Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/808

 79 2 HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE In the autumn of 1919 the National Union for Woman Suf- frage held a convention in Erfurt and by unanimous vote dis- solved, considering that its work had been accomplished. The members then devoted their efforts to abolishing the many legal, civil and social discriminations against women. AUSTRIA. The situation in Austria was much the same as in Germany except that from a very early date women taxpayers had some small franchise rights, but in 1906, when by a peaceful revolution men secured universal suffrage for themselves, the new constitu- tion took even those away from women which they had. Al- though large numbers of women had stood shoulder to shoulder with the Progressives and Social Democrats in their struggle for suffrage, when the latter succeeded in getting control of both branches of the Parliament they refused to grant any voting rights to women. The Austrian Government had never allowed women to attend political meetings or form suffrage societies. It was not until 1905 that they dared even to form a Woman Suffrage Com- mittee and while the men were demanding their own rights it sent a petition to the Parliament that these should be granted to women also. In 1907, after the new regime was under way, they sent another petition signed by 4,000 men and women asking for the repeal of the above obnoxious law. It was refused and the Supreme Court sustained the refusal. The women did not relax their efforts. Mass meetings were held in Vienna and the provincial capitals under the auspices of the Woman Suffrage Committee and other committees were formed. They published a monthly paper and many of the news- papers took up their cause. In 1910 they sent a deputation to the Premier and Minister of Internal Affairs, which was sympathetic- ally received, and the latter said that not only ought the law to be repealed but women should have the Municipal franchise. A Socialist Deputy brought the matter of the law before the Consti- tutional Committee, which reported it to the Chamber, where the sentiment was almost unanimous for its repeal. It went to the Upper House but before it could be sanctioned the Parliament