The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-09-23
LABOR WILL
PROFIT MOST
Through the Extension of
the Free Right of Fran
chise to the Women of
the Land.

Organized labor does not stand in
need of conversion on the question of
| equal suffrage for men and women.
Leaders, as well as the rank and file
of organized labor believe in and have
gone on record on the justice of self
| government. Whenever else there
may be falling away from true dem
ocracy it is not in the ranks of the
working men. But just by way of re-
minder that the subject deserves not
only our vote but little talk for it
with the doubtful voter attention is
called to a few facts well worthy of
note.
Forgetting for the moment the JUS
tice of the demand on the part of the
women and considering the question
purely on the selfish side there is no
class of our population to whom tine
adoption of the equal suffrage amend
ment is going to mean quite as much
as to the worbingmen hnd working
laboring men of Washington realized
the powerful allies they would have
in the enfranchised women, they would
not only vote for the amendment, but
they would button hole every other
voter on the subject.
The political struggle in this country
is coming to be one of the common peo-
pie for the common interests against
the favored few for the special inter
ests. The extension of the right of the
ballot to the women must necessarily
tremendously increase the voting
strength of the common people as
against any other class of people This
is so self evident that to discuss it
OF prove it is waste of words.
There are in this country at the
present time approximately 100000
women engaged in what is by common
consent called gainful occupations. Fig
ures recently compiled in New York
state show that one fourth of the wom-
en- III that state make their own way
outside the regular family occupation
of housekeeper. These millions may
not all be of voting age, but those that
the things labor wants. This goes
without saying.
But there is still another thing to
be said as to why organized labor
1h,,,1J
amendment. Less and less is legisla
tion coming to deal with armies and
navies, ie., with military subjects, and
more and more with ethical and in
dustrial subjects. That is to say, more
and more are those subjects coming to
be matters for legislative action which
vitally affect the well being of labor.
| Now the natural inclination of woman
will make her work and vote for meas
ures that promote the social we'll be
| ing. The movement for parks and pub
! lie Fairgrounds for children find their
chief champions in the women The
history of legislation in the states
where women vote and the lobbying
! by women in the states where they do
not vote. show that reform measures
calculated to make life and labor more
tolerable receive the special support of
the women. They may desire wealth
and the comforts that wealth brings
as much as the men, but they are not
as dead to the human cry as the male
eXploiter of human labor
The objection has been raised to wom-
ms participation in politics that she
is too much influenced by her feelings.
but this is one of the very foremost
reasons why she should be given the
right to cast ballot Our twentieth
century civilization on its better side,
the one We are trying to make the
ruling side, demands that life shall re
ceive greater consideration than wealth.
1t is necessary that in the legislative
halls not only the voice pleading for
vested rights shall be raised but the
voice pleading for human rights as well.
And not only in legislative halls. but
at the polls.
| depreciate any attempt at marshall
ing one class against another. or one
sex against another, but when one small
class sets itself up against another larg-
er class and by reason of its material
wealth, vaults into the saddle. it is
well for that numerically larger class
to note well its unused power, potent
as well as dormant. As the common
people are in the overwhelming major
itv in this and all countries, the com
mon men are naturally in the great
majority as against the pampered few
men and the common women are equal
ly in the majority as against their
favored few sisters.
One more thing strikes me as being
well worth keeping in mind. Our reg
istration laws are ostensibly moves in
the interest of better electorate, but
if they work any hardships and deprive
! some people of their constitutional right
4, ,.o4o fhaV mart rficularlv hit tha work