New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-10-01
BUY LIBERTY BONDS.
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.


the question of extending franchise
privileges to women. he must be i'm
pressed by the arguments presented
yesterday in the Senate by President
Wilson when he appeared before that
body and implored the members of
the upper house to pass the suffrage
amendment. When the President
speaks to Congress he always has
something worth while to impart to
it's members, and the passionate and
earnest plea he has made on behalf
of woman suffrage is bound to be re-
f1ected in the votes of the Senators.
When Mr.. Wilson tells the Senate
that "this measure which I urge upon
you is vital to the winning of the
war and to the energies alike of prep
aration and of battle, he must in
deed be convinced that the passing of
the bill is imperative to- the needs of
the nation. While it had been sup
posed that the President favored
woman suffrage by state determina-
ton than by federal initiative, he is
entitled to respect for having the
courage of his convictions in express
ing this apparent change of attitude
on the question.
The following passages from the
Presidents speech are exceedingly
fine:
We have made partners of the
women in this war; shall we ad-
NIT them only to a partnership
of suffering and sacrifice and toll
and not to partnership of priv
ilege and right? This war could
not have been fought. either by
the other nations engaged or by
America if it had not been for
the services of the WOmen-SerV-
ices rendered in every sphere
not merely in the fields of efforts
+ in which we have been accus-
toned to see them work, but
wherever men have worked and
upon the very skirts and edges of
! the battle itself. We shall not
| only be distrustcd but shall de-
serve to be distrusted if we do
not enfranchise them with the
fullest possible enfranc
as it is now certain that the 9TH
| err great free nations will enfran-
chise them. We cannot isolate
| our thought and action in such a
| matter from the thought of the
rest of the world. We must
| either conform or deliberately re-
! ject what they propose and re-
sign the leadership of liberal
| minds to others.
And again:
And not to the winning of the
war only. 1t is vital to the right
solution of the great problems
which we must settle and settle
Immediately when the war is
/ over. We shall need then in our
! vision of affairs as we have new
err needed them before, the SYM
! pathy and insight and clear mo-
raj instinct of the women of the
world. The problems of that
time will strike to the roots of
many things that we have not
hitherto questioned, and I for
one believe that our safety in
those questioning days, as we'll as
our comprehension of matters
! that touch society to the quick
will depend upon the direct and
authoritative participation OF Wo-
men in our counsc We shall
need their, moral sense to pre-
serve what 10 right and fine and
worth In our system OF life as
we'll as to discover just what it is
that ought to be purified and re-
formed Without their counsel
lings we shall be only half wise.
The Senate generally follows the
Presidents advice, so we may expect
to note a change in front on the part
of some Senators who have hereto
! Based on past performances, it
seems a pretty sound policy to adopt
the Presidents suggestions, Why not
adopt this one?