The San Francisco call., 1896-11-01
VOTE FOR SUFFRAGE.
An Appeat to Hork kin0men for tHe Siaih
Amendment.

should be so interested in giving the ballot to
women as the wage e-earners. There are said to
| be 10000 women in the City of San Francisco
alone who are earning their own living out
side of domestic service. All of these women,
! OF course, are disfranchised and so long as
| this is the case they will be at disadvantage,
and the men with whom they compete also
will be sufferers What would be the condition
of The workingman without the franchise?
| Where would be his power? Every party, every
candidate to-day makes his trongest and high
est bid for the labor vote, Without this can
didate cannot be elected, nor party hope to
! be put into power. Parties and candidates are
willing to promise anything, everything, in
| exchange for the votes OF the workingmen,
ana II these promises are not kept the wage
| at the next election. Take away their vote
and there would be but one way for them to
never be resorted to in this country. The vote
| is the safety-valve that prevents an explosion.
1t is the weapon with which the oppressed
may defend themselves and it is the only one
permitted by the laws of our country.
Since this is so essential to the workingman
why is it not equally necessary to the working
woman? Their interests are Identical what
ever one needs the other needs. In the present
| campaign one party tries to prove that Mark
Hanna pays insufficient wages to the men in
his employ; the other party charges that
! SewalPs employees are under paid, and these
are given as sufficient reasons for oefeat.
/ Now, If it were true that in either case the
men were paid the very lowest wages, which
it is charged they are getting, they would be
far higher than tens OF thousands OF women
are receiving in all parts of the country. The
official statistics show that many of these
women receive from 121% TO Is cents for a
| long days labor, often OIL fourteen TO sixteen
hours.
How can workingmen stand by and see this
| terrible injustice 1t is idle to say that the
ballot would not partially, at least, remedy
these conditions 1t will do for the working
woman all it does for the working man. If
every woman who is now compelled 10 work
for 10 or so cents a day held in her hand
ballot there would be Legislative inquiry, and
the lawmakers and the candidates and the
politicians all would interest themselves III
| the emancipation of these woman slaves. In
| helping these women, the workingmen will
| help themselves Their own wages must be
dragged down by the competition of this de-
| graded, disfranchised labor, an underbidding
which, God knows, these unfortunate women
! are not responsible for.
The necessity for the enfranchisement of
women is recognized by all the foremost
leaders OF the labor movement Powderfy,
| Gompers, Arthur, Sargent, -Debs all of them
pronounced advocates of woman suffrage AT
| the great National convention of the Fedora
ton of Laborln In Atlanta, the strongest possible
resolution was adopted declaring for the en-
franchisement of women. At the National
convention OF the Knights of Labor in Wash
ington, D. c.. a resolution was carried without
debate and by rising vote, demanding the
franchise for all citizens without regard 10 sex
AT the National Trades Union Congress, which
met in Denver, q resolution was adopted by
unanimous consent declaring in favor of abso-
| lutte political and industrial equality for the
| women OF the United States. In New York
| City organizations representing over 100 600
men wage-earners have signed petitions asking
suffrage for women. The central labor unions
of all the large cities have repeatedly put
! themselves on record as favorable TO woman
suffrage. There is probably not q newspaper
! in the country published in the interest of
labor that does not stand for political rights
| for women.
vember the labor organizations of California
more than double their strength, They secure
not only the votes of the women of working
mems families, but those of all the wage-earn-
| Ing women of the State These women can be
] depended upon to stand solid for the interests
/ OF labor, ana to these may be added the votes
| of many more women whose sympathies ana
whose work in the charities and reforms has
brought them in touch with the working peo-
pie.
| More than all other men should the wage
earners feel vital interest in giving the bal
! lot to women, since, uch as they would love
to do so, they cannot keep the women of their
families in that ease and comfort which sur
round those OF the wealthy, and therefore
they should give them every opportunity to
| strengthen and protect themselves. The
| daughters OF these men who toll will in their
| turn have to become breadwinners, and the
fathers and the brothers should grant them
| every protection which 1t is in their power 10
beStow, and the gre atest OF all is the franchise
the right which will enable them 10 protect ali
| other rights. In voting "yes'' upon this sixth
amendment the workingmau does something
more than justice TO all women-he directly
benefits and protects the women OF his own
| family.
Let not the workingmen of California he
stampeded by the cry of the enemy raised at
| the last moment to defeat this measure-that
| the ballot in the hands of women means a
| reign OF sumptuary laws. This scheme was ar
! tempted in Colorado and the voters renlied
with majority of nearly 1000 in favor OF wo-
man Suffrage. This has been tried for three
years in that State, and the testimony of STATE
| othcials, OF newspapers and of prominent man
OF all parties is that it has worked for the best
| interests Oh the state, has proved an unquaIi-
| fed success and that there is no wish on the
| part of any one to have it repealed Women
have voted for twenty-fiye years in England,
and In this country in Wyoming and there
mas been no attempt to interfere with business
| interests or introduce sumptuary laws Thav
nave, nave INSISTED only upon respectable candi-
oates ana the maintenance Of law and order
as lar as possible. Nothing could be more h
suro than to suppose that If universal suffrage
Is granteo IN California the women will ever
array themselves upon one side and the men
upon the other of any question. When thev tj,s,,
are eniranchised the women viii divide mn
ar.S ar & .ms o.Ierent existing political parties,
anu WorK ana vote with them Just as men do
The women of the State have made a clean
h hhones. campaign against heavy odds There
nave been great National issues atstske which
nave overshadowed all Others in interast.
money has been hard to obtain; political
pa.ties nave been so disrupted by dissensions
as tomake it impossible for them to give any
considerable attention or assistance TO the
campaign for suffrage. But, in spite OF all
alscouragements, the women have Quietly and
plaveiy continued their work, and it has Deen
naruer and more exacting than any pen can
describe. They have been Gin politics. more
snan they ever viii have to be again If the suf-
Irage is granted to them for hereafter they
car, can work within their own parties, where they
VIII De welcome and respected and protected,
| INSTEAD OIL having to force somewhat unwill-
ing recognition from all parties; and the vast
majority OF women will take no prominent
public part. but will do their work through
| tnat silent power which lies in the ballot.
NOW they resi- their case. On November 3 IL
goes to the jury of the men OF California. If
IN sae decision is adverse then all the hard work
e-xttt1I Eox-a - -. .l-.--
| over again, for this women of the State are SO
thoroughly aroused upon this question that
they never will cease their efforts till they
have obtained the franchise. We believe the
| men Will not ask US to make another cam