Today in 1915: New Jersey’s Religious and Political Leaders Speak Up for Suffrage

[niyad]

Today in 1915: New Jersey’s Religious and Political Leaders Speak Up for Suffrage




October 16, 1915: The campaign to pass the New Jersey suffrage referendum three days from now is finishing up in grand style with William Jennings Bryan, Senator William Borah and Rabbi Stephen S. Wise having given stirring speeches tonight in Paterson and Newark.
According to Bryan: “The burden of proof is on the opponents of woman suffrage. The most convincing argument in favor of it is that a mother has the right to a voice in determining the environment that should surround her children.” He also noted that the character of the opposition should be sufficient to convince anyone to vote pro-suffrage.

Senator Borah, Republican of Idaho, where women have been eligible to vote since 1896, said that though he couldn’t claim that women having the vote would eliminate all political evils or injustices, he did think that women would find and correct many wrongs that men have not.
A stamp recently printed up by suffrage supporters which can be put on an envelope along with the standard two cents postage. This way, people can promote the cause on the outside of the envelope as well as through the letter or flyer inside.

A stamp recently printed up by suffrage supporters which can be put on an envelope along with the standard two cents postage. This way, people can promote the cause on the outside of the envelope as well as through the letter or flyer inside.
Rabbi Wise looked forward to a more peaceful world after equal suffrage, because: “‘Military preparedness’ means war, and there will never be a beginning of an end of war until women vote.” He then predicted that if suffrage was successful in New Jersey, it would also win in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts on November 2nd.

If the referendum does win in New Jersey, it will be after an uphill fight, because woman suffrage has very powerful opponents. But Mina Van Winkle, head of the Women’s Political Union of New Jersey is confident: “We have made a good fight and we think an effective one. If we have an honest election and an honest count of the vote, and if underground influences that we are not in a position to meet do not get in their work on Tuesday, we should win.” Mrs. E. F. Feickert, President of the New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association, not only predicted that suffrage would win, but that it would do so by as much as 25,000 votes:

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http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2014/10/16/today-in-1915-new-jerseys-religious-and-political-leaders-speak-up-for-suffrage/