Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-05-17

no better reasons for the enfranchise-
ment of women than that 1t would
increase the political power Of married
men, that in itself would more than
justify the measure. A married man
who is doing his duty as a husband
and father is a far more important
social parsonage than any bachelor,
male or female, and he uoght to have
more political power.
Some opponents to the enfranchise-
ment of women argue that govern
ments depend on force, and women
cannot fight, therefore, they should
not vote. It will be interesting to
read the petitions for disfranchise-
ment which these gentlemen will
surely present at the dawn Of univer-
sal peace. In the meantime women
will continue to serve as nurses in
times Of war, and at greater risk to
their lives than soldiers themselves
incur, will produce every man who
goes to the front. Insurance compan-
les make a study Of life risks, and
while none of them discriminate
against men on account of potential
war, many of them discriminate
against women, even in this sterile
age, on account of potential mother
hood.
"A woman's place is in her home!"
is the slogan Of the anti-suffraglsts,
and with this we most heartily agree.
She is divlnely appointed for the up
building and protection of the home
and her hand should be strengthened
for the furtherance OF this great work
AS matter Of bitter experience the
despoiler of the home usually comes
through the water faucet, or in the
milk bottle, or with unclean or adul-
terated food, or in some other way
that, as a domestic fixture, she is
powerless to prevent, ubt as an active
participant in the franchise she might
effect by her influence on municipal
and state laws.
The Woman's Sphere is the Home
but predatory man has invaded her
sphere and taking away her washing.
and she has been obliged to follow It
into the laundries or starve. He has
taken away her spinning-and she has
followed it into the factories. He has
taken away her meat and fruit pre-
serving--and she has followed 1t into
the canneries and packing plants.
One after another the "home" indus
tries have been taken away until eight
million women have been obliged to
follow their work into the world I'm
der the old conditions the labor and
the profit were equitably shared and
the rule was the home-rule of the
mother. Under present conditions the
labor aud the profit are not equitably
shared and the rule is the factory rule
of the master Do these working
women need the ballot? No man who
thinks, and who is imbued with the
spirit of justice will deny their petit
ton.
Even the most rabld suffraglst must
acknowledge the marvellous results
attained by men since they invaded
Woman's Sphere and appropriated her
profitable industries. They have cen
trallzed and systematized all kinds Of
womens work, and in the matter Of
economical administration they have
exhibited progressive genius which
is the despair of such faddists as Dr.
Wiley. Their embalmed sausages are
enough TO turn the mummy Of King
Ptolemy green with envy, Their
"Boned Chicken" made of baser meat
such as tripe and veal trimmings, has
more than realized the most optimistic
dreams of the old alchemists, and their
tomato catsup compounded of turnlpa
and anillne dyes has proved the prac-
tlcal value of modern commercial
chemistry. 1t seems a pity that these
ingenius enterprises should have been
hampered by the pure food law backed
by the organized but unenfranchised
women Of the land. In addition to the
various breakfast foods wherewith we
are blessed, we might have been eat
ing bread made of sawdust and butter
from the bi-products in the manufac-
ture Of soap.
Is II not time that intelligent men
and women were cooperating for the
protection of the home? The family
home, the home city, the home state
and the home nation. In almost every
aspect the family home is affected d.
rectly or indirectly by politics: the
lot on which the house is built; the
house Itself; the education Of the
children; the food they eat; the water
they drink; the clothes they wear
and the mother influence should run
through all that affects her home
sHer instincts never fallW In the
protection Of her young, upon which
the life OF any species depends Kip
ling says that the female-be she co