The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-10
AGAINST
FEMALE
SUFFRAGE
A Woman's Vigorous Pro,
test for Her Sex
THE HOME IMPERILEO
Powerful. Argument Sent to
Members of the Legis-
lative Committees

| ldUlVC OO11lIIllGGCGS
The following letter has been sent
| to each member of the judiciary and
| the female suffrage committees:
Dear Sir-If I am not indiscreet, /
wish that during the hearing on wom-
an suffrage which you have accord
ed to suffragists, you would bear in
mind certain facts of the matter which
! the speakers may not trouble to dis
| of the average woman and with the
knowledge of a reformed suffragist.
You shall Judge If the facts I pre-
| sent for your consideration are Of i'm
portance to you and to the State.
| Speaking generally women suffra-
gists. pure and simple, divide natu-
| rally into two classes-O, those who
have had trouble with their husbands
and (2). those who are looking for
trouble. That, second includes those
| who might be grouped as a negligible
| third class, if one chose to make fine
, 1t is the first two. however. that give
chara cter to the suffrage cause, and
volume to the movement. But they
are not the movement itself; that is
| socialism. Men who are suffragists
know that. Scratch the male suffra-
gist deep enough and, if he is real
man, he is some kind Of socialist.
| The emancipation at which woman
| suffrage aims is emancipation
| from Christian marriage. The liberty
| which votes for women contemplates
| is freedom from home and family.
| The mother occupied in business in
| politics, as men are, can be no more
| to the home or to the child than the
| father is; under the inexorable law
| Or the iron rule of competition, she
must, like the man, leave the home,
| leave the child at fixed hour, the
same day after day. whatever the
needs Of the home; whatever the needs
| of the child: there is no other way
to success in business, in politics.
| What then must become of the home.
of the child if votes for women shall
complete their emancipation? The
State viii! step in and take over the
child-socialism in word, the last
word of socialism at that.
Socialism Is not only the logical and
unavoidable consequence of votes for
women, it is the hidden spring of the
| movement, it's sole real life.
That Democracy which suffragists
| urge as a fundamental reason for
votes for women is socialistic Democ-
racy not American. The Democracy
of the United States is constitutional.
According to the American idea of
Democracy, representation in govern
of government is understood to be
limited. God and woman were left
| out, of the constitution because out
| side the sphere of government exists a
vast domain of human interests which
is just as vital to the life Of the ma
ton, just as integrally a part of the
nation as government is, and, ruling
that domain, are God and woman by
means of religion and of the home
God is represented in the church, wom-
an has her special representation in
the family, and, in one case as in the
other, that representation directs and
embOdies the affairs Of the nation no
less than representation in govern
nlent does. 1t is not American, but a
socialistic conception Of Democracy. at
the bottom athestic, which conceives
the government of the United States
representative in the sense of repre-
senting everybody in everything any
body does, and it is on that claim of
Democracy, a socialistic one, that suf-
fragists demand votes for women. It
is on the warrant of such Democracy
that. votes for women accomplished,
the State will claim the enfranchised
woman's child in order that she may
be a perfectly free citizen. In order
that her perfect independence may be
unhampered by the least distinction of
sex.
The power of representation which
the existing order by virtue of her
office in the family is sufficient for all
her needs, even with respect to the
government 1t is even that power
which has effected in several states
constitutional amendments permitting
women to vote. Every suffrage vic
tory, even that of votes for women,
has been gained by women without
the vote. If voteless women can
change state constitutions what can
they not do to legislation if they like?
The actual suffrage question is then,
not Should the American Women vote,
but Does She Want To?
"Ah, no." cries the suffragist; "the
progression Of the American woman
has gone beyond that point; there are
10000 600 women wage earners in the
United States; these women who have
mand the political emancipation Of
their sex for the protection of their
industrial rights
After the argument of Democracy
Socialistic Democracy-the woman
suffrage cause in the United States de-
ponds most for conscious support upon
the argument of the economic posi-
ton of the American woman wage
Garner. Now the truth about that po-
sition is this:
Considered numerically the most
that can be made out of 5000 900
shot in favor of votes for women;
there are still five women in the Uni
ted States who are not wage earners
to every one that is; there are still
approximately thirty million women
who are supported exclusively by the
earnings Of men.
But the American woman wage
Garner is even less of an argument for
suffrage than mere numbers indicate.
At no time is she strictly speaking,
economically independent; for the
American woman wage Garner is con-
stantly passing out Of industry into
matrimony and as soon as she is mar
ried she is supported by her hus-
band Where are you working now,
Name" I overheard one East Side
girl in New York ask Of another;
oh said Name, with a proud toss
of her head, ''I amt working now; I'm
married" That sums up the whole
matter of the alleged economic indie
pendcnce of the American woman
wage Garner.
True economic independence of wom-
an compels that she be self-support-
ing in marriage, either by means of a