Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1912-11-28
WOMEN { NEEDED TO
ABOLISH CORRUPTION
influence of Female Votes
Would Prove Great Aid,
Declares Speaker.

Philadelphia, Nov. 25.--The need OF
moral regeneration in government and
the part women will play in bringing
this regeneration about when they can
vote. were pointed out by the Rev.
James Grattan Mythen. of Baltimore.
in an address before the National Suf-
frage convention. Mr. Mlthen's sub
ject was The Moral Responsibility Of
! the Ballot"
who is so blind" said Mr. Mythen,
''as not to see in the wrestling between
the laboring class and the capitalistic
interests the preliminaries to strug-
gle that if not stilled in time by wise
political readjustment, will precipitate
us into titanic internecine strife that
will, in comparison, make the red
reign of terror of the French revolu-
ton seem a colorless upheaval? We
deplore the bloody strikes in the min
ing, milling and Industrial trades; we
are astounded by the revelation that
there are countless underfed toilers in
the land where the few are world
widely notorious for their luxurious
extravaganza; we are sickened when
confronted by records that show there
are millions living in squalor that
would shame the owner of dog-ken
nell But are we penitent for these
Voters Alone to Blame.
"These are crimes against the God
| and virtue Of liberty and they are
crimes that must be punished and are
being punished. But whom shall we
punish? I say look not around to find
an erring brother, but let each Amer
lean citizen whose hand is empowered
to cast a ballot, let him look to himself
| and there place the blame. If there
IN t,n To- ND
| sible for them, we who are the makers
of the laws of the land, we who exer-
else the sovereignty of this nation.
zone Of the scandals of our civiliza-
| ton is the wholesale murder of the
souls and bodies of women whom
marry and live the normal clean life
they would prefer to live. To this con-
ditlon add the enormity Of abomina-
ton which is revealed when we find
that the white slave traffic has been
and is being used in conjunction with
sing of alcoholic poisoning as means
for corrupt politicians to finance their
| debauchery of the franchise.
I'VE are confronted by the spectacle
of corruption in government that runs
riotously from the humble voting pre-
cincts in an obscure Ohio county UNI
til its trail ends in the very Senate
chamber. We have read of wholesale
prosecutions for graft in many of the
largest cities of the land. We have seen
the seat of senator from one of the
greatest Of the commonwealth taken
from him because it had been pur-
chased by bribery. Thereto add the
final note Of humiliation that on the
same day that Lorimer was unseated
the Senate resolved itself into high
court of impeachment to try one of our
highest judges for malfeasance in Of
/ flee.
Aid of Women Needed.
I'VE men ought to demand thai,
women come into the body polite and
bring with them the same moral stand
ard that they hold for themselves in
the home, in the church, in the hos
pitfalls, in the great reform movements
that are voiced by the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance union and all other
endeavors for righteousness that are
always championed by women.
There is hardly a man who would
have his mother, his wife or his SIS
ter no better than he is himself. The
double standard of sex responsibility.
like loathsonle disease, has spread
its viciousness throughout all depart
ments Of private and social life. Pol
itics the organized life of the nation
New Standards Needed.
There must be a reform in the
standards of morality beginning in the
family circle and thence radiating out
to the last circumference of our So
cial structure before politics will be-
come clean. For this reason we want
women to help us tear down this false
standard which men have allowed
themselves to be insulted with. Women
alone can do this by demanding that
male morals be brought to the tone that
men demand of their women and which
women even more imperatively demand
for themselves. We must not expect
them to help us accomplish this merely
We must give them the right to de-
mand it, to demand 1t in the name
of law and order and decency.
Women Hold Higher Ideals.
"a nation that cannot see God is a
nation doomed; and only the pure in
heart shall see God. This then is the
chief reason why, women should bear
their share in the corporate life of
the nation, because they have a higher
standard of moral righteousness and
lpurer idea of honor than men, and 1t
is these two things we need most In
lpolitics.
Give US them and there will be nc
corruption in our national and civic
life, for the ballot has the power to
undo all the wrongs that have come
into being because of it's debauch on
neglect Unless liberty and justice
are dead in the land we can exercise
our franchise for the betterment OF
the people. To do this requires a
higher grade of citizenship than we
have been content with in the past
That higher grade no American gentle
man will deny is to be found in the
lcr,f p.rS,1 III Of