New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-05
Ida Hustled Harper BIameS "De-
uIorabIe Conditions" There
ON the Liberal Party.
PREDICTS SUCCESS0FCAUSE
Long Fight for Political Rights
for Women Will Ultimately
End in Triumph.
She Says.
BY Ida Hustled Harper.

..o,ove gives much time for reflection. 1t
r,ust be trying for people with guilty con-
.c,snces. During all the week l have
Tan thinking over the events Of the last
Goo months in their relation TO the world
wide movement Of women for voice IN
,,elr own government. AS we sailed away
t,om New York. on May 3, we could al
ms, hear the feet Of those thousands
,,.rching up Fifth avenue under the
beautiful banners proclaiming Votes for
uomen: and then little later 1t seemed
90 ~ the suffragists Of all nations had
,,orched over land and sea to that great
oorgress In Budapest, which grows stilI
.,ooter as its farreaching influence be-
comes more and more manifest In TINS
short space Of time-less than half year
there have occurred that wonderful VIC
tory IN Illinois. doubling in one hour the
,rroher Of women Presidential electors IN
,ha limited States, and the favorable re-
nor. Of the United States Senate commit
80 with its unquestionable significance;
,ba action Of the Norwegian parliament
in removing the tax-paying requirement
ard making the full suffrage universal
,or women the first step toward the en-
reimbursement Of women taken by the
Cabinet Of the Netherlands. and the al
r,ost unanimous vote of the City Councll
AZ Paris asking the parliament 10 CONFER
municipal suffrage on the women Oh
France.
This is a remarkable and unmlstakaDie
,acord in which friend and foe alike can
q Hl
see the ultimate, complete success oil the
long struggle to obtain political rigAts ior
,omen In some countries and in some
NJ the states of our own Union the END Is
mt very near, but in all the light is chin
ING on the road-in all but one! The SUI
,raeists Of the United States have maze
q man on which those states which nave
not granted any kind of vote to women
are painted black. If there is any darker
5enser color it should be applied to Great
Britain or the map OF the world.
In England there are two Wide guns
cbich Justice never crosses-that between
Tho aristocracy and the common people
and that between men and women. Ihe
latter is not alone the result OF the BAR
barous old common law. sanctioned by
church and State and still prevailing, but
II is constantly deepened by current leg
i,latIon and everyday court decisions
The Parliament which has just adjourned
for six months to give its underworked
and overfed members rest OFFERS vital
illustration.
The Home Rule bill grants self-govern-
ment-a vote for local parliament-to
all men taxpayers, denies it TO all women
taxpayers and forbids any amendment 10
enfranchise women for three years aiter
il becomes law. II was the Irish mem
bers alone. led by John Redmond, VINO
defeated the Cancellation bill, which pro-
vided merely that those women house
holders who now possess the municipal
franchise should have also the parha-
mentary.
the plural voting bill, establishing the
principle Of one man one vote-a meas
ure TO perpetuate the Liberal govern
mentEwas passed by aid Of the Labor
members after the national convention OF
their party had declared that no fran
chise bill should have their support which
did not include women.
Discrimination Against Women.
The national insurance act makes the
grossest Determinations against working
women, taxing them more heavily than
men in proportion to their wages and
paying them less benefits; excluding the
women who work in the home, counting
the toll paid by married man as apply
ing only to his benefit and denying any
payment to the destitute widow.
For men who refuse on principle to pay
the tax for their servants a small fine is
imposed, and for Mrs. Harvey, noted for
her philanthropies, a fine several times
larger than any man has had 20 pay and
two months in prison. The procuress in
the noted Piceadilly fiat case received
the same prison sentence. but no fine, al
though s2,Ooo was found in her possession,
ana the judge in passing the sentence
told her she must be more careful In
the future; in other words. must protect
The names Of her distinguished customers
and not compel the government to do so.
The national insurance act provided for
maternity benefit. 90 shillings at the
birth Of Child to poor parents, 10 be
paid 10 the father. There was such an
outcry at this, especially by charitable
organizations, which knew the mother
and the child would receive no benefit
from 1t. that the question OF amending
the act to pay it TO the mother came up
N Parliament The five Labor members
on the committee. including Ramsey Nc
Donald. voted against II. Hours OF argu-
ment were given TO II in the House OF
commons, the opponents declaring 1t was
a slur on the fathers" ian insult to the
Workingmen," "a legislating against
SEX" "a stepping In between husband
and Wife" II finally passed by the mar
row majority OF nine votes.
Meanwhile the National Conference OF
Friendly Insurance. Societies took
hand, declaring that the amendment
should not have been made, and the
president asserting that 'the prominent
ladies' who insisted upon it gave another
indication Of the war Of sex hatred that
was being promoted by women"
For another instance, take the income
TAX Incomes Of less than about $500
year are not taxed, and that of each