The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-05-19

OSler.
The RIGHTS AND BETTERMENT
J. OF WOMANKIND.
| BY a Married Woman.
| The rights and betterment of wom-
ankind seems to be one of the absorb
ing. topics of the time, and we'll it
may be. I am glad enough to see it
Is being discussed in a magazine. prin-
cirally read by men. The glory Of the
nation is in its women.
It is difficult to note the successful
conditions of the countries which have
given their women the greatest free
dom OF thought and speech, and power
to act from a civic standpoint. Wom-
! en- will yet be the savior of the world.
There is not . masculine worthy be-
Ing called man" who would like to
have his women folk classed as GRIM
1nals. paupers, idiots, and yet they are
the unfortunates upon whom man
draWeth the line Of exclusion when it
| comes to voting. Men do class bright,
| brainy, wholesome women among just
suc'i scum when they refuse them the
J power of the franchise.
| E,Lry once in a while one comes
| across AN article from the pen Of a
| know it ALL" who has self imposed
task to warn everyone of both sexes
! that to "allow a woman to vote unsex-
| es her, makes her unwomanly, rubs
| of tho boom. ETC., etc" until one NUT
| tiers In disgust rot" Oh, yes, it all
| looks lovely in print. But it can not
| be the mere doing of the act that is
| to make such a woeful change in
| women. And deterioration must come
from contact with polluted filth.
Women in enc capacity or another,
| especially as the wife, have to come
In close relations with man. The very
fact, that a few words have been said
| over Nler head By the clergy or State
| alters the state of affairs. She then
| has to stand for all sorts of thin gs
that ''soon wears off her bloom," but,
| thank Heaven, rarely unsexes or
| makes her womanly." Neglect, pro-
| family, drunkenness and moneyless
| slavery-they do the rest. Divorce is
| the only release. How soon man for
| gets to live up to his little preach
Well, it is and has been cause and ef-
|
| reap. The word justice is one of the
few great words in our language. 1t
embodios the entire golden rule. It
is the key to the problem. The young
! women Of this generation are unwit-
| tlngly settling the problem. They use
their older married friends as beacon
lights. The warning signals are clear
| enough. They tell of the rocks ahead.
| What has marriage to offer them
Their less of freedom, harder work,
| Pow eriess as wage Garner; They get
| their bed and board. The '"Thee I en-
| dow with my worldly goods more Of
ten is only a figure of speech. Oft
| times the only goods" he owns are on
his back. Man. like everything else,
| created the marriage lines to suit
| hlmeslf. Women would scorn to own
| to them. They will have to be made
over like a good many other abomin-
atoms and stand for what they mean
If man was not as blind as a mole
! he would push the women's movement
to have the earning power of the
married woman recognized by the
| State. He would make it a political
issue. For it would be blessing to
| him to feel, If anything made him in
capable of earning, his family need not
! lie on the town.
| How the wife being a wage learner
can harm the husband is more than T
can see. It would quiet many fam
| lily jar, besides helping the wife to be
self-respecting.
Ike State does not see fit to increase
the Wage OF the man when he marries.
If it did, it would not personally bene-
| fit the wife, for nine men out Of every
ten would pocket 1t and complacently
say. whats yours is mine, and what's
mine is my own" Let it be the wife's
very own. If such a law could be
| brought to pass-and it WILT would
rcvolutionize the cizilized world. This
cry Of race suicide and divorce would
no more lie lcarCh =
II the State wants homes and FAM
lily life kept alive-the structure now
stands on a rotten foundation-it
must make the wife and mother hap
now she can never be, unless she has
an Independent income guaranteed her.
Tie woman OF fortune drops out of
this discussion.
|. The unpaid drudgery of the wife
ANA kome-maker is appalling! Can
any man picture himself doing hard
labor, day in and day out for years,
and from sheer need Of necessaries
feel obliged to ask for the .pittance
|'when he knows that for services rem
dered recompense should be. his. The
cry Of womankind is justice, justice,
Justice: =,
The young single woman of today
has her eyes open. She is not going
to strand her life's ship on the shoals
Of married land. Her freedom and
being paid for her work. done is too
dear to her to let go until it's equiva-
laEt is offered. .-...a. . :. =. p.
The question will naturally arise,
Where will all the money come from
to pay such a demand?" For instance,
our last great political contest cost
over two millions to SAY nothing Of
| the graft and Doodle steals which we
seem to have with us always. Then
again, it has been shown when i the
government gets into q tight place an
| order for a light tax Is Immediately
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