The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-06
What Every Woman Wants to Know

| ~~~SS -a y V | This column is conducted under the
 auspices of the press and publicity coun- l Gil of the Birmingham Equar Suffrage association. Questions about politics and government will be welcomed. An swers will apear on Sunday in The | Age-Herald. Please address all ques-
 tions to Mrs. Roy M. Sterne, 1525 Beech street.
 All roads lead to Rome; so all laws
 in Congerss today lead to the war, or from 1t! Appropriations for armies revenue bills for raising inconceivable sums needed in our fight for democ- racy are of paramount importance, but they are necessarily of a temporary nature and tend in nowise to the grad nal development of government along lines of efficiency and progress. Other laws now before Congress are of fun damental importance. and their value will reach across times of war into the coming peace and perhaps be strong arches of the bridge to span the chasm of readjustment. Of these the suffrage and prohibition amendments to the constitution are the most striking. Pro- hibition has gone through and is up to the states. The suffrage amendment is due to go lover the top" January 10.
 Besides these bills there are numer- ous measures before Congress which everyone should know and study be- cause of their far-reaching effects. Without attempting to pass judgment hnr, thA 1f k; hopes from time to time to present certain of these acts to the readers for the benefit of the suffragists that they may ever prepare themselves more fully to step into full citizenship when Alabama calls them.
 One of the most necessary measures now before Congress is that which ere ates a national labor exchange. War has made the adoption of better sys- tenn of finding employment for labor a matter of national self preservation The chaotic condition of the market for women's labor in the war is but one example of the inadequacy of "volun- teer machinery" The lack of ma chinery for intelligent and effective distribution of labor Is apt to bring on crisis in the country. The labor exchange bill now before Congress may prevent the upheaval. The proposal for an adequate remedy is found in the bill Introduced for the creation of n federal employment service under the department of labor with interstate CO., operation. The bill provides for a na- tional director appointed by the Presi- dent who shall have centralized control over unified net work of local em- ployment bureaus. To encourage the immediate creation of efficient labor exchanges affiliating with the nation al exchange the federal government Is | asked to grant dollar for dollar to the | state and city employment bureau 1 which would join forces with the na- | tional Surely a liberal inducement,
 If the bill is passed it will achieve 1 threefold purpose: the mobilization | Of our man and woman power for | war strength, the reabsorption of our soldiers returning into industry with- out chaos and the stabilization of the labor supply to semeet the growing needs of the future. It is such laws as these that will enlist the inter- est and cooperation of women when they shall be admitted to the full rights of citizenship in the United States.
 DEPENDS ON POINT OF VIEW
 Mrs vanderlip spoke on the vital ,e@d for suffrage and suffra gists in he war work of the United States in fer recent address in Birmingham. The reception by the audience of Mrs. speech leads one to doubt he entire truth of the chancellor of rennessee's remarks when he de- Jared that the sober Judgment of the ountry was against suffrage. It struck ne as an unusually sober audience which applauded Mrs. vanderlip. It lso strikes me that we have a Presl- ent. cabinet and supreme court all f whom capable surely of rendering cber judgment. are in favor of sui. rage for women. The statement of he chancellor seems especially unfor- unate when we recall that the only I efeat suffrage has suffered in the ( ear of 1917 was at the hands of the $ rganized Cincinnati breweries-a : hining example of sober" Judgment. :
 A WAR HINT TO THE ANTIS 5 Tho male men of Alabama who are r 3 kind as to organize the anti-suf- f age society of the protection of 2 DOT. frail woman against herself a nd the dangers of the polls-are to be for such display of O yeet humanitarian impulses. Tn these il avs of conservation. however. it a sems pity to waste all this chiyal- n ,us protection upon articulate wom- tt mood. I can only suggest that this J 1ergy. this courage. this masterly or c anization. be turned into more use- g. Il channels: that. in short, the mems s; nti-suffrage organization transform h self into a branch of the Society for a ie Protection of Our Dumb Animals. bl he women can talk for themselves. eI
 ti
 CAN FIGURES LIE?
 What even the weak, illogical mind g'
 woman can find flaws in the areu- ss ent of the noted CD chancellor from al snnessee, who promises disaster to .n e world if women vote. there must n'
 something wrong with his state ll li ent. In the first place. he begs us [.
 study his eloquent figures, then ..in, ves his own more than eloquent q.