The Press., 1895-01-24

for the greet evil of licensed rum and it's certain effects, that is to put the ballot snto the hands of woman. Turn into the turgid pool of politics the pure stream of woman's influence and the cleansing of the nation from the curse of the liquor traffic would be as thorough as was that of the ''Augean stablesr by Hercules. The history of the world has shown that the courage Nof women in all contests for human rights and morality far exceeds that of men in their contests fol human depravity and immunity for crime. It is too late in the light of the nineteenth century to attempt to deny the intellectual power of woman and her moral influence on the destinies of the people. Put the ballot in her hands and it will do more to destroy the social evil than a century of mission efforts without it. Let women vote, and maudlin sentimentality will give way to a desire for the welfare of husbands, sons and fathers. The drink ing saloon and license law will never sur
  main on our streets or in our statute books shall be submitted to the votes of the whole people.
 Rev. F. D. Powers, of Washington, D. O., in letter to the conference meeting of reform forces, held recently, said: "l am able to say, ill a sentence, what should l be the next step-in anti-saloon warfare four words express it. Give woman the ballot! If woman's sphere is the home, if this be the center and citadel of her power, she has the right to be heard and felt in it's protection. Unloose her hands, and let her strike in the face this deadly foe to all that she holds sacred. If wo- man reigns in monarchies she should vote in republics. If women can rear states men and heroes in the home they may be trusted to say who shall govern and de- fend the state.1 If women can, without the ballot, combine and overthrow a vi- cious congressman and corrupt munich pal ring, with the ballot, they could and would revolutionize society, hurl to the pit the licensed iniquity which, like ter rible octopus would gather into its slimy and horrid folds, not only their husbands and sons, but schools and churches, and thus destroy the land we love. Let the moth IS, wives and daughters vote on the question, License or no license,' and the struggle is at an end.
 Frances E. Willard: Our working men are wise-and otherwise. MT. Pow derly is one of the wise, and so opposed to drinking that the liquor men have taken occasion to shove him out of the Knights of Labor. wish they would remember that their interests as wage -earners are in no wise bound up with the liquor traf- fic. Some of them say to me, eff prohi- bition prevailed you would throw out no end of workers who are now engaged in the distilleries and breweries ;' but let us see. In Sheffield England, there is an iron factory with a capital of $150, ,000; 1t employs 5000 men. In Scotland there is distillery with the same capital; it en- ploys 150 men. There Is no industry that requires so few hands to carry on it's work in proportion to the amount of cap f ital invested as the liquor traffic, but our , wage -earners do not stop to think of that. , If we should close every saloon, put a po- liceman on hand to guard 1t, and some a body on hand to guard the policeman, a and keep our people employed in legiti- Il mate and productive industries, the ooun- try would blossom like the rose and laugh like a happy child. Our people will see this some day; they are slow but they 5 are sure. As Abraham Lincoln said l. "You can fool all of our folks some of q the time and some of our folks all of the Q time, but you can't fool ali of them all the time" In this fact lies our hope.