The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-05-17
KATHERINE LUDINCTON, SUFFRAGIST
TAKES EXCEPTION TO BRANDEGEE'S
OPPOSITION TO WOMAN SUFFRAGE

labors of the second line Of defence;
yet he bids US ''go home and knit %
bandages and pick lint"
The position of women, the whole
range of their interests, is being more
any event since the industrial revo-
luton of the 18th and early 10 cen
turieA The momentous decisions be-
ing made daily by governments are
radically altering the world in which
their children are to live. England
and Canada have realized this and
have given their women the same
right of self determination that they
have promised to the down trodden
nations of Europe. France and Italy
are well on the way toward emanci-
pating their women. The overwhelIn-
ing trend of public opinion, the out
spoken statements of our president,
and of leaders such as Roosevelt,
! William Hays of the Republican Ma
tional Committee and Vance McCor-
mick of the Democratic National
| Committee and countless others, is all
in this direction; but Senator Brande-
gee can still talk of women ''beating
around about saving democracy by
forcing their way into caucuses and
conventions" These caucuses and
conventions nominate the men who
hold women's interests in their hands
and yet we are to have nothing to dc
with their proceedings! The success
full conduct of the war, the welfare OF
1.-THE men of our families at the front
is in their hands, but we are to keeI
quiet and pick lint.
Next fall the elections will turn OF
the supreme issue on loyalty, but Con
necticut women along with the womeI
Of other non-suffrage states are tt
leave the choice of the new Sena
tors, members of Congress, Cover
nors, ETC., entirely to the men left a
!, home by the war. We are sendin;
hundreds of thousands of loyal vot
ers out of the country, and it look
now as if they might thus be auto
matically disfranchised. Among thos
, left at home are all the unfit, tn
slackers, and the dangerously larg
, number of alien enemies, who ar
, still voters, (seven states give the vot
, to foreigners on their first paper
> and before they are eligible to tn
draft. They are to decide thes
elections while the soldiers and thei
! wives, mothers and sisters have nc
6 one word to say. Canadian soldier
q found this intolerable and their won
A en- were enfranchised to represer
a them. Is America to be the onl
country except Germany that does NJ
: trust her women? We are told h
h Mr.. Brandegee, in unison with tn
$ kaiser, that our concern is with "cool
: ing, clothing and children v
:. to be allowed no part in the protectio
e of these homes and children again
q enemies without and spies within?
= Even the New York State anti-su
L fragists have recognized the powe
' lessness of the old indirect infIl
Ir ence of women and in their recel
Is statement have announced that the
m will quite rightly use their votes
ID tight sedition and pro-Germa1isr
n But Mr. Brandegee would tell the
ir to ego home and pick lint!'
Connecticut moves slowly, but
3 has a noble past and its record
re this war has been more than credi
De able. viii it rest contented to ha'
n the country take our senior Senati
in as representing Connecticut's attitut
he toward women7 The Republican pa