Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-07
TIDE OF LIBERTY AIDS
SUFFRAGE, LEADER SAYS

Continued from Page One.
bound to bring political liberty, Mrs. Gait
said. Women who have been supporting
nations In wartime will not slip back to
their old position of a "doormat" without
overwhelming protest, she said
BRIGHT WITH OPTIMISM
Mrs, Cats speech on 1.-THE Crisis" was
br ght with optimism and grave with admo-
nitions to work and organize, so that the
fruits of victory would not escape the grasp
Of womankind which, she declared. stood on
the threshold of suffrage. Replete with
metaphor, her address pictured the building
of the suffrage structure, from the four
cornerstones Of education, religious liberty,
property rights and political freedom, TO
the roof which, she said now is spanned
with the suffrage planks of the Republican
and Democratic parties. Better It is to
imagine a crisis and to act than to allow
victory to slip away unheeded, she said.
The suffrage movement. she pointed out
had made rapid strides from 1910 to 1915
and is now approaching a crucial period
when the suffrage leaders must put forth
their greatest efforts Particularly she
urged women to awake from the passive at
titude that suffrage is bound to come" and
pleaded for energetic concentration on the
fight to secure Federal amendment to the
Constitution.
our cause has won the Endorsement of
all political parties: every candidate for
the presidency is suffragst" she said.
INDoRsED BY CHURCHES
"It has won the Endorsement of most
Churches, 1t has won the hearty approval
of all great organizations Of women. The
majority of the press In most States is with
us. Great men In every political party,
Church and movement are with us. The
names OF the greatest men and women of
art, science. literature philosophy. reform,
religion and politics are on our lists.
But we have not won the reactlonaries
] of any part. church or society and we never
will We have not won the ignorant and
illiterate and we never can. We have never
won the forces of evil and never will.
AS Speaker Champ Clark said the other
day: Some good and intelligent people are
opposed to woman suffrage but all the ig
norant and evil-minded are against IT,
THE liquor forces have developed an or
ganized opposition, apparently supported by
large funds which have been an active
factor In every campaign except two sincs
1890, and in those two we won. The sec
retary of one State liquor association re-
Gently said to man of honor that they
would not allow another State to be car
ried for suffrage within the next 10 years.
COLORADO CAMPAIGN ECHO.
I'VE know that In the Colorado campaign
the brewers OF Denver pr nted false state
ments and caused them to be put undeI~the
door of every house in the city. We Mow
that in the last Unsuccessful campaign in
Oregon the order went out from the liquor
forces to the saloons of the State to deliver
a statsd number Of votes In opposition to
the suffrage amendment. Every suf-
fragist In Michigan seemed to agree that
the amendment was counted out n the first
campaign and that the ballots were stuffed
In the second and that the agents were the
liquor forces.
The Attorney General who was serving
at the time in Nebraska has declared he
believes the amendment was counted out
there and again the charge lies at the same
door. The wet counties In Iowa certainly
defeated the amendment there. The Boston
and Maine Railway contr buted to defeat
the suffrage question In the constitutional
convention in New Hampshire, and after
ward It was found that II had been done in
collusion with the liquor lobby. The brew
ers arrested on the Federal charge of con-
splracy In elections in Pittsburgh are sup
posed to have contributed large sums to
defeat the question I'm four eastern CAM
paigns."
CONDITIONS IN OTHER STATES
At least Ave other States, in addition to
the nine suffrage States should be In the
suffrage column Mrs Gait said. That they
are not is reflection upon the election
machinery in those States, she charged.
"But the womans hour has struck" Mrs.
Gait said in conclusion. yet, II the call
goes ahead unheeded, II our women think
II means a vote without a struggle, II they
think other women can and win pay the
price OF emanc patton, the hour may pass
and our political liberty may not be won"
DOCTOR SHAW HoNoRED
sunraglsts In convention this morning at
the New Nixon Theater, made a field day for
the Rev DR.. Anna Howard Shaw.
The venerable leader has been through
many "A trying moment but the honors OF
this session were almost too much even
for her; she had 20 express her gratitude
through President Carrie Chapman Gait
she didn't trust herself to speak.
After eulogies from State representatives
the country over she was made honorary
president for llfe-her previous election had
been for one convention year--and she was
given q seat on the Board of Directors.
The ex-president OF the national asso-
clation was made to realize the love dele
gate-suffragists hold for her by the way
they ALI rose when they took their action.
No such unplanned tribute has been paid