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

have washed, ironcd. cooked, scrub
bed, taken care Of the children, taken
the knocks and cuffs Of idle, drunken
negro men, Kentucky white women are
unwilling to heap upon these negro
women the added indignity and inius-
tice Of a qualified suffrage for women,
designed not only to leave the negro
woman out of the electorate while
leaving the negro man in They do not
ask discrimination in favor Of women,
they ask only for suffrage on the same
terms as men.
An Inexpedient Expediency.
There is a phase of the question
which the would-be astute Democratic
Senator and Congressman overlooked
The Democratic party allowed the Re-
publican party to enfranchise a large
body of men and these latest additions
to the electorate vote for the most
part the straight Republican ticket,
not because they know any more about
a protective tariff or a tariff for rev.
enue only than they know about the
canals on Mars; but they do have
sense of allegiance to the party that
enfranchised them. This is due not to
a negro trait but to a human trait.
Party lines are becoming more and
more lax. The independent in politics
has held the balance of power in Ken
lucky for more than twenty years and
the tendency to vote regardless of the
party lash grows. If the Democratic
and Republican parties show toward
woman suffrage the same attitude, un-
less the issue at some election involves
a question that appeals to women
more strongly than party success, no
doubt women will divide politically
approximately on the lines Of family
tradition and association just as men
do now.
But If Democratic leaders continue
to destroy the confidence and offend
the sense of justice of women by talk
ing as If fundamental Democratic
principle were a thing to handy about
at the behest Of party expediency, the
measure of woman's disappointed faith
and revulsion will be the measure of
her erstwhile confidence and loyalty,
and If she has to be a Republican in
order to be a democrat, she can do it
and no doubt will. Womans loyalty
to the Democratic party is loyalty
to the principles of democracy, not
loyalty to a set of trickster office hold
ers who want to keep their jobs. 81
could not love thee half so we'll loved
l not honor more"
Kentucky Should Lead Southern States
The present set of Office holders not
withstanding, this writer has unshak-
en- faith that Kentucky will be the
first southern state to avail herself
of the aid to good government that
now lies latent in the public spirit and
intelligent devotion of her women. II
would be in keeping with her history
and tradition, in keeping with the high
regard in which her men have always
held her women and the loyalty and
pride her women have in her men.
The possible exception is Tonnes
see where the suffrage amendment
must pass two successive Legislatures
before being submitted TO the voters.
1t passed the Legislature in 1915 and
will no doubt pass the next in 1917.
The people of Tennessee are a most
admirable body of men and women,
who have shown their ability TO CO.
operate in the long struggle in which
they have together eliminated a factor
that will materially lessen the opposi-
ton to woman suffrage in that state
but which is still chief factor to
be overcome in Kentucky.
Take States Right Route.
Let the party of the state rights in
Kentucky take the states rights route,
for recognizing the political equality