The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-17
Woman, He Says, Will Prove Herself Equal to Responsi-
 bility of the Ballot
OBJECTIONS TO THE
 CAUSE" INVALID
Commoner Announces Intention of Supporting Proposed Constitutional Amendment in Nebraska Civ
 ing Women Vote

| Washington, July 16.-secretnry
 Bsran in formal statement today came out for woman suffrage. He de- clared he would ask no political right
 for himself he wns not willing to grant
 his wife. and announced tc would sup port the proposed stote constitutional amendment extending the franchise to women to he voted on In Nebraska next l November.
 Woman. Mir. Bryan said had proved herself equal to every responsibility im- posed on her. and would not fail society in this emergency. Above all other ar gumcnts for giving her the ballot he placed the right of the mother to a voice In the moulding of the environ ment of her children
 "The mother" the secretary said "can justly claim the right to employ every effective weapon for the protection of those whose interests she guards. and
 the ballot will put within her roach all the lnstrumentalities of government, including the police power
 Must Work Together
 As man and woman are co-tenants of the earth, !" the statement says. 'and must work out their destiny together. the pre- sumption is on the side of equality in treatment of all that pertains to their joint life and its opportunities. The bur- den of proof is on those who claim for one an advantage over the other in de- termining conditions under which both shall live. Objections raised to woman suffrage appear to me to be invalid, while the arguments advanced in support of the proposition. in my judgment. are con vincing.
 t'The first objection 1 remember 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 enacting laws that might require an army to enforce. This argument is
 seldom offered now, for az civilization
 advances, laws are obeyed because they
 are an expression of the public opinion.
 As We look back over the past. we may
 well wonder whether the peace move-
 ment would not have grown more rapid
 lv had woman been consulted before hos tilities began
 | Second Some urge that womans life already Is full of care and that the ad- dition of suffrage either would overburden her or turn her attention away from home duties The answer made Is that the exercise of the franchise might re- suit in change of thought and oecupa- ton that would relieve the monotony of womans work. Surely the home will not suffer if the mother, the childs first teacher Is able to intelligently dis cuss with her family the science of gov ernment and the art of successfully ad- ministering 1t.
 Third. Many well meaning men and women affirm that suffrage would work a harm to woman by lessenlng the respect in which she is held. This argument would have more weight had 1t not been employed against every proposition ad- vanced In favor of the enlargement of womans sphere This objection once was raised to the higher education of woman, but if Is no longer heard
 "These objections however honestly ad- vanced. have proven impotent to retard womans progress
 And are not the second and third oh- iectons refuted to some extent at least by the fact that in the states which have adopted woman's suffrage (and in the other nations that have adopted it) there is no agitation for a return to the system under which man has q monopoly of the right to vote? Is it not fair to assume an effort would be made to cor rect the mistake if womans suffrage real ly had failed to give satisfaction to the people. where il has been tried? No Elaboration | '1t Is not my purpose to discuss the subject with elaboration at this time. but
 desire to present the argument to which l I give the greatest weight. I place tho emphasis upon the mothers right to q voice in moulding the environment which | shall surround her children, an environ
 ment which operates powerfully in de- | termining whether her offspring will | crown her latter years with joy bring down her gray hairs in sorrow to the l grave.
 l "The mother can justly claim the right l to employ 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 instru-
 mentalities of government, including the police power.
 Impressed for Time | "For time I was impressed by the suggestion that the question should he | left to the women to decide, a majority to determine whether the franchise should
 be extended to woman; but l find my | self less and less disposed to indorse this
 test Samuel Johnson coined an epigram
 dContinued on Page Ninc)