ally exclude women and in 1882 Dr. Aletta Jacobs, the
first woman physician, who had been studying in England and met the
suffrage leaders, applied to be registered for an election. This was
refused and she carried the case through the highest court with a
decision against her. It was in effect that by the letter of the law
she was eligible but the spirit of the law intended to exclude women.
In 1885 a new constitution was made which definitely excluded women
but made a further extension of the suffrage to men, who had not
asked for it. It required a long, hard effort to organize for woman
suffrage, as there was almost no sentiment for it, but on Feb. 5,
1894, the Vereeniging voor Vrouwenkiesrecht was formed of women in
different places with Mrs. Versluys-Poelman, president. She held the
office eight years and then Dr. Jacobs, who had been president of the
Amsterdam branch during this time, was elected and served till the
contest was finished in 1918. It is to Dr. Jacobs this chapter is
indebted for the information it contains. This was the only
association of a national character until 1908, when the Bond voor
Vrouwenkiesrecht came into existence. When the work ended it had 80
branches and about 10,000 members. The former had 160 branches and
over 25,000 members and reorganized in the Netherlands Society of
Women Citizens to work for the legal and economic equality of women.

At first the press was hostile, all political parties were opposed
except a small group of Constitutional Democrats and no member of
Parliament would introduce the question. The work had to begin from
the bottom with personal interviews with the members, watching the
bills relating to women and children, showing the need of women's
influence, etc. In 1904 Dr. Jacobs, Misses Johanna W. A. Naber and E.
L. van Dorp, Mrs. von Loenen de Bordes, Mrs. Rutgers Hoitsema and Mrs.
Hengeveld Garritson were present at the organization of the
International Woman Suffrage Alliance in Berlin, as was Miss Martina
Kramers, who was elected Secretary, and the Dutch national association
became auxiliary. From that time it went into direct political work,
in 1905 presenting to the Queen and the Prime Minister its request
that in a proposed revision of the constitution the words men and
women be used after citizens. The Commission that drafted it in 1907
recommended suffrage and eligibility for women. The association,
expecting a campaign, had invited the International