A surprise was sprung at the Meeting of the Sub committee on a new city charter at its meeting last night. In the presence of a committee of three prominent ladies who presented a plea for woman’s right of suffrage in municipal affairs under the proposed new charter.

The full membership was present and the meeting was presided over by Col. J. A. Miller. The committee of ladies consisted of Dr. Hattie Jones, Mrs. George K. Wheat and Mrs. G. E. Boyd, who presented their petition.

Mrs. G. E. Boyd, chairman of the ladies committee, stated the object of their visit in an address which was listened to throughout with a great deal of interest and attention. She spoke as follows:

“Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:—We come before you to-night representing the Political Equality club, of Wheeling, to ask of your committee the insertion of a clause in the new charter, giving the right of suffrage to the women of the city in all municipal elections. We ask it in the name of “justice,” and in the same spirit as our forefathers and mothers displayed when they rebelled against England’s unjust treatment of them without representation. The women of this city who to-day pay an enormous part of the taxes of the city, have been taxed since its incorporation without being able by the ballot, to say what the amount of that tax shall be, how raised and how spent when raised: when the most callow youths, the colored man, the man who cannot even read or write his own name, the city bum, almost idiotic from drink, has a say in our taxation, and what is even more, the good government of the city, which is as vital to the well being of our women as of our men, since women are emphatically home-keepers and closely concerned with those municipal questions which affects the interest of the family and home.

“The women of our city are already in the front rank of all movements educational, reformatory and charitable, and it is only just to afford them the means of expressing their opinions and expressing their influence by the ballot.

“A large increase will be given to the city treasury by the poll-tax of the women if you grant our request. In asking, we ask no new or unheard of thing, over fifty years ago, in 1845, our neighboring state, southern Kentucky, gave widows the school suffrage, as Ohio, just across the river from us, did a year or so ago, to all her women.

“At the present time in twenty-eight states of this country women have some form of suffrage, principally school suffrage. In Colorado and Wyoming and Utah, three states of the union, women have municipal suffrage through the whole state. In Delaware women vote in several municipalities. In Montana they vote on all local taxation. In New York state in many places they vote on local improvements such as gas and electric street lighting, paving, sewerage, municipal, bond, etc. Leaving this country (supposed to be the freest on earth, and its men the best, most generous and chivalrous toward women), we find that in England since 1869 women have had municipal suffrage, and vote for all elective offices except members of parliament. In Scotland, it is about the same. In Ireland, the city of Belfast has municipal suffrage for women, and through Ireland in different parts women exercise various forms of suffrage. In Canada, its provinces of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick give women municipal suffrage.

“In India, all women exercise the right of municipal suffrage. In France women teachers elect women members of the board of education. In Sweden and Norway women vote the same as men, though there is a property qualification for both, here in a kingdom not a free republic, taxation without representation is unknown.

“In imperial Russia all women head of households vote. In Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, women vote by proxy for all executive offices. In Cro[a]tia and Dalmatia in all local elections. In Italy, widows vote for members of parliament. In Finland for all elective offices.

In Cape Colony, held by Great Britain, the most southern part of Africa, women have municipal suffrage. In Iceland, the Pitcairn Islands, Australia, and New Zealand, women have full suffrage.

“We ask that you gentlemen members of this committee, do for the women of your city what has been done by the men of so many foreign countries for their countrywomen. And not have us feel that the men of our state will be the last, if they have not been the first in our country, by conferring on the women of West Virginia in this city what our forefathers gave to the nation—the right of self-government.”

At the conclusion of Mrs. Boyd’s address, Mrs. George K. Wheat and Dr. Hattie Jones addressed the committee on the same subject, and made forcible pleas for the cause the committee represented. Mrs. Boyd argued that the charter should be arranged so as to give the women the right of suffrage which they deserved. She cited instances where the United States supreme court has decided that women are citizens and that the action of various western states giving them the right to vote is constitutional. “In this respect as in others,” said Mrs. Boyd, “the constitution of West Virginia, if it prohibits you from granting to the ladies of Wheeling the right of suffrage, is unconstitutional,” and the gentlemen present gallantly agreed with her.

The ladies then retired, asking that their petition be given due consideration. Nothing was done in connection with it at last night’s meeting, but the matter was laid on the table pending an investigation of the law on the question by Attorney Erskine.