New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-05
Assemblynsan Sammis
Strong for ''Drys'
Has Personal Reasons as Well
as Public Ones for Her
Stand

There is no secret about the stand
Mrs. Ida B. Sammis, of Huntington,
Long Island Assemblyman from the
second assembly district. will take when
the resolution to ratify the Federal
Prohibition Amendment comes I'D in
Albany
1T will be the proudest moment of
my life" Mrs. Sammis has declared,
when vote yes for ratification. In
the first place, | was elected to nv
seat in the Assembly on dry ticket.
AND IN the second, | not only have cul-
tlvated my leanings toward prohibi-
toni inherited them.
my grandfather, Eliphalet Bunce
Rogers, more than three quarters of
century ago, organized the first tenn
perance society in Huntington county
Town history records the effects of this
reform, and tells of an innkeeper who
emptied his stock of liquor into the
street until whiskey ran like water
My mother kept alive the temper
ance society and devoted her life to
Its propaganda. And if any further
reason were needed, my son, who was
twenty-one years of age on Election
Day, cast his first vote for his mother.
1t is largely for the sake of what it
will mean in his life and the lives of
his children that | stand for national
prohibition"
Then in a low voice Mrs. Sammis
added: you know, my husband was
killed less than two years ago by an
had been drinking.'
Men Didn't "Vote Right
Eight years ago, after eXarting their
influence upon the voters of their
county, the women Of Huntington went
into the little white church and held
an all-day prayer meeting. The bur
den of their plea was that their men
folk might vote right.
but | guess and Mrs. Sammis
smiled as she said it, "the Bible is
right when it says prayer without
work couldn't accomplish much, for
we did not succeed. Now that we
have the vote. we hope to bring about
all that we could only pray for eight
years ago"
Although Mrs. Sammis ran on the
Republican and Prohibition tickets, she
received the support of the Democratic
women voters who helped to manage
her campaign. She had the distinction
OF defeating at the primaries the Re-
publican candidate for nomination.
Henry A. Murphy, notorious for his
wet tendencies and his alleged anti
social and reactionary attitude on all
bllls affecting community welfare. She
carried every town in her district and
ana this on an open and avowed prohi-
bltlon platform, even securing aid from
the Antl.Saloon League, which helped
to organize her district.
Campaign Based on Prohibition
81 entered the campaign" Mrs. Sam
mis- said, ito defeat Mr.. Murphy be-
cause the Republicans could not find
a man who would openly oppose him.
| made up my mind then to put the
issue clean and clear before the peo-
pie. | remember the Republican lead
ers came to me and cautioned me
against making fight on the prohibi-
ton issue. You can vote for it when
you get to the Legislature,' they said,
but keep quiet about it now I told
them that my desire to work for pro
hibition was one Of the reasons I con-
sented to become a candidate, and |
wanted all the voters to know it. They
persisted in their warning and told
me to study the history of the district
which had not had single dry town.
My campaign was no pink tea af-
fair. but | was supported by the women
in my contention that moral issue is
worth standing for. | cannot see
where politics differs from private life
when it comes to d matter of honesty
No one loses in standing for a moral
issue, because it IS the only thing
worth while.
II think that my campaign and my
election showed that the people in this
little section Of New York want to be
decent and want to have decent living
conditions and surroundings for their
children. Mr.. Murphy was swept aside
by the new eloctOrate-tha women