Omaha Daily Republican

August 2, 1881

SUFFRAGE AND PROHIBITION

Our Lincoln correspondent informs us that Mr. John B. Finch has returned to finish the work which a trifling temporary embarrassment forced him to leave. The temperance forces are massed at Lincoln, and it is proposed by then that Nebraska step from the Slocomb law to prohibition. Concerning the unwisdom of such a step THE REPUBLICAN will frequently have something to say; but just now it seems as though a word of warning to the friends of woman suffrage were necessary, whether the step toward prohibition be right or wrong.

Woman suffrage in Nebraska ought to carry, and the chances have been in favor of it, but it cannot if it is placed in conjunction with prohibition. It cannot if the friends of woman suffrage attempt to work for prohibition. The two principles are as dissimilar as the wise and the foolish. They bear no resemblance in importance. The principle of woman suffrage is at the bottom of representative government, that of prohibition is a bubble on the surface. Prohibition has enemies who are in favor of woman suffrage, and they are men whose enmity toward prohibition is so strong that if there appear anything like an alliance of suffrage and prohibition, their votes will be cast against suffrage.

The experience of other states shows the imminence of our danger. In almost every state, woman suffrage and prohibition have gone hand-in-hand to death. About the time that the suffrage sentiment has secured a promising strength, along have come the prohibition zealots and fanatics and fastened their enervating cause upon the suffragists. Then the anti-suffragists have gathered strength. Then they have pointed to the alliance and said, “See! - your suffragists are a crazy crowd of women with short clothes and men with long hair. They are ridiculous and silly. Now we can see what woman suffrage really means.” Anti-prohibitionists have spent money to defeat prohibition, and incidentally to defeat woman suffrage. The sober, sensible, conservative men of the state have staid away from the polls or have refused to vote on the question of suffrage. In nearly every state in the north, prohibition and suffrage occupy a common grave.

The woman suffragists of Nebraska are mostly women. In one way this state of things is encouraging, vis, it shows the interest taken in the question by those most concerned; but in another way it may be unfortunate. Most women are “temperance men.” Most of them are irrationally so, because they exaggerate the existence of intemperance and because they feel a great deal more they think. The tendency of these women is toward an alliance with the prohibitionist forces. To tell the truth, some of them (the workers in suffrage know how many) have accepted the idea of woman suffrage merely because they have fancied that suffrage can be used as a weapon against intemperance, or - as they would put it - an implement to secure prohibition. If the power to vote on the liqour question were denied them, they would not snap their fingers for the sake of the rest of suffrage; if the power to vote on the liquor question were given them, they would not even ask for the right to vote on any other question. The presence of these women in suffrage ranks of Nebraska to-day is a positive danger, and the wisdom of true suffragists must restrain them or eliminate them. Suffrage cannot carry in Nebraska weighted down with prohibition.

The speakers on suffrage in this state must fight shy of prohibition. They must take no part in prohibition conventions, conferences or committees. They must, in short, leave prohibition to fight for itself. It may be right or wrong - it may be expedient or inexpedient - the question is not concerning it. The question merely is, to the suffragists, is suffrage paramount? Can they sink all other issues to advocate this? Can they consider it the thing itself rather than an instrument to secure the thing? Can they make it their true objective point? If they can, they will succeed; otherwise they will fail, exactly as suffragists in other state have failed before them.