The Washington herald., 1914-03-04

friends and admirers, and has put to
rout those doubling "Alecks'' who each
year camp upon his trail.
II would. therefore. seem meet and
proper under the circumstances, on this
historical and much abused Fourth of
March. that the nation should offer a
toast to Woodrow Wilson," That he
may live long and prosper" and to
Father Ground Hog" That his shadow
may never grow less" FLIP.
Anti-sunragist Replies.
To the Editor: Your correspondent
s. C.. seems strangely ignorant Of the
anti-suffrsge position.
The pet charity of Mrs. Dodge. the
president of our national association. is
day nurseries. II she had no sympathy
with working women. would she help
day nurseries? Could j, working
woman, declaim against Industrial work
for all women? 1t would be ridiculous.
Parents who are not rich are in duty
bound to educate their daughters to be
self-supporting. This does not mean the
economic independence Of married women,
who constitute at least 50 per cent OF
all the women. The laws of the land
contemplate the support by their hus-
bands of wives who have laid down a
OCCupduOn ana Idhcn up
"woman's job"
Most of the suffrage leaders would
change the laws regarding support and
dover rights, and would lay upon the
woman an economic burden equal to
mans, except during one. year after
child birth. II this feminist program is
ever achieved We shall have nurseries
conducted by the state, for all children
instead Of the poor only. There will be
no homes in the present meaning of the
word and marriage ties will naturally
be loosened. Since the sufrragists of the
country now consent to be led by So
cialists like Inez Milholland Boissevain,
Mrs Harriet Stanton Blatch. Alice Stone
Blackwell, Jessie Ashley. Charles Ed
ward Russell. Rheta Childe Dorr. and
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the antis have
reason to believe that they would still
be dominated by leaders with similar
views IL the vote were attained. Every
student of political conditions today
knows that woman suffrage and social
ism have advanced together step by step,
since 1863
Mrs. Belmont says: The highest
sphere OF woman is not the home. The
girl who is earning a good salary is un-
wise and a coward il she gives up her
position to marry any man
Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman says:
The woman should have as much to dc
in the house as the man. no more"
The New York Call says: "Forty-five
per cent of the woman vote in Los Angc-
les was cast for Hartman. Socialist can
didate for mayor OF that CITY,"
The Socialists have already opened
naturalization bureaus in New York City
for the purpose of making citizens of
foreign-born women. in the hope of their
swelling the Socialist vote in the near
future ~
Even now the large number Of women
remaining in gainful occupations after
marriage has made Industrial competi-
tion so keen that men in fewer and fewer
numbers are able to support wives who
believe in the ''woman's Job"
II the identical interests of husband
and wife are reason for the wife's vote,
then they constitute a reason for other
Identical functions to any possible limit.
Unmarried women must compete with
men, more or less: but the "antis'' be-
lieve that the "woman's job should be
preserved for the married woman. and
that she should be helped to attain
greater proficiency along feminine lines
As to the public work of women, the
antis have for years maintained that
women who have time and special fitness
should not be prevented from serving the
State in appointive positions. Such ap-
pointments are frequently made in man
hood suffrage States. and they do not
endanger the ''wOman's job
That working women are protected
without the ballot is well proven by ex-
isting State laws. Even in the District
Of Columbia We have an eight-hour law
for the protection of women. 1t is de-
signed to make men and women unequal
but there are suffragists so inconsistent
as to demand equality while approving
the eight-hOur law.
The working woman will be protected
with or without the ballot, but the preser-
walton of the 'woman's job is the fight
OF the anti against the suffragist, and il
is a fight for home and country.
ELLA c. BREHACT