Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-14
Women Must Save the Situation

The most serious problems of
this world are those which collide
with maternity and the future of
mothers children, after they come
into the world. There may be some
thing valuable in birth control if it
is to continue to be a world of wars,
and the destruction of humankind,
facing cannon and poison gas, in
battle array, at the bidding Of am
bilious political leaders. There is
behind this whole war business the
duty CT motherhood, to those who
owe their absolute existence to the
mothers Of men. Every human be-
ing has had a mother. The AL
mighty Maker Of heaven and earth
made choice of the woman to bring
forth all Of human kind. 1t goes
without saying that mothers should
be allowed a voice in the war-deter-
limitations of every country. If these
mothers are required to bring into
existence all mankind, and it is al
lowable for these ambitious leaders
to call out their sons to fight, even
to death, for boundary lines or eco
nomic rivalries, or military brigan-
dage in the shape of armed regi-
|ments or great army corps, it is
manifest1y just that the mothers
should have a say in the matter.
When the disarmament confer
ence met in Washington City it was
the hope of intelligent motherhood
that women might be given a pub
lie hearing on the war questions to
be considered. But there was no
opportunity offered, and so far as I
know, no mother, or intelligent
woman was allowed to adventure
into the great council chamber, or
even present a demurrer or petition
against the practice CT carrying
American boys into foreign coun-
tries to engage in a life and death
struggle to cary out the wishes OF
rulers in various great countries.
There should be clear understand
ing in this matter. When ones
country is invaded by foreign foe,
lit is the duty of mothers sons to
meet the foreign invader, but it is
the manifest right, as we'll as duty
of mothers to pass upon the. cbli-
cation of foreign wars-with or
without conquest, in foreign lands.
remember with distinct memory
the first attempt made by the
United States in colonization Of for
eign territory. 1t begun with the
Hawaiin islands, and expanded into
the war in Cuba, and finally absorb
ed the Philippine islands-with i'm
mense outlay of the peoples money
raised in taxation.
We paid Spain twenty millions Of
dollars for the islands, and we have
spent perhaps more than twenty
million dollars to suppress a rebel
lion of the little brown men in the
is1ands-against their protest Of our
invasion of those high-priced is
lands, long under Spanish rule.
Unless war is the fundamental
method of diminishing over-popu-
lated countries war has always
been a foe to life, liberty and the
pursuit Of happiness-and we did
go, nine thousand miles, to fight for
supremacy over little brown men.
when we had at least ten millions
Of African descendants right here
among us that were exceedingly
vexatious, to put it plainly.
But the fundamental question for
motherhood is what must happen
to American boys if we are going
to continue in this war business, as
a matter of conquest Of territory
or joining foreign forces-without
expectation of conquest, as it has
happened during the late worlds
war.
The women Of the United States,
in possession of the ballot privilege,
will have the right to say something
at the ballot box, if they are not
allowed to present their viewpoint
at disarmament conference.