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The Commoner
MARCH, 1916.
H
f W ry "1'j w.
upon the education of woman. The argument
against the education of woman has always been
a benevolent argument, namely, that it would
do her injury and lower the respect in which she
is hold. To us this argument is absurd; every
where in this country we recognize not only tho
right of women to education, but that her edu
cation is important to society. In some parts of
the Orient women are still wearing the veil and
are not allowed to go into tho presence of men
with the face uncovered. Any attempt to change
thi3 custom is met with the argument that wo
man would suffer from a change, and yet in tho
western world it has been found that society
needs woman as much as she needs society, both
being benefited by the advanced position which
woman is taking.
And today one of the strongest reasons offered
in support of. woman suffrage is that tho polit
ical world needs woman's assistance. Ethical
questions are coming to the front; moral stand
ards are being raised; conscience is increasingly
invoked in the settlement of political problems,
and woman's influence is therefore more potent.
It has been found that the great economic
questions are, in their last analysis, moral ques
tions, and in the consideration of moral Issues
and the social welfare, woman's experience,
judgment and conscience are of increasing value.
And who will question woman's interest in
the movement which has for its object the estab
lishment of universal peace? If proof is need
ed of man's failure to reach the highest levels
when acting alone, it is to be found in the fact
that men still resort to war for the settlement
of differences.
It is adding insult to injury for the militarist
to attack woman's right to a voice in interna
tional questions, "Women, more than men, bear
the burden of war. The agony of the soldier
who is killed is momentary, while the suffering
of the mother, wife and daughter is more last
ing. Is it just that men only shall determine
when the ntother must yield up her son to tho
battlefield, or when the ties that bind the hus
band to the wife shall be severed by the sword?
The hope of permanent peace rests in the in
telligence and. conscience of those who beUeve
that reason furnishes a higher forum than that
in which the contention is determined by force;
and upon the morality which feels a sense of
kinship, and recognizes the doctrine of brother
hood. Here, surely, man needs woman's com
panionship at the polls as much as woman needs
tho franchise.
Nothing is more certain than that woman,
who has always borne with man the burdens of
bad government, shall soon share with him the
responsibility for government, and when that
day comes the fears of those who oppose equal
suffrage will be shown to have been without
foundation, and the faith of those who have la
bored for the reform will be vindicated by the
progress to which woman will contribute.
More Facts About Preparedness
Seattle "Dry" and
Likes It
From the Kansas City Star, Feb9, 1916.
The 'world is watching Seattle to see how pro
hibition works out in a large city. Seattle is the
largest city that has ever had prohibition. It
and the whole state of Washington became dry
January 1 of this year. -
The strongest single force that worked against
prohibition in the state of Washington was the
Times, the leading newspaper of Seattle. In its
campaign against the passage of the prohibitory
law it used all the familiar old arguments such
as "Prohibition doesn't prohibit," that it would
force down rents, that so much property used for
saloons all at once made empty and nonproduc
tive in one day would have a bad economic ef
fect, and so on.
WHY HE FOUGHT PROHIBITION
The editor of the Seattle Times, Maj. C. B.
Blethen, the man who made the fight against
prohibition, was at the Coates House yesterday.
He was asked how prohibition was working and
if all his prophecies had come true. He said:
"My paper fought its damnedest against pro
hibition. ' We fought it on economic grounds
alone. We believed that in a great seaport city
with a population of upwards of 300,000 prohi
bition would be destructive; it would bring on
economic disaster. We believed that under our
system of licensing saloons we had the liquor
Gen. Nelson A. Miles has told the house com
mittee on military affairs that ho is utterly op
posed to conscription and to a continental army.
He is convinced that our coast dofonses are equal
to any in tho world, and that tho present war
has demonstrated tho inability of battleships to
overcome land fortifications. Ho added that an
army of 140,000 men on a peace basis is suffi
cient, and that in case of necessity wo could de
velop the array to more than a million men out
of tho material already at hand. Read Admiral
Victor Blue, chief of the burpau of navigation,
considers tho present American navy fit to meet
any possible enemy. Admiral George Dewey
said in May, 1916:
"Our ships and guns are as good as any in tho
world; our officers are as good as any; and our
enlisted men are superior in training, education,
physical development, and devotion to duty, to
those of any other navy. I can say
with absolute confidence that the efficiency of
tho fleet has steadily progressed and has never
beon so high as it is today."
Within a year our secretary of tho navy, Jo
sephus Daniels, has pointed out that there aro
now in active service, fully commissioned, 225
vessels of all characters, which is 30 more than
were fully commissioned when he became sec
retary. There are 101 vessels of various types
in reserve capable of rendering service In war.
We have under construction and authorized 77
vessels, 9 of which are dreadnaughts, 23 destroy
ers, 38 submarines, and 7 auxiliaries, as com
pared with 54 vessels under construction in
March, 1913. Mr. Daniels Is careful also to say
that all these vessels are fully Supplied with mu
nitions of war. The number of mines on hand and
in process of manufacture has been Increased
during the year by 244 per cent, and torpedoes
during Xvro years 90 per cent. By tho enlarge
ment of tho naval-powder fACtory the govern
ment will soon be abie to double its former ca
pacity. The navy is today recruited to the max
imum strength allowed. "There exists today no
more efficient institution than the United States
Navy." Stated in dollars, the Wilson adminis
tration In Its first two years authorized $70,000,
000 to bo spent on tho chief fighting force of the
navy, as against $26,000,000 authorized during
tho last two years of tho Taft administration.
"Stated in numbers, it authorized fivo dread
naughts instead of two; and stated in effective
ness, the five dreadnaughts authorized under
Wilson will mount 3G more 14-Inch guns than
tho two authorized under Mr. Taft."
"Tho bureau of ordnanco has developed a 14
Inch gun that will shoot farther, shoot straight
er, and hit harder than any gun now in use or
known to bo designed by a foreign country." Mr.
Daniels says flatly that the navy of 1915 is larger
and bettor equipped and in bettor condition
than in any previous year.
In the light of these facts there ought to bo no
room for hysteria in tho council chambers of
tho nation. Furthermore, thoro should bo no
room for tho Augustus P. Gardner school of
statesmen. Admiral Fletcher contradicting the
statements of Mr. Gardner, says that tho scores
recently recorded by our gunners at soa aro
higher than any made boforo in the open sea.
People who know aro authority for the state
ment that the scores also show an increaso In
rapidity of fire as well as accuracy.
It has been frequently stated that the Wlluon
defense program was "put up to bo knocked
down." Whether this bo truo or not, part of the
program has already been knocked down in tho
resignation of tho over-emphatic Mr. Garrison.
Politicians and other misguided pyroraanlacs In
sist, however, upon playing with the flro. The
rising wave of fear Is advancing still. Ignoring
our real dofonses at home, and that tho vast
European enmities wjll for many years protect
this nation from attack, tho artful game of party
chicane goeB on. Tho situation in America Is
too complex and too near to each of us for an
alysis and explanation. Why we aro asked to
arm, beyond tho dreams of militarists hereto
fore, against a crippled and disintegrating Eu
rope, more than wo have thought of arming when
Iho European states wore at the height of their
military power, wo can not say. Tho crime
against America, against Europe, against the
world, is the apparent inability of our leaders
to conceive of any way of attaining unto their
ends other than by war. Advocate of Peace.
traffic about as well controlled as it could bo and
wo wanted to let it alone, and so we fought as
hard as we could fight. But, in spito of all we
could do against it, prohibition carried and it
went into effect in Washington January 1. Wo
have had a mqnth of it now."
"And how has it worked out?"
BUSINESS EXPANDED QUICKLY
"Wo already know that it is a great benefit,
morally and from an economic standpoint. Its
moral benefit has been tremendous. Seattle had
260 saloons and we had an average of 2,600 ar
rests a month for crimes and misdemeanors
growing out of liquor drinking. In January wo
had only four hundred arrests and sixty of those
were made January 1 and wero tho results of
hangovers from the old year. That in itself is
enough to convince any man with a conscience
that prohibition is necessary. There can be no
truo economy in anything that is immoral.
"And on top of that great moral result, we
have these economic facts: In tho first three
weeks of January the savings deposits in the
banks of Seattle increased 15 per cent. There
was not a grocery store in Seattle that did not
show an increase of business in January greator
than ever known in any month before in all the
history of the city, except in holiday time. In all
the large grocery stores the increaso was im
mense. In addition to this, every dry goods storo
In Seattle, except one, and that one I have no
figures from, had a wonderful increaso in busi
ness. Each store reported the largest business
ever done In one month, except in holiday time.
THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROFIT
"I wished to know in what class of goods tho
sales Increased so greatly, and so 1 sent to all
the grocery and dry'goods stores to find that out.
And to me it is a pitiful thing, and it makes me
sorry that we did not have prohibition long ago
that the increaso In sales In all the dry goods
stores was in wearing apparel of women and
children, and in the grocery Btores tho increase
was 'made up chiefly of fruits and, fancy gro
ceries. This proves that it is tho women and
children who benefit greatest from prohibition.
Money that went formerly over tho bar for
whisky Is now being spent for clothing for tho
women and children, and in better food for tha
household.
"It is just liko this: When you close the sa
loons the money that formerly was spent there
remains in tho family of tho wage earner, and
his wife and children buy shoes and clothing
and better food with it. Yes, sir, we have found
in Seattle that it is better to buy shoes than
iooze. The families of wage earners in Seattle
are going to havo more food and clothes and
everything else than they had before."
IT ACTUALLY PROHIBITS
"And is the prohibition lav enforced?"
"Absolutely. Prohibition does prohibit."
"And how about tho empty saloons and tha
landlords who own them?"
"Many of them havo already been made over
and are occupied by other businesses. 1 will
venture the prophecy that in one year from to
day you won't bo able to find a placo In Seattle
where there was a saloon. They will all bo oc
cupied by other businesses. And prohibition has
not lowered rents. I know of one big dry goods
store that has already had its rent raised since
prohibition went Into effect.
COAST STATES ALL WILL BE DRY.
"Oregon also went dry January 1. California
is the only wet state left on the Pacific coast, and
it will go dry January 1, 1918. And those three
states will remain dry to the end of time. None
of them would ever havo saloons again. Those
who were honestly opposed, as I was, to prohibi
tion in Washington and Oregon, have been con
verted to it, as I have been, by the actual evi
dence that prohibition is a fine thing from a.
business standpoint. No city and no community,
too, can afford to have saloons. They are too ex
pensive, morally and economically, xn a yery
few years there will not be a licensed saloon la
the whole nation and that will be a fine thing,"
