Evening star., 1901-11-16
English Women Must Contribute
Full Share in Finances.
BUT HAVE NO SAY IN MANAGEMENT
Men Respect the Female Element,
but Like to Boss.
SCORN OF CHARITY LEADERS
Written for The Evening Star.

The English woman trade unionist is a
factor in the English industrial problem
which seems to have attracted very little
attention. The man. to certain extent,
has CARED her battles into his own arena
and fought for her when he was fighting
for himself, but she has had almost no
voice in the government of the trade
union where her name was enrolled. She
has. however, borne equally with the man
all of the financial burdens, and suffered
as much he in the labor strikes. She
has, in fact, shared equally in all the things
which have counted for disadvantage or
discredit without any of the honor and
glory in the victories or any chance to avert
the defeats.
In considering the question of trade
unionism the average person outside takes
almost no account of the woman in the
organization; in planning the campaigns
from within the average trade union man
gives her no special consideration. He
says that the rights of the female in the,
labor struggle have been the rights of the
male; that he has won for her every con-
cession she now possesses. Many of them
will wax eloquent on the spirit of me-
diaeval chivalry in the breast of the Brit
ish workman of today who wants to right
all the wrongs of woman, carry all her
burdens and receive his reward only in her
approval.
AS an American woman I shall take care
to express the British trade union woman'S
ideas only as I have heard her express
them herself. not only to me- but also to
the man, although timidly perhaps, and
as l have heard them expressed by those
trade union men who are most in contact
with the women and understand them best
She is a 'Female."
In the first place, the so-called chivalry
would count for very much more if the
woman did not rank as female" in all
calculations; if she was not technically
called female in everything written
and said the subject by the men of the
organization. While the word feminine
means all that is lovelest and sweetest in
the woman character, the word female
means nothing more than difference in SEX
1t is applied as often and as properly to an
animal to a woman, and it carries with
it no sentiment. The knights of the Fairy
Queen did not succor females In dis
tress, the warriors of the Wayerley novels
did not risk life and limb in tournaments
to receive a mark of favor from ''fe-
males" hand. Women of whom they spoke
and thought as females were not the
ones for whom they lived or fought or died.
The English workman does not say he
has fallen in love with a female. he
calls her a woman, because she means to
him then all that the word implies He
calculates with the woman in trade union
ism a female because she means that
to him in this connection. When he Is
honest he confesses that he has lifted her
thus far with himself because this was to
his own interest, but that he has not want
ed her to ''muddle' In the government OF
the organization, and that he has repelled
her attempts to do SO.
There are many trade union women who
still coEtent to remain nonentities In
the organization, but there are many 9TH
erS, led by women of ability, who intend to
remain nonentities no longer. They declare
that they have wrongs to right which the
men have not considered. They say that
in many cases where the men demanded
the same wages for the women 1t simply
meant starvation for them as few employ
of manual labor consider women as
good as men at the same price. Moreover,
there are those who insist that much of the
evil in trade unionism today would have
been avoided if the women had had a voice
in the management of affairs.
Trade Union League.
There is definite organization of trade
union women apart from the great socie-
ties of the men. 1t was founded In 1874 by
a woman printer. Miss Emma Smith, after
ward Mrs Patterson, and it was modelled
after the friendly societies Of the United
States for women of the working classes.
Miss Smith managed to get to America to
study this movement. 1t was several years
before the women became bold enough to
make an open avowal of their principles
under the name of the Trade Union
League" They met storm of dsapproval
has not been greatly modified.
Under these circumstances it is curious
that the league is more largely influenced
by a member of the ariStocracy than by
any other woman. Lady Duke is their
practical head; she knows the details of
each woman's work; she is constantly con-
suited on every plan; she is the chief ad-
vocate of the league at the trade union
congresses. One sees very soon that she
works amang them as American wo-
man in her position would do; that she
uses none of the ideas controlling En-
gl;sh charity leaders who patronize while
they attempt to help. and spend their
time making props for the tree which
would grow strong by itself if only started
like the English working men in har-
anguing bitterly against the privileged"
class and in scorning the fine ladies and
gentlemen who drive in state up to their
cottages and send in baskets by the foot
man. Yet the highest born lady in Eng
land could come and go among them as
Lady Dixie has done for years in the
same spirit of genuine friendliness and
never receive a discourtesy.
Has Spread Widely
The league numbers today about 81. 900
women, who must belong also to a regu-
lar trade union. They have so far done
most of their work through their alliance
with the men. This is partly due to their
own timidity. but largely because they
have met with little encouragement for
separate effort from the great body of trade
union men.
Among the strongest advocates In their
ranks for separate effort Is Miss Emma
Silcock one of the women delegates at
the recent trade congress at Swansea.
1--WE are not contented with the mems
work for u.s. she says. because in some
instances their interests are divergent
The driving system in the weaving trade
for instance, should be abolished al
though the men weavers do not think so.
According to this system a woman must
do a certain amount of work or be dis
charged. In Lancashire, short time ago.
a woman weaver committed suicide after
being discharged on this account, al
though it was proven afterward that she