Montana news., 1908-10-15
WOmen's Clubs
THE THIRD SOCIAL-DEMoCRaTiC
woMsN's CONFERENCE IN
AUSTRIA

Inc AuStflun women hptldllsNS nav
held their third conference. They held
ten years ago the first conference of
this kind for the working women of
the German speaking world. and each
succeedinp conferencc-they have
held at intervals Of three years-has
been speaking witness to the growth
of revolutionary feeling among the
working women of Austria.
The soclal-democratlc womans
movement in Austria has always been
at once trade-union and socialist I'm
character. Their efforts ahve always.
I'm harmony with the spirit of the Aus
trian labor movement generally. been
men workers. but at the same time
they have aimed at making Of them
socialists and class-cOnscious prole-
tartan women. fighting for the eman-
cipation Of their class. Their move
ment has never been one of pure and
simple tradc-uniolsm.
The fight for universal suffrage. IT
was which gave the first opportunity
10 extend the propaganda of the wo-
men comrades from the women work.
crs to the wives of the workers who
are not wagr-earners, but household
crs and mothers. and To found political
women's organizations. which should
become centors of systematic work
OF propaganda among the women pro-
lrtariat equally. whether as workers
i'm "A factory, or as wife and mother,
they experience the evils which the
capitalist exploitation brings To them,
their husbands and children. The
growth of the movement is to be seen
from the figures.
At the first woman's conference A.,
900 women were organized and the
Arbeitcrinnen-Zeitung had circula-
tiOn of $500. In 1908, at the second
woman's conference, IL was possible To
report II 900 women trade unionists
and the Arbcitcrinnen-Zeitun had a
circulation of $500. According to the
report laid before the third women's
conference. the number of organized
women trade unionists was $4,000 and
the Arbeiterinnen-Zoitun had a cir
culation of 1900. besides which an
Inquiry showed showed that there were
4,115 women in the political organ
izations. OF the latter 1887 are mem
bers of the so-callcd free political wo-
mans organization. which has made
n great start forward since November
of last year.
Comradr Popp. who gave the intro
ductory address emphasized the fact
that the founding OF separate organ
izations for women implied no at
tempt To separate the women from
the rest of the party, but was simply
"A means to the end To make frmer
than ever the bonds which bound
not only because of the reactionary
law of association which excludes wo-
men from political societies, but also
I'm view of the fact that the peculiar
conditions under which women are
placed and the nature of the female
sex have got to be taken into account
in the propaganda.
The question of woman suffrage
was treated in a special paper which
urged the comardes to mage a special
agitation In favor of full political
rights for all women, on the same
lines as are being followed by the
German socialist women.
A debate then followed on the me-
cessity for special measures for the
protection of female labor. especially
+ mothers with children. the laun-
: dresses. and heavy indictment was
brought against the capitalist system
The press was then discussed and i'm.
provements suggested i'm the existing
womans organ, the Arbeiterinnin-
Zeitung. Besides that the comrades
: declared i'm favor OF a special woman's
: correspondence that should be sem
. in to the party press generally, and
+ furnish information and articles for q
| so-called womans page or other insti
|. tutions OF that kind. The conferenc,
= is to be held every two years and II
r connection received with special en-
! thusiasm messages OF greeting ant
goodwill from the comrades i'm Other
: countries including the United States
{ England. Switzerland. Poland.-Clarj
= Zekin i'm Die Gleicheit. Germany.
I one of the mninmn fcatmres OF III.