The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1919-12-05
pROGRESSOF WOMAN
SUFFRAGE RECOUNTED
BY NOTED SPEAKER
Brilliant Woman, Wife of Brilliant
Editor, Speaks to Mason County
Women at Court House on
Preparation For the Use
OF the Ballot.

Mrs. Desha Breckinridge, wife Of
the editor of the Lexington Herald,
and President OF the Kentucky Equal
Rights Association, was the chief
speaker at meeting of Mason county
women held at the Court House this
afternoon for the purpose of creating
an interest in preparing for the prop
er use of the ballot when 1t comes to
the women of Kentucky in the very
near future.
Similar meetings are to be held in
all parts of the state and women at
tending these county meetings are ex-
pected to go out through the precincts
of the county and interest all the wo-
men.
Mrs. Breckinridge's address was es-
peciall interesting as 1t recounted the
rapid spread OF Woman Suffrage over
the world.
Mrs. Breckenridge spoke to the IT,
tie "Women Our Future Citizens" She
said in part: 1.-The coming of woman
suffrage Is now as certain as that the
day will follow night. The question
is no longer OF whether or not women
will vote, but Of how they will use
their privilege. Whether they will be
conscientious and intelligent voters,
or whether they will form an ignorant
and manageable portion of the electo-
rate to be manipulated by party bosses
and played upon BY corrupt influences.
When suffrage was thrust upon the
Negroes as war measure, however
beneficial the doing Of political justice
; to this mass Of people was to become
In the long run, It was inevitable that
, for many years their ignorance and
/ unpreparedness made them a prey to
the worst influences. The K e. r. A.
believes that the women of Kentucky
when admitted to the electorate may,
on the contrary, become strong, up
, lifting force, and a real influence for
the betterment of local, state and ma
tional conditions. 1t knows, however,
7 that, IL this is to be so, the women
must be trained in civics and citizen
ship, and to this end it is organizing
classes wherever possible for training
women In citizenship.
Woman Suffrage Movement Is World
Wide
Though the fact is not realized in
some parts of Kentucky where woman
suffrage is still looked upon as a
strange new thing, the struggle begun
!. In 1S48, over seventy years ago, Is now
! practically concluded. Woman suf-
: frage is sweeping the civilized world
The service done by women during
I the Great War left no argument
against the complete political emanci-
=. patton of women among the rulers and
leaders of the Allied nations. Canada
led the way by granting war suffrage
following it with full suffrage. Great
Britain added to what she had already
given the keystone Of parliamentary
suffrage, so that now every English
speaking nation in the world has
granted full political rights to its wo-
men. In Australia, New Zealand, Can
ada, England, Scotland, Wales and Ire
land women have full political rights
and even the women of Rhodesia and
British East Africa have now their
electoral rights while the Women OF
South Africa are on the way To Ire
land and the European countries
which we used to count, Norway. Fin
land and the Isle Of Man. have been
added Sweden, Denmark and Holland
Belgium has granted wartime suf-
frage, which will be speedily follow
ed by full suffrage. Italy 6as all but
concluded the technical process of
granting full outrage to her women
Clemenceau and Poincare declared for
suffrage In France. The countries In
revolution have, of course, granted
kwoman suffrage as part OF their
throwing on of the yoke of autocracy
as have the countries which won their
independence during the war. Five
women sit in the Constituent Assem-.
bly, OF Poland; the republic OF Checho.
Slovakia has written woman suffrage
into its constitution as have Roumania
Serbia and Hungary. All Russia has
granted suffrage, and strangest OF al
to relate. the Central Empires. Ger,
many and Austria, have done likewise
From Greenland's Icy Mountain
In the Duchy OF Luxembourg wo
men were granted the vote few
weeks ago. In one OF the provinces O
China women sit In the local parlia
ment; in Madras. India, women hav,
been made eligible to the city council
former American woman. Nanc!
Langhorne Astor has recently beef
elected TO sit In the House OF Com
4 mons In england, Norway has al
ready appointed woman 70 III in tn
/ Assembly OF the League OF Nations
while our Senate IL stiIl haEgling oye
letting our country oome Into th'
League Al ell Women have suifras
IN one province of Mexico; the Quss
iion Is % IN Hawaii spa ths Philip
pipss Literally. from 0rssnIand's IA