he widow of the eminent
Concepcion Calderon, a successful business woman, owning a fish
farm and an embroidery enterprise. Others were Mrs. Feodore
Kalon, Miss Almeda and Miss Pazlegaspi, the last two practicing
lawyers. Only one man appeared in the negative. The president of
the Senate, the Hon. Manuel L. Quezon, is in favor of woman
suffrage.

Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison recommended to the
Legislature to give the suffrage to women, as it has the power to do.
A bill was introduced and passed the Senate almost unanimously Dec. 7,
1919, but it was not acted upon by the House. As the Constitution of
the United States is not in force in the Philippines the women were
not enfranchised by the Federal Suffrage Amendment in 1920 but must
await the action of their own Legislature.

PORTO RICO.

After Porto Rico came under the control of the United States as a
result of the Spanish-American war in 1898 its political status was
undetermined for a long time. Shortly before that war Spain had
granted universal suffrage to all its men over 21. Congress confirmed
this privilege as to the affairs of the island but they had no voting
rights in those of the United States. After a few years the more
progressive of the people began asking for the status of a Territory
with their own Legislature. This agitation was continued for sixteen
years before Congress took action and agreed on a bill which would
admit the islanders to citizenship. As usual the chief difficulty was
over the suffrage. There was a desire to have a slight educational and
a small property qualification but as a large majority of the men
were illiterate and without property this aroused a protest, which was
supported by the American Federation of Labor. On May 22, 1916, while
the Porto Rican bill was under consideration in Committee of the Whole
in the Lower House of Congress, the Republican floor leader, James R.
Mann (Ills.), discovered that a majority of those present were
Republicans and suffragists. He therefore proposed a clause giving the
franchise to the women, which was passed by 60 to 37. He expected to
put the Democrats in the position of voting it down the next day in
regular session but when it came up Republicans joined with Democrats
in defeating it by 80 noes to 59 ayes.

Finally when, under pressure, the committee was obliged to put in
universal suffrage for the great mass of illiterate men, even the most