The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-28
D e c lare TIL at Only
One in Ten Wants
Vote.
IT'S ALWAYS THEY
B U T N E V E R T.
Miss Bissell and Miss Bronson,
in Able Addresses Before Dis
tinguished Audience, Show
That the Ballot" Cannot
Improve the Condi-
ton of Women.

II was the antisuYragettc inning at
the Jefferson Hotel las; night. and with
the characteristic finesse OF tho trained
feminine mind, the speakers of the
evening latt mono Of the suffrage claims
untouched. For the first time In tho
history OF the Commonwealth. band
OF Virginia women gathered in public
meeting 70 denounca to the world \
movement which mas Unfold I'd five SOW
erciSn states and Is Knocking al .hu
legislative doors OF as many more
The meeting was under the auspices
o. the recently organized Virginia
Association Opposed 10 Woman SUI
rage OF which Mrs. { " Ferren is
secretary. and attracted a crowd Of
men and women ;hat filled the .Iener-
son Auditorium 10 the doors Judge
i=orEc L. Christian presided and made
tho opening speech. The other sneak
ers OF the evening were Miss Emily
B!sscll secretary OF the Red Gross So
oiety. formerly OF the editorial STAFF
OF the Outlook. and Miss Minnie Bron !
son. author OF The Wage Earning We
man and the state" formerly special
agent for the Bureau of Labor OF the
Department OF Commerce and Labor,
| Washington.
Occupying seats OF honor Oh the
Platform With thu speakers were John
rutherford. Eugene c. Magsle and
Edward v Valentine. the sculptor
snyn Ono Woman In Ten Wnnta II.
Exhaustive inquiries among all
classes OF women. asserted Miss Bis
sell early in her address, led her 10
believe that only ono woman IN ten
really wants the right to vote. Soci-
ely wona7, when approached. she said
4 generally admit that they are lndtmer-
cnt, but that they want the bullot for
the working gir.s and for poor mothers
In the tenements, 90 that the latter
may have good milk for their children.
Working girls as rule conced. that
they haven; given &; much thought
but they are willing 10 work for the
cause 80 that women who have prop
erty may vote and protect &. Wives
and mothers. she said. are usually en-
crossed with matters which interest
them far more than the ballot, and this
shifting takes place all along the line.
IT is always: II they want II.
suppose they ought 10 have it'-always
thsy.' and never T." SAID Miss Bisseli
1T may seem TO the impassioned suf-
fra sette Very dreadful thing that you
or should Try TO keep Mrs. Belmont
for example, from voting II sh. wants
to. But II also Seems unjust to you
and 10 me that we should b. expected
TO vote because Mrs. Belmont wants
to-"
Hitting the Equal Wage Arsument.
Reviewing the benefits which suTra-
g!sts claim vii. follow IN the wake oi
woman suffrage, Miss Bi5sel took up
iirst the case OF ths wage earning wo<
man. no law ever voted. she declared.
could give a woman a JOB.
Tho recommendation OF business
college. or OF 4 torewoman, or OF
p!oyer" said Miss Bissell, us what
You need to get a job. not vote.
Every worker has TO be worth just a
little more than the salary 10 BIO
worth keeping at all. and all the votes
in tho world can't change that funda-
mental Industrial fact a ballot does
not mako an efficient man more effi-
cient. The efficient woman is crowd
ing out the inefficient man In all our
industries to-day though he has a vote
and she has not"
To the standard equal suffrage ar
gument that the ballot Will eliminate
such disturbances as the recent shirt
waist strike in New York by insuring
a fair wage, Miss Bissen countered
with this question:
"Why do men. the voters. strike for
higher wages? Why do mon. the
voters. form trade unions? Just be-
cause they have found that the ballot
has no connection with wages Over
crowded trades and unskilled workers
make low wages. They always have,
and they always will Skilled trades,
with demand for workers. make high
wages. They always have, and they
always will. Under q monarchy or
republic. with or without votes and
elections. the great law of supply and
demand works out the same way"
says Women Are Fully Protected.
In rhe case OF self supporting wo-
men. thought Miss Bissell, the pro-
tective laws are ample. When the law
acts at all, she said. it acts for wo-
men in limiting her hours OF labor.
giving her seats and proper sanitary
convenlences.
If man and woman are TO be on
an equal footing before the law. and
each one "A voter said Miss Bissell.
II don't see how the law could dis
criminate between them. \ compari
son of the labor laws OF the various
States shows that there are more and
better laws for the protection OF wo-
men wage-earners in the nonsuffrage
States than. in those where women
have the ballot"
Similarly, argued Miss Bsscll, the
ballot would confer no advantages
upon tine property owning woman.
since the Incidence OF taxes Is the same
upon all property and is determined
solely by the amount of the city budget.
She rsfntcd the argument that by the
exercise of her vote woman could APP
probably affect the amount of q city's
expenditures. AS a matter of fact, she
said, tho nonproperty owning class of
men arc far in thu ma jority of those
that own property, and control all cN-
penditures. 1T Is part OF our mol
ern democracy" she said, that ~:
naves arc voted into providing for the
have m OTIS"
-
Social work srs OF every kind. said