The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-11-28

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That the womeu Of Europe may
possibly outdistance the women Of
America In their race for full citizen
ship IL indicated by Developments
which have followed the collapse of
the Central Empires. according to the
National American Woman Suffrage
Association. Dispatches from Switzer-
land Indicate hat one result of the |
movement to democratize Germany
will be the adoption of electoral re-
forms which will include the women
of the various states. II Is stated
that the majority party m the Reich
stag agreed to present a pro-
viding for the extension Of full suf-
frage, without distinction of sex, for
elections to the R~eichstag and the
lower houses of the various confed-
Grated states.
A dispatch from Vienna under the
date of Nov. Is cited the granting of
the franchise to m as one of
the most notable political changes"
In Hungary. arrangements have
been made for an election at which
both men and women will vote upon
the question Of the form OF govern
ment to be adopted by independent
Hungary.
Still another indication OF the
tremendous growth of women suf-
frage sentiment is found in reports
from Saxony. which has just de-
throned its king and established q
republic. The ministry has zen in
structed to call an election in which
the men and women of the new re-
public will participate on equal
terms.
Universal suffrage Is one of the
basic principles of the Czecho-Slovak
Republic. The completion of these
reform movements. together with
those already long under way In the
allied countries, will speedily result
in the acknowledgment of a larger
majority of the women of Europe.
! In France a complete suffrage vic
tory seems 20 be a matter Of a COM
paratively short time. Legislation
has already been instituted in the
French parliament by NJ. Martin,
looking TO the granting to women of
the right to vote in all elections. The
Municipal Council of Paris Is urging
the adoption of a law granting full
suffrage TO women.
The Swedish government. accord
ing to dispatches from Stockholm,
will at once carry out a program of
reforms giving the franchise to both
sexes. on equal terms. Municipal suf-
frage already obtain in Sweden.
In Italy n of the important re-
forms which the present parliament
Is expected to institute is the grant
ing to women of the right of legal
equality which will no longer make 1t
necessary for women to secure their
husbands consent to legal acts. II Is
also reported that the barriers which
have prevented women from entering
certain high professions and employ
ments are to be removed. This Is all
preliminary to the granting of the
full franchise to women. Months ago
Premier Orlando of Italy declared
that Italian women had demonstrated
their right to complete citizenship
and that his government would. lend
its support to the movement as
quickly as the pressing problems Of
the var could be disposed of. A
similar sentiment was expressed by
King Albert of Belgium. The
Rumanian government has an
nounced a program of electoral re-
forms which includes votes for We
men.
European countries in which wo-
men now have full suffrage are Great
Britain. which enfranchised $780,
900 women on February 9Th of this
year and later granted them the right
to sit in Parliament; Denmark. which
granted women the suffrage in 1915;
Finland. which has had full suffrage
since 1906; Russia. which has held
to a program of universal suffrage,
without regard to sex, throughout
its revolutionary upheavals; and Nor
way. which granted full suffrage in
1907. In Holland women are eligible
to hold office but not to vote.