Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-04-27
tratlon.

office.
Against dirt, but for clean politics.
Against moths, rust and mildew,
but for an end to graft.
Against grounds without shade or
water, but for the conservation of all
natural resources.
Against quarrels with neighbors,
but for international peace.
Against dark corners, but for the
social ownership of public utilities.
Ir Virginia at the present moment,
l think that she should be standing
among other things, for Parcels Post,
for a Coordinate college for wo-
men at the University, for Compul-
sorry Education, for Abolition of the
Prison Contract System, for women
and child laws to cover all indus
tries not excepting canneries and
laundries, for an efficient Safety. APP
pliance act, and for better conditions
in long range of matters. | think
that she should stand for actual, not
nominal Icgalized primary, and for,
a ninety days session of the Legis-
lature; personally, ! stand for the
initiative, referendum and recall.
Organized labor is at crisis in it's
existence. For a long time you have
advocated "trade" politics; for long
time you have refused to consider
direct political action. 1t has brought
you-where? You have long jour
ney to make. Will you travel on foot
or on horseback? BY stage coach or
by locomotive? You have noun
tain to climb. Will you continue to
take in your hand your grandfather's
cane, "Trade policies" or will you
take the alpen stock, steel pointed
and fitted to modern hand; "dircct po-
litical action" Your case is very much
the case Of us women. We have tried
for ages to manage with that unccr-
tain stay to our steps called "indirect
influence" You have relied for years
on "trade policies. Now we want
direct influence. You, too. ] think
you will find the locomotive and the
alpcnstock more helpful than the
stage coach and grandfathcr's cane.
If l were you, would set my face
toward the cooperative common
wealth.
We arc here to talk about the
woman's wing in the battle of today,
in the war of all the ages, That war
is the war of freedom for the right
to live the life Of a noble and rational
being, not the life Of Il slave, whether
chattel slave OF wage slave. Men and
.o.:cr., we are alike fighting free
iom's battles, we arc alike enlisted
n the war for bigger human future
than we can sec in our widest dreams
tonight. We arc fighting for life,
liberty and happincss-for the chance
to become something finer than VIC
are, something better than VIC arc!
For the chance to have sound, bcauti
sul bodies, and right food, and right
clothing, and clean, sweet houses; for
the chance to gain knowledge, to know
and love books and music and pictures
for the chance to travel little, and
sec the ocean and the mountains and
strange cities, for the chance to work
with love for our work, to work for
reasonable hours under happy condi-
tions-not to toll and toll and toll for
unreasonable hours under unhappy
conditions! We are soldiers together
in the war for equal opportunity, Tor
mental freedom, for freedom Of
speech and RIGHT of assemblagc for
The right to organize; for the right to
De encountered in the direction as
we'll as in the sustaining Of this
worlds!
l want to tell you a few things
about the womanS wing of the gen
cral fight. suppose some Of you
think that it is small wing-just abb
out the size of canary birds wing.
Well, you are mistaken. It's one
whole, vast wing Of the American.
Eagle. And if that bird wants to fly
strong and straight and far, and high
cr, and higher and higher-he has got
to use that wing.
Do you knew that wherever women
have gained the vote they have used
| it in large numbers, from seventy-hvc
to eighty per cent of the women vot-
ing?