ent. There was a temporary
Constituent Assembly and on May 8, 1919, without even an effort by
women, this body adopted universal suffrage, without distinction of
sex, by a vote of 39 to 11. All inhabitants 21 years of age are
electors and after 25 are eligible for the Parliament and Communal
Councils. On September 28 men and women voted on the country's future
form of government and decided by a four-fifths vote to have an
independent monarchy with an elected Parliament. A month later the
elections for it took place. One of the two women candidates was
elected.

RUSSIA.

It would be difficult to relate the story of woman suffrage in Russia.
In the villages and among the peasants women had long voted at the
local elections either as proxies of the husband or by right of owning
property, and among the nobility and wealthy classes they could vote
through male proxies. There was little national suffrage even among
men and the Revolution after the Russo-Japanese war was a struggle for
representation. In March, 1905, a Russian Union of Defenders of
Women's Rights was started in Moscow and spread among different
classes throughout Russia. It became a part of the general movement
for liberty, was well organized and its demands were many but the
first one was for a Constituent Assembly elected by universal, secret
ballot. It united with the great political Union of Unions, which
officially recognized the equal rights of women in all respects in
July, 1905, and before the end of the year this had been done by many
municipalities.

Everything was stopped by the Revolution and that was followed by the
establishment of the Douma. All that women hoped for from it was
wrecked when it was dissolved. Their Union at this time had 79
branches and 10,000 members and had collected and used $50,000 for
its work. The struggle was continued but two years later not 1,000
members could be found. In December, 1908, the first Women's Congress
in Russia was held in St. Petersburg, welcomed by the Mayor and
addressed by members of Parliament and eminent women, and was
favorably received. Many women's societies were formed but worked
under great difficulties. Woman suffrage bills came before the Douma
and it passed one giving the Municipal franchise, after striking out
eligibility, but the Czar did not sign it. A bill for adult suffrage
was taken up and Professor Miliukov made a brilliant plea for
enfranchising women but it was not passed and