The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-12-03

the demonstration by pinning the
white ribbon on men who were willing
to appear as representatives of that
sentiment. Committees were chal-
| longing all doubtful voters, and fist
| fights were frequent as results Of
differences arising from the tests.
A young lady approached mini
ster to pin a white ribbon on. the
lapel of his coat. He declined and
also told her he did not think it
proper for a young lady to speak to
men on the streets whom she did not
know. The lady turned away sob
bling at his rebuke. He promptly
apologized for hurting her feelings
but said he did not consider the polls
| a proper place for women to be! Be-
| fore night all Birmingham, the chief
city Of Alabama, seemed to have
heard of 1t and discussed 1t.
Here are some thoughts governing
in such cases:
Both the written and the unwrit-
ten laws give to womanhood the shell
tered places in life and seek to screen
\ her from strife. Therefore she has
remained at home and kept out OF
politics and business so long as 1t
seemed practical to do so. The com
plexities OF civilization have brought
conditions that have to be met or
submitted to, and indiscriminate use
Of liquor Is one Of them. 1t has SO
corrupted society that women every
where dread the drunken man, and
the blacks in the south with their
worst passions fired by liquor have
come to be so feared that constant
protection from them seems necessary
to womanhood. Even among the
white population north and south
where liquor is openly used women.
must always be prepared to evade or.
avoid drunken effrontery as best they
can.
This condition has been traced to
its source and calls for a remedy.
Since women cannot be successfully
sheltered and since there is means
to remedy the worst source of evil
by the accepted instrument of pOpu
lar will enacted into law, and since
men everywhere confess their inabil-
lily to cope with the evil alone and
have been going down in defeat in
natural and proper In securing reg
istration Of popular will that all per-
sons affected shall be heard and their
influence weighed.
In Alabama women have no vote,
and they can only use such influence
in elections as the unwritten law con-
cedes to them. The unwritten law
has ever been based upon common
sense, and 1t was lack Of common
sense that impeled the minister at
Birmingham to draw the sword Of
formality upon the young lady to
prevent her from exercising such in
fluence as was left to her in that
titanic struggle for supremacy of pol
Icy in Alabama.
II women were not effected by the
results of that election. If it did not
affect their homes and loved ones. we
could concede that they had no place
in the days battle. but a policy was
being adopted that day that was to
be the law under which people must
live. and "as all Just laws receive
their power from the consent Of the
governed" every human being living
In Alabama that day had moral
right to have his or her opinion reg
istered by ballot and If the laws are
SO defective that this privilege cannot
he accorded to all, then to seek to in
fluence the ballots of Others becomes
their highest right and duty and no.
body has a greater right to be heard
in these matters than women, for it
is conceded by all that woman is the
greatest sufferer and the most help
less victim of the traffic.
We have no doubt that If the fran
chise had been extended to the women
Of Alabama the amendment to the
state constitution prohibiting the
Manufacture, sale and use of liquors
would have been adopted, but as 1t
is half of the population have no
voice in making the laws under which
they must live, and they are facing
the same principle that men did In
Liberty Hall when they clamored for
representation in Legislative bodies