The Washington herald., 1914-07-19

erous male. backed by the majority OF
his female relatives. has steadfastly re-
fused them for their own good.
And when women get the vote and
the novelty has worn off, they are as
much concerned about exercising the
franchise as they are about wearing last
years styles.
DR.. Anna Howard Shaw, president of
the National Suffrage Association. as
sures us that the women will be out in
force when big questions are up" But
in the California and the other five States
in which women voted at the last Presi-
Dental election, only Il Per cent OF the
electorate voted. while the neighbpring
male suffrage States cast 50 per cent of
their total possible vote
Also at Chicago. the great demonstra-
tic.I Of woman's political fitness that
was 10 take place last April, succeeded
in getting only q per cent OF the women
TO the polls, although IS per cent OF the
men voted. The Progressiyes. the news
papers. the politicians and the Socialists.
as well as suffrage leaders from all over
the country tried to get the women out
at the Chicago election and failed. They
hired automobiles and workers to visit
each house-only one woman in four could
be persuaded TO vote at all. All the
women candidates for aldermen were de-
featCd: Marion Drake. who ran against
"Bathhouse John" on reform ticket
and an excellent reputation, getting less
votes from women than he did, And so
anxious were the politicians to get the
women to vote at the Chicago election
that attorneys advised women afraid to
tell their ages to say merely over twen-
ty-one."
Won't Even RcGister.
I've. Ice. ,,-ool- ,bo -,nar. a,5 r,o1;,;
clans Of Kansas were in despair at get
ting the women to register. Some few
who tried to work the over twenty-one"
suggestion refused to register at all
when told exact ages must be given.
Even if il were true that women will
vote when big questions are up" what
is to prevent the small fry politicians
from carrying an election Of no inn
portance" while the good women are in
different. by getting the other element
III the feminine electorate to do the yot-
ing? Several cities having more quail
fed women than men voters have not
only gone wet since women were en-
franChised, but voted to stay wide
open nights and Sundays. Pasadena
and Santa Monica, Cal. are instances
in point
And in Berkeley. Cal. April Il. issuing
bonds for Fairgrounds was considered
SUI n a Hlllt QucSllOn Dy luc NOIIltu
that l.5O) out of the 5000 women voters
Of the city voted. Where were the
mothers?" asked the disappointed mayor.
They were waiting for big questions"
your honor. Women who have IL regard
the ballot as a mere toy.
The suffragists say: Eight million
women who are wage workers. demand
the ballot OF course. there are only
sos. ~ ''galnfully occupied females ten
years OF age and over in the United
States. Disregarding the fact that 2.Ol3,-
SCI, or about one-fourth OF this number
are negroes. and !. 90. .79l of foreign birth,
and IS.GS2 Indians. Chinese and Japanese.
only l,29O. .3S9 of these "gainfully occupied
females are classed as wage earners"
in all industries" that the census lists,
and these are not of voting age. but
merely over sixteen. Thirteenth Census
Abstract. page 457, and Census Bulletin,
July 10. 19lL)
According to the census, the proper
ton of adult female wage earners has
been the same at each census. while the
proportion OF adult males has increased
slightly" Though 234 per cent Of our
women are "gainfully occupied" now.
whereas only lSs per cent were thus en-
gagged in 1900, the increase has been due
to woman's entry into the higher fields
Of labor. the professions, etc, as she
has preserved the same proportions as
a wage Garner
Position seems Overdrnwn.
And when We consider that 9S7 per
twenty-one and forty-four, are gainfuIly
occupied, while only 26.3 per cent of the
women in the corresponding age group