The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-11-16

I
! 10 pe an academic question and has
become the problem of the hour
l This is Gspecinl1y trre IN the United
statess "a lrssafi9 ST s5Fts s.,f ths
Union have established full equal
suffrage for ali their citizens aIaa
other states will shortly foIiass II {
! is only a question OF time. as1d5 not
( OF long time either. when this
whole country viii have risen 10 the
height OF a true, political democracy
Today then, every real Socialist
is I'm ardent suGragisr: not merely
for reasons OF abstract Justice but
also for ,reasans OF plitIcal exped-
iency The fact that this ono plank
of our platform is at the very TIRES
hold OF realization. clearly places
I TWO duties before the Socialist
| Party of this country: Eirstly.e.to
teach the women OF the working
class their special need 70 Z, the bal
!! lot, Secondly. 70 teach them how
TO use the ballot in the interest OF
Fiheir class
Is the Socialist Party performing
these duties: 1t is; and let the
! women OF the country, especially TIE
| working women. take notice that IL
lis the only political party that is
! fighting their battles.
BY means OF q national woman.s
committee and many local commit
! tees, by the special efforts of wo-
1 nleE organizers, by means of the
| party press, the suffrage cause is
being propagated among the women
OF the working class. BY it's an
nual '.Woman's Day" the Socialist
Party demonstrates to the world its
! ardent support of woman suffrage.
But that IS 40. all. The. Socialist
Party has just inauSurared a new
campaign for woman suffrage that
promises to be greater, further
reaching and more effective than
anything previously attempted.
From our National Office in Chi
rago the country Is being foodeu
with thousands of petition blanks:
national Socialist petition to Con-
| gress, asking the Acknowledgement
of women Throughout the United
States. There have been similar pc,
| titions before. The National Wo-
| man Suffrage Association presented
one not long ago. T:ut this is the
! rrst time In the history of the sur.
frage movement that petition for
woman suffrage will be submitted
! by political party.
| 7 Not disfranchised women but en-
! franchised men are going to raise
their voices in Congress 10 demand
votes for women through their owl
representative, the frs. Socialist
Congressman, Victor L. Berger. This
voice will be heard not only in Con-
gress, but from the Atlantic to tn.
Pacific Coast, indeed, throughout
the civilized world, and behind the
| Socialist congressman men and We
men will see and hear and feel the
ROVER OF the growing, nourishing,
promising Socialist Party that az
ready boasts an enrolled member
ship of 100000
! %. The idea is magnificent But the
idea alone will not suffice TO make
tthe result worthy OF the idea every
I socialist man and woman in the
country must make it his and her spe-
| clal business to make that suffrage
petition a rOusing success. Since
concentration is the secret OF all
IsuCccss. we must concentrate on this
undertaking for weeks and months
to come.
| Still the suffrage petition noed
not deter us from any other. activity.
because it can De combined with all
other activities. We can attend
party meetings and devote ourselves
to the party work. and yet always
have a petition blank at hand and
get those comrades 20 sign it who
| nave not Yet had an opportunity TO
! DO so. We can follow the outline
| routine Of our daily lives, and yet
Scoliect signatures among our fellow
workers. among our butchers and