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The Commoner
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Welcome
men
The Commoner extends a most cordial wel
come to the women of tlio Nation who, by the
ratification of the Nineteenth amendment, now
Bharo within e the responsibilities of the gov
ernment whose "burdens they Have always shared
with man even when .they had no voice in the
making of the-Jaws. Many women have desired
woman's suffrage because they felt that they
were being .denied air Important political right;
many have favored equal suffrage because they
thought they' could use the ballot for the bet
tor safeguarding of the home. Some have op
posed suffrageJiecauso they thought it unneces
sary, some because they d;d not care to assume
new duties and: responsibilitiest some because
they feared that the use of the 'ballot would
reader woman jess womanly. But whatever rea
Bons may have -impelled those who Vorked for
suffrage an whatever reasons may have in
fluenced thosewho opposed it, suffrage is here
and the responsibility must bo met. There is no
doubt that, whether gladly orrelnctantly, tho
woiron of the gallon will rise' to this responsi
bility as they jtfay.e to all others and from now on
every issue wilif eel the touch of woman's hand
and be affected 'Mf woman's conscience.
The result carin'dt foil to be good. The ethical
standards are "rising ""and moral problems are
more and more entering .the arena of politics.
Just now woman's chief interest will centor in
two questions, , the liquor question and war.
Both alcohol and war are enemies of the home
they rob the fireside . .and fatten the graveyard.
Woman may bel-expected to cast her powerful in
fluence against; .ny reopening of the saloon
question. Her praters and tears are too fresh '
in her memory 'to permit lier to countenance any
tampering with' jthis. settled question. The
saloon is an outlaw and beverage alcohol a
fugitive from justice )The politician who keeps
company with, the; 'w$ts Jr gives them any en
couragement is, doomed. The women know
that any incrpaTsein' the alcoholic per ceiil of
beverages would be a backward step; therefore,
regardless of parity, they will favor the dry can
didate as against the wet, and as between two
dry candidates, ,thoy will Support the dryest
one. Just aslojig as there is organized-opposition
to bone dry prohibition the women will be
organized on the. dry side.
Women ,are' -practical; they will take no
chances. Knowing tha't It is impossible to learn
in advance whatihe result will be in other states
and districts, they will see to it that in their
state and in their district' senatorial and con
gressional candidates will be pledged befortTthe
election to open, outspoken and persistent ad
vocacy of prohibition as the permanent policy
of the country and against any increase in the
alcoholic content of permitted beverages and
against any other weakening of the present
enforcement Jaw '-They Will" not be content
Nh a congressT that is dry by a mere majority
vote; they will insist qu the next congress, being
like this congreS,-more than two-thirds dry so
that i can pass any needed dry laws over a presi
dent's veto if tlmtvbe necessary. And the worn-
en, with their lrigti sense of honor, will have
no hesitation in demanding the impeachment
and removal of, any wet-president who, by fail
ure to enforce jthe prohibition law, .violates his
oath of office.
Women are the enemies of war; the law abol
isuing duellingiHYould have been enacted much
sooner if woman had been permitted to suh
wtute her true senge1 of hGnor f5r the false
standard of hoifdrlthat' countenanced duelling,
woman will insist ' that international disputes
snail be settled by reason instead of force. The
mercenary reasons lhat lead many men to sup
r.L.milltarism will not influence the wives and
Jotners; they will hoCweigh commercial ad
jantages against the blood of their sons and
fiushands.
Seeing that a 7 state of war is prolonged by
Ith? furd con'stiiutional provision that makes
In tof ou$X5ov6riunent,to omi a war 'than
B uteT it, they-will demand and quickly secure
h S?.;itut,onal amendment enabling a majority
l0Iaty a treaty? .
imw Women will also oppose universal com-rpfA;5,militaxTalnK-'and
they demand a
S?1UIU 0I1 warjio th,at the Nation cannot be
Win 1 int0 C0SP until those are heard from
a!pfave t0 tfkm. Ml blood and make the
rUices war mm . ' ft
uut besides "these issues"' that appeal with
; "
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Pona'w S Cu I,, l"ro ara "" "o.
eminent tho sinm Vi 1 '" uornan in gov-
gance that has hnJiS BUpprow,lon of oxtrav
liome; tho Publi amTVy ,n lho avora
in annronrfnMni ?C,aI who 8tamls 'or waste
lmg of ti mhH n and carcleos8 in the hand
a V iJllblIc money will be retired
his hearers it r?Sli 'in1" appealed to
soUTfL Gettysburg to consecrato thoin-
preseiita Qn , ? 'In'! tU8k8- vlllaiUori
does Us nart in? iV"6 VlW; Cach Behoratlon
i?? , paIt, ,and thon turns t work over to
tion as cloth we may s expect tho patterns to bo
henceforth more beauWl and the wo?k to ap
proach more nearly to perfection with men and
women forming the web and woof. Hail to our
Kn S drssuccess t0 the joint product of their
brains and. hcartirt - J..W. j. bryan.
i
THE PRESIDENT'S PA11T IN SUFFRAGE
In the distribution of credit for tho suffrage
-Victory, President Wilson must not bo over
looked. He was the first president to declare
for equal suffrage. It will be remombered that
he went down to ttew Jersey and cast his voto
on the women's side when the question was at
issue in his state, and he announced before ho
voted that he was going down there to voto for
suffrage. It was his influence that secured a
declaration for suffrage iti. the last Democratic
national platform although at that time the
party favored state action rather than action
by the federal government. Later when tho.
national amendment came before congress, he
came out in favor of ;ho federal amendment,
and since that time he has thrown his' influence
on the side of submission and. ratification
wherever- the question hocame an issue. Ho
appealed to the Democratic senate to vote for
submission; he wired to tho Democratic mem
berslof legislatures where ratification was in
doubt. He cabled from Paris to the Democrats
of Texas when the suffrage amendment was
before the voters a year ago last spring.
Now that the victory has come and tho voice.,
of thanksgiving is heard throughout the land,"
his faithful and persistent efforts should not be
forgotten. He was not only whole-heartedly
devoted to the cause of suffrage but he -.rendered
itajnrl&UaKUin evc.v crisis; nc- one
was more&eadfast' or helpful to the cause.
W. J. BRYAN.
SUFFRAGE CONGRATULATIONS .
- f ,' ' Lincoln, Neb., Aug. 27, 1920.
Miss Anna Gordon, "W. C. T. U., Evanston.
IllMy dear Miss Gordon: In this hour of
rejoicing, when millions are happy over the
triumph of the Suffrage amendment, I do not
forget the pioneer work done by those who or
ganized the great movement which you now so
ably direct. The women who presided at .the
birth of The Woman's Christian Temperance
union wisely foresaw that the women, the
natural guardians of the home, could best bo
trusted to guard the home against every harm
ful influence and that they needed the ballot
to properly protect their loved ones. Their
judgment is vindicated by the almost simultane
ous triumph of these two great reforms, each
a support to tho other. Tho way is now clear
for further steps in advance along the line the
W. C. T. U. has followed, Mrs. Bryan joins
me in congratulations upon, tho Invaluable as
sistance that your organization has given to
both Prohibition and Suffrage, and in good
-wishes for the success of its efforts in the future.
a W. J. BRYAN.
Mrs Carrie Chapman Cattf American Wom
an's Suffrage Ass'n.fNew York City: Accept our
hearty congratulations upon tho great victory
won for the suffrage amendment under your
splendid leadership. I am sure that the worn
cm of the land will by the wise use of the ballot
hasten tho triumph of every righteous cause
and justify the labors of all who have contri
buted to this epoch-making reform. You and
your co-workers have justly earned the joy that
now. so abundantly rewards your patient and"
U Mr! &l mSs'wILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Prbgressiveness in
the South
J rofi0nt, QV0nts InuIcato that pro?re5ir6-'
nnliw, Rri?w,nR ,n th0flt' tIx.. Senator
Underwood narrow escape from defeat Jn Ala
bttind and the rout of ex-Sonator Bailey in Texas,
bonator Underwood is tho leailor of tho roao
uonary Democrats of the senate Ho opposed
prohibition in atoto and nation and waH promi
nent in tho fight against woman's HufTrago in
the Bonato and in Alabama. Ilia majority of
some 40,000 was cut down to leas than 2,000
last May, It was so close a shnvo thaU ho lutf
mediately lot it bo known at WunuInj5ton that
ho regarded tho prohibition question as settled
and would support suclinonsuroa as tho friends
of prohibition thought necessary for ft enforce
ment. His fight against woman's suffrage con
tinued until Tennessee bocamo tho thirty-sixth
state to ratify, and ho will no doubt bow lo tho
Inevitable and with as good grace tin poKlbfe
accept woman as man's oo-labgroi jix the politi
cal vlnoyard. Roforonco Is made to his experi
ence to illustrate tho growing sontiment In tho
south against tho reactionary tondoncfoH for
which Senator Undorwood has stood.
In Texas tho victory Ik even more complete.
Senator Bailey has been ono of the national
loaders of tho fight against prohibition and ono
of the most unrelenting opponents of woman's
suffrage With the frankness that characterizes
his attitude on public quc&llons, ho attacked
both prohibltloo and woman's sufrago in his ,
gubernatorial campaign. While other things,
wore included, and doubtless played a large pari,
stll his ovorthrow by such a decided major
ity indicates that prohibition has been accepted
as a finality in Texas and that woman's suffrage
no longer frightens tho voters.
Mr. Bailey is ono of tho most powerful public
speakers in tho nation, and ho throw all hbv
energy into the effort to reinstate himself and
-his policies in the Lone Star stato. When he '
failed, renctionarism met its Waterloo and Can
didate Noff, who led the forces of reform, has
made himself conspicuous by so complete a vic
tory in such a hard-fought battle.
Lot the work go on. Asimilar fight fa
necessary in other southern states, and victory
will be made oasior by woman's advent into
politics, The progressive forces having routed
tho saloon, and, having been re-enforced by the
women, can now proceed to capture the remain
ingtstrongholds of tho enemy, to,, corporations
still control the Democratic nwchincry In somo
of tho southern states railroad corporations and
their allies which are found in all the centers
whore big business exerts a political Influence.
Tho Democratic party is tho party of tho
progressives of tho nation; tho reactionaries
may capture It occasionally and hold it for a
time but the Democratic masses aro in earnest
and will assert themselves, Tho elections la,
Alabama and Texas give encouragement,
W. J. BRYAN.
. LITTLE TURNING POINDS
Mrs. Burns, the mother of the legislator whoso
voto decided the action of Tennessee, tho
thirty-sixth stato, in favor of tho sjuffrago
amendment is quoted as saying:
"I had no idea that my cheering letter, to
Harry would prove of such importance. In a
moment of leisure, between household tasks, I
sat down on that little chair, on tho front
porch, and penned the few lines to liim. I did
not know how he was going to vote," hut was
keenly interested in his position, and had
been watching the papers closely, hoping and
praying that ho would vote "aye." Somehow
I thought he would vote for it, although ho
never told mo what he Intended to do.
"Tho first news I received ot his vote was
from him, when he called me over the long-
distance telephone and announced what he had
done. This was shortly after the House had
acted. He said that his vote had decided the
issue. That gave me great joy.
"I am sure that no man In the legislature was
better posted on suffrage than Harry. He Is a
great reader of books and currvnt literature, and
takes peculiar interest In questions before tho
public."
When thejast man was needed he was there
and a mother was there also, adyislng wisely.
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