The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-03

Hello girl and was doing wholly sat
1sfactory work. 2 This decreases tho
man sof 'statist tendencies, one.
Men think that women will purify
the ballot, but unless she ~wakens to
her responsibilities, she will only make
erlevous mistakes for years; as many
years as did the men before her: Sup
pose, Tor instance, that tonight, when
you went home, you were confronted
with the need of electing an alderman
tomorrow. How many of you could
DO it, You can not trust intuition that
peculiar faculty on which you are wont
to really, and which men, not UNDER
standing themselves. regard as almost
miraculous. You may change tho CO.
guardianship law, and raid the saloons
by intuition, but it will fail you ut
terly In the selection of an alderman.
You can not select the best man, be-
cause a man of good principle may
hopelessly muddle the good paying pro-
position. and may waste public money
learning how to do things. 1t is this
point. on which fear the discrimina-
ton of women, until they are better
educated in political economy.
Many things which women abhor,
years of legislation; have decided were
the lesser of two evils. and have adopt
ed. 1t took years of law making. Of
defeats and triumphs, of misdirected,
and we'll directed effort to bring the
country to where 1T is now, and that
when. the women vote, they should pro-
fit by all the bitter experiences of the
men, and be ready, to make things bet
ter, by voting intelligently. =:
Nearly all the great movemen
which the women have sought to carry
in the past twenty years, have been
either directed to the lettering of their
own condition or to the restricting of
certain privileges which the men had.
do not recall a movement enforced by
women, restricting women from doing
anything which they were allowed to
do by law. This seems unjust to me.
Women are no better qualified to make
laws for men, than are men to make for
women. and men have made laws for
themselves, after years Of deliberation,
the nature of which it was unneces-
sary, and unwise to tell women.
who shall say whether they were
right or wrong. Men? They judge
themselves. Women? They are wo-
men, and do not understand. The on
~ thing they can know about the matt
ter Is that they are laws which they
would not want for themselves. Sex
is going, always, to make difference
of opinion among men. and women, re-
garding law and that is why I am in
favor OF logic instead of intuition.
when franchise comes to Wisconsin,
women must vote on the hour Of clos
ing the saloon, the amount of the
monthly f1ne which the women of the
demi world pay, the tasks that are i'm
posed in the state prisons, as well as
on the superintendent of schools, and
the salary Of the mayor.
Il want to say q word as to the home
Personally I do not believe that fran
chise will make it one with less home
like, nor any less retreat for tired
husbands, and an inspiration for grow
ing sons.
my observation has been that the
most successful business and profess
sional women; women whose very souls
are wrapped up in their battle with
TIE world, crave. q home more than the
woman whose only occupation is the
care of one. The greater the income,
the more beautiful the home maintain
ed by SUCH a woman. I. have only to
refer you to the magnificent homes OF
successful actresses, doctors and writ
ers. the cosy, CHEEKY room Of the
stenographer; the chatting dish of the
school teacher; and the single rose,
! which makes brighter the one room Of
| the girl who earns her bread behind the
| ribbon counter.
The duties OF motherhood are ir-
resistable and of necessity, absorbing
| for the time being. I do not believe
| any woman, reared to manageable age
| taught the science of the ballot, and
| given the breath Of the very life Of
! the world, in her nostrils, will not as
| willingly give up ten or fifteen years
of her life to child bearing as does
| the unfranchised woman of today.
In fact believe she will do 1t more
| willingly with the ballot. and the
| knowledge which she must acquirce in
| order to use it, women is better fitted
to bring up her children. She is quail
fed to teach them the principles of
truth, uprightness, gentleness and
| justice.
| where few years ago, she could
only teach them religion, and mend
their clothes, she can now than teach
them life itself, and equip them for lfv-
ing among people.
ITO me it has always been a matter
of amazement that men, while keep
ing their wives in total ignorance Of
what their own early lives had been,
and knowing exactly what that of their
sons would be. should calmly turn their
boys, and girls, too, for that matter,
| over to her guidance and tho same time
! vote for measures which would build
! pitfalls for those same sons and
! daughters at every step.
! Il know that mother who teaches
honesty in it's broadcast sense, does we'll
by her children, but what Of the mother
who wont let her son smoke his pipe
in her parlors because she thinks it is
not good for him? Should not her
husband tell her where he will smoke
his pipe? Will not the women who
vote for or against the maintaniences
of tho places where their sons, smoke.
realize the value of a pretty smoking
room in their own homes? / think 80