The sun., 1909-02-08
BABY and BALLOT, BOTH
MRS. DI RIVERA SAYS THEY'RE
NOT ANTAGONISTIC.
Speaks At 4 women's Meeting Nominsily
in Memory OF Lincoln Socialists and
single Takers Take q Hand-Taik
ss TO What Lincoln Would Have Done.


in Memory OF Lincoln Socialists and
single Takers Take q HAnd-Taik
ss 10 What Lincoln Would Have Done.
The ballot is no enemy OF the baby
and there 10 no reason why the gooart
should not be as large feature OF the
landscape outside polling places as the
busy auto Of the district leader. Such,
at least. were the words OF rejolnder 10
those objecting TO women's suffrage that
were passed over the stage Of the Berkeley
Lyceum yesterday afternoon by Mrs (.
Belle di Rivera Of the Equal Suffrage
League OF New York and the newly elected
president OF the New York City Fedora
| tion of Womens Clubs.
The occasion was q meeting In commem-
grafton Of Abraham Lincoln by some OF
the women's clubs Of New York, The
portrait Of the great Emancipator stood
upon the stage behind the row Of speakers
and each in turn made opening allusion
to the memory Of the man. That was
about all the attention devoted TO AbrP-
ham Lincoln. however. for besides Mrs.
di Rivera there we're speakers represent
ing single tax clubs, socialistic clubs
and the industrial reform Of women.
After Miss Amy Mali Hicks OF the
Women's Henry George League had
opened the meeting as chairman and Mr..
John Sherwin Crosby had read In res
onant voice Lincoln's Gettysburg address
Mrs. di Rivera gained the precedence at
taching to her recently gained position
and took the floor first on the subject
The Next steps In Political Reform
The president Of the City Federation
stated It as her belief that had Abraham
Lincoln lived long enough to see the rise
Of the suffragists he, who had not been
behind the progress OF his generation,
would not have failed to ally himself
with the cause Of the women.
Were 1t possible that Abraham Lin
coin could re turn 10 earth to-day" said
Mrs. di Rivera though he might be
surprised at our material progress. he
could not be otherwise than shocked
at the lack of progress We have made
along the very lines of freedom which
he championedl What would he think
of our political inequality? What would
he think Of our economic slavery. which
enslaves the women even as human
chattels we're enslaved before his proc
lamation Of emancipation
The new woman. who Is held up TO de- /
rision by the scoffers who take lightly /
the efforts Of the suffragists, IL not new /
woman said the president of the City :
Federation. But she is the oldest woman /
in the world. who simply has fitted her ,
self by a process Of evolution for the new /
and changed conditions that the evolu-
ton Of society has brought about. After
theorists have finished preparing their
maps and charts delineating just what
is the sphere Of this now woman. and
even after Presidents and Kings have
approved these charts. this glorited new
woman, with one sweep OF her strong
right arm, marks on those charts every
line of demarcation between man and
woman
Somebody who opposed votes for
" women had once asked the speaker, 80
she said what would happen TO a woman
left alone with her baby in her home on
election dsy-how was she going to voter
This question was put up TO me as one
NJ the unassailable arguments against
Soman's going TO the polls. But I said
TO that questioner that II IL was not an
unpleasant day there was no reason {
Why mamma could not put baby in his |
zo-cart and take him along 20 the polls
shile she cast her vote. Would there /
De anything more incongrlIous in leaving {
Daby in his go-cart outside of the polls I
han in leaving him outside the depart
nent stores? '
The baby and the ballot are not op- /
posing factions. IL il strange that the /
same people who throughout S6i days .
II the year say not word about the un- 4
,lean milk that baby drinks. the crowded r
schools he will have 10 attend when he |
grows old enough, suddenly think OF the /
shocking. inhumanity that will be done a
% him il his mother goes TO cast her ballot c
But supposiug that the day is wet r
md that this particular mamma cannot /
20 TO the polls with baby; il that baby TO he c
he tyrant that his papa presumes 10 be v
al the timeP ia il fair that he should
leep from the polls every other woman a
IN his block who has no baby! | cannot \
)elieve So" O
Anna I. Maley. representing the So 4
cialist Womens Society, next spoke on n
what ought To be the next steps in eco "
ionic freedom. She gave a detailed e1- r
position Of the tenets Of socialism and h
'losed by quoting Jack Londons belief r
hat il the world is TO continue under the N
10 was sorry that he had ever believed
here was such thing as good in the
inverse. :,
Miss Charlotte Schetter of the Women's
Jingle Tax Club of Orange told how Henry
ieorge's ideas were calculated to clear
he economic atmosphere OF some Of it's 81
louds, and Mrs Raymond Robins of the a.
omen's Trade Union League spoke n
pom the needed EN- an cipation of women 1
orkers. cI