Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-07-18

Washington, July n.-Secretary
Bryan in a formal statement issued
has come out for woman suffrage.
He declared he would ask no p0liti-
cal right for himself, that he was not
willing to grant his wife, and an
nOunced his intention Of supporting
the proposed state constitutional
amendment extending the franchise
to women to be voted upon In Neh-
raska next November
Woman, Mn. Bryan said, had prov
ed herself equal to every responsible
ity imposed upon her, and would NOT
fail society in this emergency. Above
all other arguments In favor Of CIV
ing her the ballot he placed the right
Of the mother to a voice In the
moulding of the environment of her
children. The mother" the secre-
tary said, 'can Justly claim the right
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 the instrumentallities of gov
eminent, including the police power"
The statement follows in full:
''The voters of Nebraska win at
the election next November adopt or
reject q proposed amendment ex-
tending suffrage to women on equal
terms with men. AS a citizen Of that
state 1t will be my duty to particf-
pate in the decision to he rendered
at the polls. i have delayed express
ing an opinion on this subject, partly
because ! have been seeking infor-
nation, and partly because my time
has been occupied with national
questions upon which the entire
country a acting; but now that the
issue Is p~resent-d in my state l take
my position. shall support the
amendment. / shall ask no political
for myself that I am not will
ing to grant to my wife.
Are co-Tenants.
AS man and woman are cO-tenants,
Of the earth and must work out their
Is on the side Of equality Of treat
ment in all that pertains to their
Joint life and its opportunities. The
of proof is on those who
claim for one an advantage over the
other In determining the conditions
under which both shall live. This
claim has not been established in
the matter of suffrage. On the con-
trary, the objections raised to wo-
man suffrage appear to me to be in
valid, while the arguments advanced
In support of the proposition, are in
my judgment, convincing.
War and Voting.
The first objection which ] re-
member to have heard was that as
woman cannot bear arms she should
not have a voice in deciding ques-
lions that might lead to war, or In
enacting laws that might require an
argument Is seldom offered now, for
the reason that as civilization ad-
vances laws are 0beyed because they
are an expression Of The public opin-
hon, not merely because they have
power and lead behind them. And
as we looa1 back over the past, we
may we'll wonder VIII Their the peace
would not have grown
more rapidly than it has. had wo-
man, who suffers more than man
from the results of war, been con.
before hostiities began.
Full Of Cares.
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
the home. The answer made to
this Is that the exercise Of the fran
chise might result In q change Of
thought and occupation that would
the monotony Of woman's