The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-09-15
WHY WOMEN SHOULD USE THE BALLOT.
Excessive Burden of Taxes and the Need of
Wholesome Legislation Touching the Home
of Every Family, Says Governors Wife

passed on to you through high tar
ifs on necessities of life? You
should understand and you SHOULD
make it your business to understand
how, as President Harrison said
wealth flaunts itself in the faces o.
the poor on the streets, and refuses
to pay it's fair share of taxes. Wher
taxes are withheld by more thar
5000 taxdodging, profiteering cor
porations, you pay disproportionatC
share, and to quote President Harri
son again, "a strong soldier will car.
ry the knapsack of a crippled com.
rade, but he will not permit a robust
shirk to add so much as his tin cur
to the burden"
Women and Suffrage
1t has been a great encouragement
to me to see the unusual activities
which the women of this state are
taking in the affairs of government
There will be a better government
a better state. better schools, and
| better life on the farm and in the
city as the result of this joint inter
est of men and women in our gov
| eminent.
But as | notice the courageous
way in which the women of the state
have taken on this new responsibility
of suffrage, | cannot help but think
of the long battle which has been
made in Wisconsin by progressive
leaders to scure for women this long
sought privilege. Suffrage for wom-
en- was tenet in progressive plat
forms for many years. Well do | re-
member that ten years ago while
Senator La Toilette was making
campaign speeches for the progress
sive ticket, travelling over this state.
visiting the hamlets, the villages and
cities, he was accompanied by Mrs.
La Toilette One-half hour before
every important address by the SEN
ator, Mrs. La Toilette appeared be-
fore the audience and urged the
adoption of an equal suffrage amend
ment. Most of our conservative
friends were then in distinct oppo-
Toilette was told that the advocacy
of equal suffrage might defeat him.
His only reply was that the prin-
ciple was correct, and that he must
urge it before the people, regardless
of consequences.
Too much stress cannot be laid up
on the work of these pioneer women
Ada James, Richland Center;
iona Gale, of Portage, the distin-
guished Wisconsin writer; Mrs. Rob
ert M. La Toilette, and a score of
others whose names might be men
toned as having been in the front
line of this contest to give women
equal privilege at the ballot box.
Suffrage has come as a result of
a national amendment, and the Wis
consin legislature had the honor,
probably because Of this early SOW
ing of the seed of progressive prin-
cipIes, of being the first state in the
Union to adopt the amendment. And
it was fitting and proper that the
father of Miss James, he who had
worked in season and out of season
with his daughter and others for suf-
frage through all the years, was
chosen to carry the official message
to Washington to notify the federal
government of Wisconsins first ac-
ceptance.
Suffrage Progressive Plank
call your attention to these things
for two reasons; first, because l
want you to realize that woman's
suffrage was progressive doctrine
advocated by them, when others
scorned and stunned it; second, be-
cause even before suffrage, whenever
progressives have been in charge of
state government. they have inaug-
urated the policy of placing women
in responsible governmental posi-
tions. When Senator La Toilette was
governor of Wisconsin, women were
placed on the board of control, on
the board of Regents, which looks
after the charitable and penal insti-
buttons of the state, and women were
appointed as factory inspectors to
look after the girls and the boys in
employment in the factories.
During the past two years this pol
icy has been adhered to. There are
now two women on the university re-
gents, instead of one; two women
on the normal school board, instead
of one; there are women factory in
spectors; women oil inspectors; wom-
en- treasury agent deputies; women
game wardens; women acting as dep
uty prohibition agents; women look
ing after the unfortunate blind and
crippled children of the state. In or
der that the death rate among chill
dren in the rural communities of this
state might be reduced and that
mothers might be saved their dear
little babes through teaching the
proper laws of health and care of
children. the state board of health
has placed a woman physician with
women nurses to bring health mes
sage by an automobile hospital into
all the back communities of the state
where health instruction has hereto
fore been unknown.
Under progressive government
women are shouldering these duties
of government faithfully and we'll
If a progressive administration is
returned to office there will be more
women in office and the indications
are that the coming session of the
legislature will find the first wom-
en- in its membership.
Suffrage for women carries with
it serious possibilities. 1t is of
the utmost Importance that the wom-
en- in the common homes of the land
exercise their right to vote. You may
Continued on page four)