Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-01
1.-THE Downtrodden
English Woman
In Great Britain, He Says, Women
Possess Political Power Far Greater
Than That Possessed in Any P art
Of America, Other Than the Nine
Woman Suffrage States and Illinois.
By REV. CHARLES F. AKED. DID.
Written for The Atlantic Geor0iam

the election of District Counc5ts
both rural and urban; Parish
Councils, County Councils, Boards
OF Guardians, Town and City
Councils. Unmarried women may
be elected to these bodies; they
may sit as City Councillors or
County Councillors; they may be
Aldermen; they may be Mayors
of cities.
In London marriage does not
disdualify. How is this, as COM
pared with the SO States of the
American Union which have not
enfranchised their women?
One of the most efficient mem
bers of the City Council of Man
chester is Miss Margaret Ashton.
Where is the woman member of
the Atlanta Board of Aldermen
Women vote II they possess the
qualification which entities men
to vote. There is no such thing
as manhood suffrage in England.
There are some millions of Brit
1sh men who have no vote. There
are innumerable Qualifications"
but-asain broadly-what duaIf-
fes a man to vote Is the fact thaf
he is a householder-not the fact
that he is a male person Of adult
age. And British law does not al
low two votes for one "qualiflca-
tion;" that is to say. the same
tenancy can not entttle two per-
sons to vote. So, II the house is
in the name of the husband, he
has the vote. If It is In the name
Of the wife. she has it.
In Scotland ownership, as wen
as occupation, qualities. So that
a woman who owns a house
bringing in an annual rental OF
"a $500 In counties and g1o
($50) in cities is enfranchised for
all the purposes I have named.
just as a man is. Where is the
State in the Union, not having
vet enfranchised It's women.
which comedies so much?
Who Will Say "Yes?"
Women can not vote for the
election Of members of Parlia-
ment. 1t is for this, the Parlia-
mentary franchise, that they are
fighting. They might have been
voting to-day but for Mrs. Pank-
hurst and the militants. DR..
Anna Shaw regrets Mrs. Pank-
bursts visit to this country. be-
cause she believes that harm has
already been done by the violence
Of British nilitants to the cause
OF woman suffrage here. She be-
lieves that more and greater
harm may be done.
The niiitants began their WORK
more than seven years ago. What
have they gained? And what ara
they likely to gainf Mr.. T. v,
Lucas, in his "Nr. Ingleside," rep
resents member Of Parliament
as suggesting mildly that women
who "persecute and vilify ana
assault statesmen are not pro.
viding the best credentials an RS
sponsible electors" DR.. AIMS
Shaw is afraid that women here
who applaud them and find
money for them may impress
American men In the Same wa1
And this M. p, or Mr.. Lucas fos
him, puts the objection cieariys
TN my opinion-and you can
disregard it. for II is only the
opinion Of a man-they had been
waiting splendidly. and were 3ust
beginning to reap the harvest Of
their quiet efficiency and good
sense when the fruit was dashed
from their hands by the impa-
tient high spirits OF the younger
faction--the Maenad Malcontenta
shall call them7 know Of
mothers who for years have
steadily been proving their right
to vote, whose own daughters.
fresh from school, have ruined
their chances for years to come
And he wonders whether men,
after viewing the political aspi-
rations of women with suspicion
for all these centuries, will sud-
denly say:
We'll, they use dog-whips
across the faces OF our rulers
very handily; they worry and an
noy our Prime Minister with ex-
traordinsry persistence and skill,
and do their best to ruin his
health and nerves; they throw
stones with unexpected accuracy.
We are now satisfied. They shah
have the vote tomorrow; these
are exactly the kind Of people to
elect representatives wisely"
Do the American women who
are finding money for British
militants honestly believe this is
what American men will say in
the non suffrage States when
they are asked to vote Yes" on
a constitutional amendment?