ON 
 
 THE PART OF THE MEN. 
 
 Every County and every Congressional, Councillor, Senatorial and Repre= 
 sentative District votes “ NO ” on the Proposition. 
 
 After twenty-five years of agitation by the suffragists, the question of municipal suffrage for women was 
 brought to a test at the State election, November 5, 1895. The voters were asked their opinion, and gave a 
 most emphatic reply. 
 
 Never was there so full an expression of opinion upon any question submitted to the people of 
 Massachusetts. The vote for governor at the State election was 328,121. The vote of the men upon municipal 
 woman suffrage at the same election was 273,946. Over 83 per cent of those voting for governor voted upon 
 this question, while in 1891 only 62 per cent of those voting for governor voted upon the constitutional amend- 
 ment abolishing the poll tax as a prerequisite for voting, and in 1896 only 72 per cent of those voting for gov- 
 ernor voted upon the constitutional amendment providing for biennial elections. 
 
 Never has any question submitted to the people of Massachusetts received so overwhelming 
 a defeat. The vote of the men was, “ No ” 186 , 976 , “ Yes” 86 , 970 , a “ No ” majority of 100 , 006 . The 
 vote in 1889 on the prohibition amendment to the constitution was, “No” 133,085, “Yes” 86,459, a “No” 
 majority of 46,626. The vote in 1896 on the biennial elections amendment was, “No” 161,263, “Yes” 
 115,505, a “ No ” majority of 45,758. So that the majority against woman suffrage in Massachusetts is more than 
 twice as great as that against either prohibition or biennial elections. 
 
 The vote of the women on the suffrage question, “Yes ” 22,204, “No ” 861, is as significant as that of 
 the men. By the census of 1895 the number of men in Massachusetts qualified to register and vote was 
 560,802. The number of women qualified to register and vote on this question was at least 575,000. Of these 
 more than 550,000 declined to vote, and less than four in a hundred voted “ Yes.” In other words, more than 
 96 per cent of the women of the Commonwealth either prefer the present status of the suffrage or are wholly 
 indifferent in the matter. 
 
 In 48 towns not one woman voted “Yes,” and in 137 other towns the women voting “Yes ” numbered 
 fifteen or less. As the vast majority of the women opposed to the suffrage expressed their opinion by refusing 
 to vote, the women’s vote, for purposes of tabulation, has little value. In the following statement of votes, there- 
 fore, the votes of the men alone are considered. 
 
 Massachusetts, at the time of the election, had 31 cities and 322 towns. Of the 31 cities, every one cast 
 a large majority against woman suffrage. The vote of the cities was, “No ” 120,657, “Yes” 53,982, a “No” 
 majority of 66,675. Many people have thought that the vote against woman suffrage was disproportionately 
 heavy in the cities, but this is not so. The vote of the 322 towns was, “ No ” 66,319, “ Yes ” 32,988, a “No ” 
 majority of 33,331. The cities of Massachusetts contain two-thirds of the population of the State, and, in an 
 even distribution of sentiment, should therefore contribute two-thirds of the “No ” majority. That is just what 
 they did, and the closeness of the figures to an exact two-thirds is remarkable. Of the 322 towns, 293 voted 
 “No,” 28 voted “Yes,” and i was a tie. The 28 towns voting “Yes” were among the very smallest in the 
 State, their vote averaging only “ Yes ” 51, “ No ” 42. 
 
 Every County and every Congressional, Councillor, Senatorial and Representative district in 
 the Commonwealth cast a majority against the proposition. 
 
 Issued by the Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women, 
 
 Pamphlets and leaflets may be obtained from the Secretary, 
 
 Room 615, 
 
 Kensington Building, 
 
 687 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass.