The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-12
A Believer In woman,s Rights.

Vi BOOu l1llL.-EDS.j
A Believer In woman,s Rights.
EDS. RECORD UNION: We women APP
preciate your paper, hence the call for
space for suffrage and temperance work.
few mornings ago young man
called whom I am well acquainted with,
and presented petition reading like
this: "To the Legislature OF the State of
California: We, the undersigned citizens of
California, ask you TO pass law granting
full suffrage to the women of California"
He read it over carefully and said,
without hesitating moment, "Ye s, in
deed, will sign that; L am always in ia
yor OF anything that will benefit the
ladies, and L know of nothing that would
be greater advantage TO them than the
ballot" This is a fair specimen of the
educated, refined young men of the
nineteenth century, and from such we
take courage, believing that enough of
such will finally come to the front to gain
prohibition and equal suffrage for all;
that our land may in truth be ''the land
of the free and the home of the brave"
A few days later another young man
called, and likewise presented the same
petition for his signature. He also read
it carefully and said he would sign it;
saw no reason why women should not
vote, but did not think they should fill
oftlces or enter the professions. | asked
what his objections were based upon, and
he replied that farther East women were
filling the various positions so well that
they were driving men out of employ
ment. Strange, is it not, that anyone in
this advanced age of the world should
make such an argument as that? Why
don't we women complain because the
men are encroaching upon our lines Of
employment?
If we believe that each sex has its
working sphere, and that the other sex
has no right to cross that line, then GER
tainly we could well complain of men
engaging in women's work, throwing
them out of employment.
Ihlnk OF the thousands of men who are
engaged as walters in hotels and private
families, as cooks, yes, even doing all
kinds OF chamber work, as laundresses,
tallors, dressmakers. Yes, and some of
the finest milliners in the world are men,
and the largest hair jewelry establish
ment in the world is owned and con-
Quoted by men; hundreds Of men are en-
ployed by them yearly.
lce-cream parlors, lemonade stands,
bakeries, confectioneries, and other de-
partments too numerous to mention, are
1illed by men, that we might rightly saw
belonged to women.
But who every says anything about the
women being crowded out of employ
ment by men?
Wen, am sure l do not for one. I
Delleye IN each individual filling any po-
sitlon that he or she may be fitted and
fully qualified TO fill, irrespective of sex,
and that no barriers should exist on ac-
count of sex. We are glad that the peo-
pie are getting more liberal in their views
on this subject. Forty-one years ago no
profession was open to women, and very
few ways OF making their living, except
by homework, sewing and knitting,
spinning and teaching school, and for the
latter they only received half the pay that
a man received for the same work. Now
over three hundred different pur-
suits are open to them, and how
thankful we are that SO much
has been gained, and yet
there are not enough. If we were sure of
always having kind father, or husband,
to provide us with homes and home COM
forts we would not be so anxious for
the privilege of entering the profess
sions and that all avenues of labor be
opened to us; but many thousands of
women are thrown upon their own re-
sources to earn their daily bread, and
often for family Of small children, and
very often for an invalid husband; and as
the ballot is the safest weapon, for all
classes and under all conditions, espec-
tally for the working classes; as the
negro and naturalized foreigners, Indians
who are taxpayers, yes, even the native
born Chlnaman, are voters, we think it is
time that American women be given the
ballot. Fathers, brothers and sons, think
of it, and see if you, too, don't think we
are worthy of the franchise.
1t has proved success wherever it has
been tried. Women now vote in over
thirty States, in some capacity. In most
of the States they have school suffrage.
and in Kansas they have municipal
suffrage, and in glorious Wyoming men
and women vote on equal terms and have
for the past twenty-one years, and all say
woman suffrage in Wyoming is success.
This coming election women of Wyoming
will cast their ballots for President and
Vice-P resident-the first time that women
have had that privilege. 1t begins to look
like the principles set forth in the Declara-
ton of Independence may yet be realized
that taxation without representation is
tyranny" VIII not our noble men Of
California come forward and give our
women the ballot, that California may be
second to Wyoming in this great cause?
Il. C.. K.