The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-05
New Orleans Settlement Worker Addresses Women
 of Garment Workers
BALLOT NECESSARY
 TO VOICE OPINIONS
Man Cannot Adequately Represent. Woman at the POlls-Comments on Womans Work for
 Child Labor Laws

Miss Jean Gordon, settlement worker and factory inspector from New Or leans. prominent in the civic and phil anthropic interests of Louisiana, and we'll known throughout the south as a leading exponent of equal suffrage, lec- tured in Birmingham yesterday after noon. Miss Gordon was invited to ap- pear before the Garment Workers union in an address on equal suffrage. She spoke not only to representatives of this body but to an audience com Trades Council and members of the equal suffrage organization.
 The hour of the lecture was 80. chosen because of convenience to tho union, but conflicting with other ar engagements, so that the audience, While enthusiastic. representative of varied interests and intelligent in it's grasp of the sub ject matter, which the lec- turer presented, did not fill Red Men hall. The speaker was introduced by Miss Olena McNatt, secretary of the Trades Council. with a graceful ref arence to her important work and her noble manner or uoins It. Nii7o N' don in a few preliminary remarks stated that she is never disappointed at being unable to secure large audience or young working women on Saturday.
 There are too many things that prove a winning temptation to the goung girl who has been busy all the week." she said. Tt Is a good time 10 add the necessary pretty things to her wardrobe, to enjoy the picture shows with some friend. l often think that we do not realize how young she Is. We try to make her understand-maybe the girl of 15 or Is or 1.-the things that our experience has taught us after many years We expect her to listen and be as much impressed as we Win the propositions that 1t has taken us years to comprehend. l always like to talk to girls unions. A girls member- shin in the union shows her advance ment: shows her realization that as an individual she can accomplish nothing collectively she can do much. But her influence will be increased 5O,OOo- fold when she has the ballot. Any la borer will tell you that while the union helps the ballot has been his greatest aid. Through the ballot such items as factory inspection and all those matters that can be adjusted through legisla- ton may be, arranged. The person who has no vote has no weight with the lawmakers, who are always seeking to please the person who has favored hin. with the vote.
 Expression of Opinion
 What is the ballot?" asked Miss Cor
 don. Simply the expression of yocr opinion You would resent being told that
 you cannot Cypress your opinion as to the
 choice of an official. That is all you dc when you cast a vote; 1t simply tells whether you prefer Tom Jones or Tom Smith for mayor of the city of Birming-
 ham. And yet to hear the protest that
 some men make against the vote one would think it meant vastly more and terrible things: that instead of casting a vote once in two years. swomen are ask ,ng to be permitted to spend the remain der of their lives dropping votes in a bal lot box. 1t does not seem to occur to thana that we can't vote out once In two wears no matter how badly we have the habit
 And some will say" continued the sneaker, Tt is not that I object to woman having the vote-she really is entitled to it-but it is the people with whom she comes in contact at the voting places. such terrible men and women. Is it not strange that your neighbor, while peace able and well behaved man enough through 3s5 days of the year. will become a monster, a dragon. on that one day of the election? My brother speaks polite IIy and pleasantly to the little woman next door as he goes past her house every day to his business is he going to become q dragon on election day. a menace to her If she approaches the polls2 For We all vote in our own precinct The people We