The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-02
A wOMAN'S REASON.
Explains Why She Will Not Vote
For Woman.
no the Editor OF The Herald:

Explains Why, She Will Not Vote
For Woman.
To the Editor of The Herald:
There has been much comment in
the newspapers since the election of
municipal officers in Salt Lake why
women do not vote for candidates of
their own sex. Being one of the I'M
fortunate sex Ca woman, l will plain
| ly state my reason, which 1 think will
cover that of a majority of the women
who are in business which is this:
/ That nine times out of ten when a
woman is put in a position of control
or management of her SubordinateS
she is much more brutal and unfor-
giving than men in the same position.
l speak from practical experience with
my sex, having on many occasions
had ample opportunity to study the
nature and disposition of women, and
1 will here give you two Illustrations
which will bear me out in the asser-
ton that men are kinder masters than
women are miStresseS
Once when I was = stranger in a
strange city, [ was without employ
ment, and, rather than remain idle and
eat my head off quitting it in horse
parlance) I resorted to a fashionable
dressmaller for work l was an expert
buttonhoie worker, having done great
deal of needle work in my early life,
and could easily earn 81 by working
them by the buttonhole instead of by
the day. This madame, as they are
usually called, had in her employ about
% women.
This being my first experience with
that class of women, 1 naturally did
not know what to expect, and l must
say that 1 was most painfully sur
prised and shocked at. the treatment
this madam accorded to the women in
her employ. They were allowed but
half an hour for lunch and every
movement they made was closely
watched by this lynx-eyed devil
Qor she was nothing else), and
the slightest infringement of the rules
of the establishment brought down
upon the poor victim the most scath-
ing rebukes. This madam was a highly
educated woman, and her brutality did
not spring from ignorance, but simply
bad heart 1t is useless to say that
L only remained a subordinate in her
den for two days, when l threw the
work at her and told her what brute
she was, much to the satisfaction of
the poor, cowardly wretches who were
compelled to remain with her.
The other instance was that of a fe-
male bookkeeper in a wholesale mil
linery establishment. This woman had
natural aptitude for her line of work
but, outside of that, wholly ignorant
of the rules Of grammar and rhetoric
A few days after my installment in
position | was told to act as shipping
clerk, which [ had never done in my
life, and I told her 1 could act in the
capacity, but that I would not promise
went to the firm and told them that 1
had said I was not an expert shipping
clerk and that she thought my serv-
ices could be had cheaper than they
had proposed to secure them. She
acknowledged that l was first-class in
the performance of the other duties
assigned me, which had undergone a
test before my engagement, but sim
ply on this preteXt, and to ingratiate
herself in the good will of the firm
she thought to cut down the salary
they We're willing to give me- 1 was
so disguised with this female that I
quit that job.
These are only two of the many in
stances that l could give of a woman's
actions when in a position to control
others Of her sex; and [ am sure this
is the reason that women who have to
earn their living are opposed to voting
tor other women for a position giving
them authority over their sex.
liCI I 10 d class OIL women VINO OBJECT
to women going into public life for the
reason that it makes them unwomanIy.
but this is not so, for if a woman is
good and true and endowed with a kind,
pure heart she cannot be spoiled By
adopting any work that will enable
her to earn a living.
When women learn to be kind and
good, when they can be as polite and
agreeable to women as they are to
men, when they can instruct, honor
safely venture into politics, but until
they acquire these humane faculties it
is useless for them to seek office giving
them authority and expect to be elected
by the vote Of their sex.
This is a working woman's objection
to women holding Office, and 1 would
be pleased if some representatives of
the other classes of women would en-
tighten us as to the reasons why thew
do not vote for women candidates.
YIRAGO