Imperial Valley press., 1914-07-18
BRYAN WILL FAVOR
WOMAN SUFFRAGF

tonight came out for woman suffrage.
He declared that he would ask no
political right for himself that he
was not willing to grant his wife,
and announced his intention of sup
porting the proposed state constitu-
tional amendment extending the fran
chlse to women to be voted upon in
Nebraska next November.
Woman, Mr.. Bryan said, had proved
herself equal to every responsibility
imposed upon her, and would not fail
society in this emergency. Above ali
other arguments in favor of giving
her the ballot he placed the right of
the mother to a voice in the mold
ing Of the environment of her chill
Gren.
The mother" the secretary said
''can justly claim the right to en-
ploy every weapon which can be made
effective for the protection of those
whose interests she guards and the
ballot will put within her reach all
the nstrumentalities of government
including the police power.
The voters of Nebraska will at
the election next November adopt or
REJECT a proposed amendment extend
ing suffrage to women on equal
terms with men. AS citizen of that
state, 1T will be my duty to partici-
pate IN the decision to be rendered.
at the polls. have delayed ex-
pressing an opinion on this subject
Partly because | have been seekino
information and partly because NV
time has been occupied with na
tlonal questions upon which the en-.
tire country was acting; but. now
That the issue is presented in NV
state, | take my position. I shah
support the amendment. l shall ask
no political rights for myself that I
am not willing to grant to my wife.
gas man and woman are Gotten
ants of the earth and must work out
lneir qestiny togA the presump-
-tt{ion is on the side of e5ualitv of
treatment in all that pertains to
their joint life and it's opportunities
The turden of proof is on those who
claim for one advantage over the
ether in determining the conditions
under which both shall live. This
claim has not been established in the
; matter of suffrage On the contrary
the objections raised to woman suf-
trage appear to me to be invalid
while the arguments advanced in sup
FORT CT the proposition are, in my
; judgment, convincing.
'The first objection which re
member to have heard was that as
woman cannot bear arms she should
not have a voice in deciding questions
that might lead to war or in enact
ing laws that might require an armv
for their enforcement This argument
is seldom offered now, for the rea.
son that as civilization advances laws
are cbeyed because they are an ex-
preston of the public opinion, not
merely because they have powder and
lead lehind them. And as we Loo,
! back ever the past, we may we'll won
Ger whether the peace movement
; would not have grown more rapidly
than it had had woman, who suffers
more than man from the results Of
war, been consulted before hostilities
began.
"Second-It is urged by some that
woman's life is already full of care
and that the addition of suffrage
would either overburden her or turn
her attention away from the duties
of the home.
"Thc answer made to this is that
the exercise of the franchise might
result in change of thought and
occupation that would relieve the mo
notony of woman's work and give
restful variety to her activities.
And surely the home will not suffer
if the mother, the child's first teach
er,' is able to intellieently discuss
with her family the science of gov
ernmont and the art of successfully
administering it.
"Many wel-meaning men and wom-
en- effirm that suffrage would
work harm to women by les
sening the respect in which she is
held. This argument would have
more weight had it not been employed
against every proposition advanced in
favor of the enlargement of womens
sphere. This objection was once
raised to the higher education of
woman, but it is no longer heard.
The same objection was offered each
time the door has opened, and wom-
an, instead of suffering degradation,
has risen"