The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-09-17

vile VIII cling to
another, and pandemonium will
reign in many quarters of the coun-
try" Evidently, then. on the evidence
Of prominent anti-suffragist. hus-
band does not represent his wife's
opinions at the polls.
"Uneven Representation
But he said in the same speech, "Ev-
cry man in the world who has accom-
plished something is the flesh and blood
representative of some good woman"
From the text of the speech it would
appear that women and their interests
are to be represented by their sons.
This would seem rather an uneven rep
resentation. Some women have no sons
at all; others have many. But even
those women who have sons are doom
ed under this arrangement to go total
ly unrepresented during at least TWEEN
ty-One Of the best years of their lives
until their firstborn male child is old
enough to vote.
The suffragists believe that it is a
fairer and more effective arrangement
rather than to try to provide her with
a male representative. husband or son.
However complicated this system of
representation is. there may have been
some ground for it under former cOndi-
lions. Women's work used to be con-
centrated in the home, and all the con-
ditiOns, the manner of the work and the
hours of the work and the amount of
the work, were controlled by the indi-
vidual women themselves, and the re-
suit of their labors was for the i'm
mediate use and consumption of their
families. Their husbands could and
did share their interests and, roughly
speaking, might very inadequately and
unevenly represent them politically.
But the economic changes brought
about by the invention of machinery
and the establishment of the factory
have drawn the women of the poorer
classes relentlessly from the home. The
census estimates 100000 working
women in this country.
Women Are Specialists.
In the development Of factory condi-
tons it has come about that special
classes of work have fallen entirely to
women. They have been sorted into
groups with interests. problems and
difficulties distinct from mems. For
the most part men, even fellow wage
earners, are ignorant of and Indifferent
to their problems. These class inter-
ests of women then. which have taken
the place of their former individual in
terests, cannot in any way be repre-
scented by husbands or sons.
The result of engaging in factory
work without political representation
is evident 1t cannot be denied that
the conditions under which women Ia
Dor are not as good as the conditions
under which men do their work. Re
CARELESS of the task accomplished.
wages are lower
Mems labor unions have refused to
take women into their ranks because
they are Ineffective as citizens and
therefore as members. Women have
not as yet organized on a large scale
or, when organized. have not been
able to enforce their demands. For
instance, the shirt waist strike of sew
eral years ago in New York city was
bitter experience for the voteless
workers.
After a long and fruitless struggle
they appealed. 10000 of them, to May
or Mcclellan to tighten some of the
difficulties under which they were suf
fering. He refused to receive their
delegation. He said he was not inter-
ested. He probably had reasons which
seemed excellent to himself for refus-
ing. The motives that influence legis-
lators in their discrimination against
women are often obscure even TO them
selves. Is il likely, however, that 30
900 voters would have been refused an
audience?
The shirt waist workers received no
consideration. 1t was clear to them
and to many outside observers that
their treatment by magistrates. police
men and the public was more con-
temptuous than if they had been vOt-
ers. Their Indirect representation was
not effective in that situation