New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29
Drink Problem
Is Up omen
Suffraggists Say
They Are Asked to Work
Together, Regardless of
Politics, for Prohibition
Assembly Woman for 1t
New York Should Lead in
Ratifying Amendment,
Says Mary Garrett Hay

Says Mary Garrett Hay
Women of New York State who be-
leve in prohibition as a moral issue
have now a chance to work for it, us
ing the direct influence of their vote
and making it what it really is to-
day-a political issue
This is the message Of Mary Garrett
Hay, chairman of the New York City
Woman Suffrage party, member Of the
executive board of the Republican
State Committee and only woman
member of the Republican National
COMMITTEES All her life Miss Hay has
been "for temperance" Her earliest
public work was done as a member of
the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union. During her career as suffrage
leader she never forgot her adherence
to the prohibition cause, and now that
she has won the vote and helped the
women Of the state to secure it she
says that it is natural she should be
among the first to advocate using it to
bring about the ratification of the Fed
oral prohibition amendment, which is
10 come up at Albany during the 1919
session Of the Legislature, which opens
this week.
State Suffragists Advocate Ratification
Miss Hay introduced q resolution in
dorsing ratification at the fifteenth an
nual convention Of the New York State
Woman Suffrage party at Albany on
December g. The resolution was
adopted without dissenting vote.
Il believe in the ratification of the
Federal prohibition amendment by the
New York State Legislature for many
reasons" said Miss Hay in an inter-
view yesterday. I'm the first place. it
is the only way that the government
can amend the Constitution, and the
Legislature which shirks it is trying to
evade the responsibility of facing the
issue. | believe that the New York
Legislature should ratify the amend
ment and not allow the resolution to
be defeated, because I have faith in
this state as a progressive state and
feel that it should take the lead in
reform legislation and not lag behind
other states.
We have a greater need for pro
hibition than perhaps any other state
in the Union because of our peculiar
economic problems. 1t will only be y
question of time before g sufficient
number of states have ratified to Sc
cure the amendment without the aid Of
New York, and | think all progressives
would like to see US in the vanguard.
THE women of New York have
chance they have never had before to
influence legislation, and | feel that
they should carefully consider this mat
ter as a moral question which so near
" affects the good of the home, the
welfare OF the children and of their
own sex. They should become informed
on the issue and rise to their oppor-
tunity and rally to its support
Miss Hays opinions are shared by a
number of suffrage leaders.
Prohibition Womans Problem
at seems to me that prohibition is
largely a woman question:" said Mrs.
Charles L. Tiffany, borough chairman
of Manhattan. "Women suffer more
from drink than men. They have all
the worry and distress that come from
and they get none of the freedom from
care or exh aration that men give as
the excuse for this habit If it were
put to referendum of women I be-
lieve the country would go dry.
The great value of the movement
lies in the safety it will provide Yor
future generations-the changed conds-
tons under which children Will grow
up. l think that the women of the
sue, which is really not merely a uues.
ton of morality, but which affects the
economic welfare of the state and 70
so closely connected with the health
and efficiency of its citizens"
Mrs. David Rogers, suffrage char
man of the Borough of Queens, an
nounced yesterday that the executive
| board of the Woman Suffrage party oy
Queens County had met and adopted q
resolution to request Senator'S and As
semblymen of the district to vote for
the ratification of the amendment Il
am heartily in favor of prohibition"
sand Mrs. Rogers, "and believe that the
majority OF women are for it."
Women Can Put 1t Through
Mrs Robert T. Oliver. leader If tho
18th Assembly District and assistant
to Mrs. Tiffany, believes that if the
women get behind ratification it will
90 through.
THE women of the 18th Senatorial
District which includes the 11th As
aemhly District who defeated Albert
Ottinger on the ground of his legisla
tive record have proved what can be
done by intensive campaign work" she
said. hen the moral issue involved
IN ms record came up they stood
together and worked in the open. USING
campaign and conducting it solely on
the ground of his unfitness to repre-
sent them, no matter what his partv
alhlations might be. The mon in the
district realized they were in earnest
and meant business Now if the women
follow up this victory by BRINGING
pressure to bear upon their Senator
and Assemblyman and let them under
stand that the predominant sentiment
OF their district is for ratification
nave no doubt they can win out lust
as they did in the election. The same
intensive work can be carried on in
an Assembly and Senatorial districts
, IL the women voters are really in ear
nest about prohibition"
Assemblyman Ida b. Sammis Is for n
1t is matter of public knowledge
IN the I'd Assembly District Of Suf
folk County. Long Island, that AS
semblyman Ida b. Sammis viii vote for
ratification. Mrs. Sammis won her
place IN the Legislature after defeat
ing the wet Republican candidate
Henry Murphy, and later won the cleo
ton by plurality of l104 votes over
the Democratic candidate She was
elected on an avowedly dry platform.
securing the support of the Demo
cratic as well as the Republican and
Prohibition women voters.
Mrs. II. Edward Dreier, chairman of
the Borough of Brooklyn of the New
YORK CITY Suifl '. is also an
advocate of prohibition and feels that
It is a moral issue which should H. ot