The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-03-23

The present Democratic incumbents
of office in Kentucky have abandoned
the high ground OF Just principle and
essential righteousness, even the COM
paratively high ground OF respect for
tradition and established custom, and
have resorted to the pitifully base plea
Of political expediency in their oppo-
sltion to woman suffrage. Il Is scarce
~ Just to say the Democratic party
has chosen expediency above principle,
but rather the present set Of office
holders who came into office by con-
nivance with special interests that
here and everywhere dread the re-
suits of the woman vote. Verify whom
the gods would destroy they first make
glad.
Belief In Party mistaken.
Family pride, church pride, pride OF
political party, is sensitive to reflection
upon the integrity of these factors that
enter into the warp and wool Of ones
being. Tho women born of genera
lions of Democrats are slow to be-
lieve that the men of their blood really
repudiate the principle of government
of the people, for the people, by the
people. the principle of majority rule
for the cheap, despicable tricks of par
ty expediency, by gag rule to keep a
certain set at the pie counter. They
decline TO believe that the men whom
they know and honor. that the great
mcorrupted and unterrifed rank and
file of Democrats wilfully strangle the
life out of democracy to keep office for
certain men. They distinguish between
great party founded on eternal
principle and a few Office holding OPP
portunists and time servers. They APP
peal from the betrayers to the party
itself
Senator's Conscience Wins.
State Senators who early in the ses-
sion of the General Assembly just
closed. announced their intention OF
voting against submitting the suffrage
amendment on the ground of political
expedicncy. on March voted for the
amendment after caucus at which il
is reliably reported it was decided that
the submission of the amendment was
not politically inexpedient.
One Senator said the suffrage ques-
ton had given him more trouble than
all the other measures the General AS
sembly had been called upon to con-
slider. RE knew. he said that the en-
franchisement of women was in prin-
ciple right. that the state had no bet
ter, more useful and intelligent inhab-
itants than the women who had been
al Frankfort asking for the passage
of measures looking to the well-being
of the people of the state, that the
state was losing tremendous social
dynamic in shutting out of free par
ticipation in matters of government
its women but he wished to support
the administration. After few weeks
wrestling between conscience and eX-
pediency the Senator voted for the
amendment as his conscience dictated
The same struggle will take place in
many another man, often the enemy
Of enfraRchising women will be pre-
judice. and in the end conscience will
win.
One member of the Lower House
frankly said to the writer in the pres
ence OF his wife, who is a suffragist
that he favored submission of the
amendment but that he set out to sup
port the administration and for that
reason only voted against the amend.
ment.
Would Spill the Governors Beans.
Governor Stanley is quoted as hav-
ing said he could not allow the suf-
frage amendment TO pass, for st would
spill all my beans" If the Governor
bean bag has stood the strain put upon
it by his fetch-and-go-carrys in the
recent General Assembly, he has little
to fear from anything that might be-
fall it through the submission OF the
amendment
Are SuiiraglSts Good WOmen!'
Senator James is quoted as having
said on the floor of the Senate in 1914
that the good women of Kentucky do
not want the ballot" The senior Sen
ator seems a bit unfortunate in his ac-
Quaintance with the women of his
state. or to say the least. his ac-
Quaintance must be very limited for
one occupying his position. There are
forty thousand women in the Kentucky
Federation OF WOmen's Clubs, who are
leaders in their respective communi-
ties in every movement for good as
well as the projectors and promoters
of many movements for the general
good of the state This powerful or