The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-03-28

siderable natural curiosity existed os
to how the two lady members of the
House would fit into that august as
semblage and how they would take
hold of their lawmaking duties. If
any doubt existed as to their ability
to make good, it was dissipated long
before the session closed. They
brought to their tasks capacity for
work and an insight into the devious
paths of legislation that many male
member has failed to acquire after
several sessions at Olympia. The LADY
from Whatcom' as she came to be
known, Mrs. Frances Axtell, though
elected as a republican, failed to be
frightened, overrawed or bullied by
credit a clean legislative sheet on
every measure of Importance to the
people that came up for consideration.
We are indebted to the Bellingham
Journal for the following extracts of
an address she gave before an audi
ence of Bellingham women shortly
after her return home:
"The newness of the work for wo-
men naturally excited great deal of
curiosity at first and we were often
told that we could do nothing-at
least during this session of the legis-
lature. What we really accomplished
is of course problematical but all
agree that the results are different
Women have decided not to become
too impatient if we seem to accom-
plsh but little at first. Susan B. An
thony-the Moses that prepared the
way-never expected to live to see
her work really accomplished.
"We are not responsible, to gather
the harvest, we are only responsible,
to do one lifes work, in process that
requires many hundreds of such lives,
before the final achievement can be
reached. So l say we are prepared to
be patient and the first thing for wo-
men to remember is not to expect too
immediate results.
after few days had worn away we
were taken for granted and l could
almost imagine myself in a co-educa-
tional college class room with the
students older grown and with no
choice curriculum. In the West the
women have grown up under pioneer
conditions of personal and social
equality so that her transition into po-
litical and legal equality was but
natural, logical and inevitable. Wo-
men the first few days were as much
of novelty as aeroplanes in transi-
tion-then we were just part of the
legislature and taken for granted and
any of you women that follow in my
footsteps will find the trail well
blazed for better service. AS you
know mans ideas of accomplishment
is to first have organization, hence we
have had parties and at present it is
to understand the non-partisan views
of women. To my mind the abuse of
party organization to accomplish sell
fish ends for the individual has been
the main factor of general dissatis-
faction with a representative form of
government and not organization it.
self. Because of this dissatisfaction
women have been given the ballot and
for the same reason she has been
forced to realize that as citizen she
must help solve the problems of gov
ernment therefore, if we are to be of
service we must help where help is
needed. Women look at problems
from one view point, men from an
other; when both are combined we
hope humanity will have larger view
for it will be to the social and political
cooperation of both that we shall
some day owe dimunition, if not the
entire disappearance of the evils
which threaten the life of the individ-
ual, the nation and humanity in gen.
eral AS the legislature has always
been composed of men with some par.
ticular AK to grind either for himself
as an individual or for his particular
locality, we as women and not as in
dividuals, who wanted nothing in par
ticular but desired good legislation
for all-legislation to affect alike
every section of the state-we were a
complication and perpleXity that
more than once impeded the progress
of the well oiled, high geared party
machine, causing the driver to slow
down, get out his monkey wrenches'
and inquire what the trouble might be
This was due to the fact that while
there were only two women in the
voting body there were thousands Of
women among the constituencies, o.
the men with as many votes as mer
who were a solid phalanX behind us
in every endeavor for things thai
were right. Common sense told then
to stop-look and listen before they
crossed the track of ignoring oul
wishes altogether. This attitude, dia
metrically opposite, from that of meI
in having no personal ak to grind anC
T.. lii - L.