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

Tue NOildn WHO WIN al neT endOW-
ments OF distinguished presence, gra-
oious speed, social prestige and large
wealth is devoting them all to the
work OF lifting the unfortunate and to
establishing vocational training
school for girls, is a suffragist; the
woman who is leading in the heroic
effort TO close the door above which is
written for every woman Abandon
hope all We who enter here" is a suf-
fragist; the woman who with frail
body but heroic soul has for years un-
falteringly labored to have the cpl
loptic and the adult feeble-minded bet
ter cared for, Is a suffragist; the wo-
men who led the movement for better
school laws in Kentucky lead the suf-
fragists; the woman who inaugurated
and led the anti-tuberculosis crusade
in Kentucky leads also the suffragists;
and the list of good women who are
suffragists Is scarcely begun.
why Women Want Ballot
These women want the ballot be-
cause they believe they have civic
duty to perform and civic RESPONSE
Gility to meet and they believe they
can perform this duty and meet this
responsibility with less outlay of time,
money and strength and do it better
with the ballot than without IT, They
prefer to work with men as fellow cit
liens, not as masters and supplicants
They wish to have an equal chance
with those who differ from them with
Legislators and executive officers.
Senior Senator should Meet Them.
It is pity that the senior Senator
has not in his social orbit met some of
these women. 1t might be that he
would catch inspiration for his own
tasks from their zeal for those things
that make for good government and a
happy. prosperous people, and history
might set him down with the leaders
for human emancipation from igno-
rance, disease, poverty and vice and
not with the last of the liquorites.
congressman In Different Case.
The Congressman who Joined the
Senator in signing the telegram to the
Governor advising against submission
of the suffrage amendment can hardly
claim that he does not know that good
women in Kentucky advocate suffrage
for women. Perhaps he knows too
well the childlike insistence and per-
sistence that characterize the minds
of women--that they never stop asking
a question until they get the answer
If women had the ballot, candidate
for Congress resting under the definite,
specific, detailed charge made over the
sworn affidavit of responsible men of
having in the State Senate accepted
a bride, of having as State Senator and
as lobbyist connived against the in
terest Of the state in favor of special
interests, would when election returns
were in, find himself a statesman out
of a job. He does well in his own in
terests to defer to political expediency.
Women would argue that the charges
were either true or untrue. If true
the candidate would be held unfit for
Congress; If untrue those making the
charges would be sent to the peniten-
tiary instead of riding the high roads
as sheriffs. bank presidents, brokers,
Commissioners OF Agriculture, State
Senators, etc.
Senator James Negro BOgy.
Two years ago Senator James raised
the boy of the negro woman vote to
rally the timid and the time serving
10 the anti-suffrage flag.
According to the Federal census of
1900, Is per cent of the population of
Kentucky were negroes. The census
of 1910 shows ia per cent negroes, a
decrease of 3.6 per cent, showing that
the negro population is growing rela-
lively smaller. Can not the $50 per
cent of whites swing the l1.6 per cent
negroes? But the census shows "a, 494
negro men (already enfranchised) and
74,739 negro women to be enfran-
chised Since there are 755 more ne
gro men than negro women. the en-
reimbursement of women would in
crease the proportion of white voters.
But Senator James argues that all the
negro women would vote and that out
of 5l1, S3l white women, not as many
as 74,7S9 would vote to offset the ne
gro woman vote. II is an unwarrant-
ed charge against woman's fidelity to
duty. II the issue involved anything
of worth. white women could be de-
pended upon to do their duty. They
always have been able TO subordinate
the important 10 the more important,
10 learn bridge whist, pink teas, Spa
nish pickles, tatting and crocheting
when a real call came Is II possible
that the party with which the negro
woman would be supposed TO vote
would, be able TO secure her support
while the dominant party could not in
aDire ifs uomen with Iovalfv and n