Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-05-23
FiVe-MinlHte Talks
by National Leaders

ND the strongest arht that IL Wa
capable Of and not in one did it per
nit an election 90 go by default. 1t
is trle thar their opposition seemed
very small compared to- the tremen-
dous forces Of the vested interests ar
rayel against the amendment, but
they did their tesa Tins vas 'ria
also in Montana ami Nevada in 1914.
These two states cave the largest
favorable majority in proportion to
the number CT voters Of any ON rec
ord.
BY tais tine 0ppoaC1ls O. V-m9a
suffrage had become thoroughly
aroused. Public sentiment every
where was growiue IN favor OF it; an
immense impetus hal been given ny
the Endorsement of The National Pro
gressive Party that year: legislatures
showed willingness te submit the
question to the voters Sutlragists in
the various States eagerly took all
vantage of this when they We're not
prepared for q campaign either iinan-
cially or by organization The re-
sources of the National Association
were not sufficient To meet the de-
mand, and a series Of defeats was the
result. Possibly tho WOmans Anti
Suffrage Association helped TO secure
them, but IN every one Of these States
the amendment would have been lost
ii it had not existed
Fer twenty years the suilragists
have been tryins 10 persuade legisla-
lures to grant women a vote for
Presidential electors which the Fed
eral Constitution gave them the au-
tharity 10 do, bar they feared that it
would ilyalidate the vote of the State.
A very progressive legislature in Illi-
nois dared to take this step in 1913.
and the women used this vote for the
first time in 1916, It was accepted in
the Electoral College without qles
ton and its legality established. The
National Association Immediately had
this Presidential suffrage bill intro
ducei in many legislatures during the
past winter.
The voting 81 the wemen in the
Western States at the election last
fall hal wonderful effect cn
pubic sentiment. and many of the
States realized the injuice of al
lowing the women in one section of
the country to have vote for the
President which was denied to women
in other sections. This caused the
legislatures Of seven States to confer
this privilege On their women, ana
several Of them added to it as much
additional suffrage as it had the
power to grant.
Their members would strongly re-
sent the charge made by Mrs. Balch
and other ants" that these were
victories f@r Intimidation and bland.
ishment-~for a bold end bullying
feminine lobby over weak and shame
less legislators" The Pennsylvania
Legislature was among several which
defeated this bill The Womans
Anti-Suffrage Association in that
State ID one oil the most influential.
but, in commenting on this defeat,
net one newspaper in the State gave
1t the smallest credit in fact, II was
not once mentioned in this connec-
ton. Many Of the largest newspa-
pers did say however (the philadel.
phia North American for nstance),
The charge that the Suffrage bill
was killed by the liquor interests
rests upon notorious and admitted
facts. Rum lobbyists swarmed In the
Capitol, and the pressure applied to
legislators was as strong as though
tho passage of local option itself was
threatened The defeat has
unnaskea finally the most powerful
and most relentless enemy"
The Evening Ledger said 'I'ho
liquor interests won control Of the
Legislature, defeating local option and
woman suffrage Mrs. Balch says,
speaking for the Woman's Anti-Sul.
rage Association. We regard woman
suffrage as a force tending to DESTROY
the things vital 20 our highest civili-
cation Possibly that may be the
roascn for tbs violent opposition Of
the liquor tgaflc'