The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-07-04

question:, but II Is hoped that the
next session of The legislature. which
meets In January, 1909, will make Il
law. In reference to this proposed
measure. Finance, published Id
Cleveland, Ohio. says: "rhe brewer.
are very frank to admit that If such
. law were passed It would sound tat
death knell OF the brewery companies
of Ohio" Needless to say, the Iiquoi
interests will spare no effort to de.
feat the bill.
The Ohio w C. T. U. has cham
ptoned the measure from the begin
ming. Miss Frances VI. Ensign, state
president, at the hearing before the
senate temperance committee, made
an able argument OF which the COM
plete text OF this address should be
put In the hands Of every voter in
Ohio" Voters in every state might
profit by q careful reading of It. We
quote In part:
We all agree that the home is wo-
mans kingdom and that when the
drink evil invades this Kingdom the
thhti thhttCi iitj iilt uililhtl
self but the mother, wife, sitter or
daughter 10 Is she who feels most
keenly the pinch of poverty when
the money which should go for
home comforts Is spent for drink. 1t
is she whose heart breaks over the
decentralization Of character which
her loved ones suffer through drink
Since woman Is the greatest sufferer
Justice demands that she be furnish
ed with the strongest weapon TO pro-
tect her home against this enemy.
This weapon Is not in tears. Enough
tears h1ve been shed by sorrowful
women over the miseries caused by
drink. 10 have drowned the whole
liquor traffic in an ocean OF grief.
had that been possible. IL Is not
prayer or entreaties. Ever since the
Crusade women have prayed and
pleaded with men not to sell, not to
drink, and not to vote for saloons
but TO often appetite and avarice
have proved stronger than all of
thetr entreatles. There is one weapon
only, strong enough TO close up the
saloon, and that Is the blllI)t. The
saloon, which lives by the sulferance
OF the voter, must be destroyed by
the act OF the voter
Prayers. tears and entreaties are
blank cartridges which mike a noise
hut do not kill.. Anti-Raloon ballots
are The bullets which find their way
swift and sure, to the enemys heart.
Ohlo's temperance women are asking
for the local option ballot that they
may kill the saloon and kill II
quickly.
II Is objected that women do not
use the school baaot and therefore
would not use the local option ball
lot. answer, there are women In
the state who do not make conscien-
tious use OF the school baAot. That
all do not Is no argument against
local option suffrage any more than
the fact that many men voters take
little interest In school bolrd eiec-
tions Is q valid argument against
manhood suffrage.
The school suffrage IS useful and
important, but not so vital az sur
frage on the saloon issue and hence
does not appeal so strongly to wo-
men. One Is an educational matter
purely dealing with choice of telch-
ers, textbooks and courses OF study
the other decides whether the streets
shall be safe for the feet of the child
ren, or pitfalls to lure them TO ruin.
One deals with mental training, the
other with moral conditions. II there
Is any danger that Ohio's women
wolud not take the proper interest
in local option elections. the Womens
Christian Temperance Union, thor
Oughly organized in every country,
will agree 10 bring out the full vote.
III Is objected that since women
cannot vote for municipal Officers,
they should not vote on the saloon
question. ! answer by asking, What
power Is II in any community which
leads officials even the unwilling, to
enforce the law? Is It not an aroused
public sentiment? Public sentiment
is made by the opinions OF men and
women, The greater the majority for
a law. the stronger the sentiment nor
It's enforcement. Woman's vote would
greatly increase anti-saloon majori-
ties and so strengthen the sentiment
which would compel law enforce
msnt.
Another objection Is that this law
would give bad women too much
power. Only seven per cent of Ohio's
criminals are women. In our peniten-
tiary are sixty women, against about
fifteen hundred men. Less than one
one-hundredth per cent of Ohio's wo-
men patroHize the saloons II the
saloons had to depend for their pat
ronage upon women, most OF them
would have TO close. Three-tifths Of
our, church membership Is composed
OF women. These facts show that the
vote OF bad women wou,d be very
greatly In the minority.
Let me give few arguments In
favor OF this proposition: First, 1t is
not just or wise TO disfrnchlse one
half OF the sobriety. intelligence and