The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-15
The Club Women and the Ballot

men give 10 women's worthy aims.
There is much talk about mems regard
for the fair sex and the indirect influ-
ence the latter exert. But most men
however indulgent in their own fami-
lies seem absolutely cailous toward
the needs OF womanhood and child
hood in general. If they had been so
anxious TO protect these two classes
OF human beings why did they not es-
tablish Fairgrounds and Juvenile
courts, and make child labor laws long
before women appeared on the field
OF action? If they have such respect
for motherhood why do they raise
such a storm of protest against every
proposition 10 increase wages for
working women? Men are too much in
| terested in the commercial side of life
TO give much thought 10 women's eff
forts TO uplift their fellow beings
Law makers do not heed women's vol
ces, for women have no vote. hence
they are not dependent on them for
their seats in legislature. This is why
women need the ballot, to assist them
in electing men that will bind them
selves to work for humanity and not
for a few powerful interests.
What women's vote could do in Sc
curing better child labor laws it could
likewise do in taking the public
schools out of politics and better ad-
apting them to the needs of the aver.
age child. For six years the mother
nurses and cares for her child then
for more than five hours a day, five
days in the week. and nine months in
the year she intrusts him to, the care
of an institution, in the organization
of which she has no voice whatever.
The building is erected and equipped,
the teachers hired, and the course OF
study outlined by men. She watches
his progress through the grades. She
studies the whole school problem, not
| only as ii affects her own child but all
others for a mothers heart is large.
She may lay her grievance before the
teacher. But what can she do? She is
at the mercy of the school board. The
mother may interview the board, but
they are too often professional or bus.
mess men whose contact with the
| school does not extend beyond its
| financial problems. Hence the neces
| Sity of an experienced and educated
woman on every school board, who by
reason of her nature could perceive
needs which few men would ever no
tice. An example of a wonderful re
adjustment of public schools to better
meet the needs of the twentieth cen
| nh; to Ii, T.,
Chicago under the supervision of Ell
la Flagg Young, whose work is distin
ed to produce a remarkable influence
on school systems throughout the
country What this women has accom-
plished might have been accomplish
ed on a smaller scale. perhaps by any
capable women on any school board
had public sentiment not been so slow
in granting women share in school
management.
| But women also need the ballot to
help them as housekeepers. This may
seem strange, but the simple indus
tries which our grandmother perform
ed at home by hand are now done ir
factories owned and controlled by men
Few women today know how their
butter is made, their bread baked OF
clothes Numbered. Concentration OF
business in cities and the high cost OF
| living have forced families into smaller
and smaller quarters so that women
cannot do the things which their
grandmothers did in their homes. But
the women of today do have right to
know how these industries are car.
ried on outside. For housekeeping