The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-08

the open violations Of the law by the
saloons. They argue for Sabbath OBJ
servance. In fact they urge better con-
bearing fruit.
No better illustration of the power OF
women exerted in public affairs can be
pointed out than their activity in the
local option elections held in some OF
the counties. The women could not
vote but it is admitted by everybody
that if the women had not taken a
hand in the local option campaigns
some of the counties that ousted sa-
looms would probably still be wet. Take
Madison county. for instance. The
one of the bitterest and most hotly
contested of all that have been held.
and yet. from the very start, when 1t
was found that the women of the coun-
try were taking an active part in the
fight it was plain that the drys were
going to win.
Are Long on Talk.
The Madison county women did not
get out and march or hold public meet
ings. But they talked. They talked at
home where the wife and motehr is
home where the wife and mother Is
felt The wife pleaded with her hus-
band to drive out the saloon. The
mother whose son was in danger from
drink asked that son to vote the SAL
Don out Of the county That husband
listened to his wife and that son lis
tened to his mother and they voted as
they had been urged to vote. A woman
did not go out and try to influence
some other woman's husband to vote
| for dry county, for to do so would
have been to subject herself to rho
charge that she was politician. The
| wife remained at home and sought to
influence just one vote. The result!
was that Madison county went dry by
a large majority.
| The same was true in Delaware
county where the women were largely
responsible for Kidding the county of
saloons In Delaware, as in Madison
county, the women held little neigh
borhood and precinct meetings and
planned just the kind Of a campaign
that has been described and each wo-
man understood that she was expected
to control the vote of her husband or
her brother or her father. The plan
was we'll laid and superbly carried out
and the result showed the power OF
women in public affairs when they
are once aroused.
Result 10 Admirable.
One admirable result is noticed from
this situation and that is that better
men are being nominated for Office
than have been nominated for years
This means. probably. that municipal
affairs will be better handled and that
there will be less criticism after the
next election than there has been here
tofore
All of this is good for the anti-saloon
league, as we'll as for every other re-
form movement in the state. The an
ti-saloon league could not do half as
well in its campaign for dry stat,
if it were not for the help of the good
women of the state who rally to its
support. 1t is no wonder that the
league appeals to the women, the
wives and mothers to help in its work
of Kidding the state OF saloons. The
women are the real sufferers from the
evils of drink and they are the ones
who are going to bring about the rid
! dance of the saloon ii it is ever done
The anti-saloon league leads and tn.
women do the real work and produc,
the real results. Together they form
an almost irresistible force for good.
| -