Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14

to the once or shop in neat shoes and
art silk stockings, but the home in
which they have grown up colorS their
outlook, and ell the new modern stimu-
lantS to envy and dissatisfaction sup
piled by the cinema and the wireless
disincline them TO take kindly to any
such policy as safety first" II they
could have put in one sentence what
they wanted in May. and what there
was at least an of chance that politics
might give them, it would have been,
"A change"
Let not this point be forgotten, either.
For many years now. women have been
the hardest workers in the political
parties, and above all in the party which
has to rely entirely on voluntary serv-
ice-namely, Labor. The very fact that
we could not afford to pay our workers
(even less now than before, owing to
the operation Of the trade disputes act
In cutting OF supplies Of trade union
money has really been q source Of
strength, since Labor could give its
members plenty to do and there is Moth
ing like working for a cause to keep
you steady in belief in it.
Women the Backbone.
Among these unpaid workers, women
have been the backbone. One could
cite constituency after constituency tV
which, between elections, the women'S
section has kept things going. has pro-
Nded funds by organizing sales OF work.
and kept up enthusiasm by organizing
lectures and canvasSing classes-an on
a voluntary basis. To those who knew
these women and what they have been
doing. the increased womans vote was a
source of reasoned hopefulness, so far
as the success of the party at the polls
went.
SO, II in practice the Labor party
actually troubled itself less than did
either of the others to make separate
and special appeals to women, as won-
en-: II 1t held fewer meetings for
women only" the reason was twofold.
Partly the cooperation Of women had
been enlisted long ago. The vast ma
jority OF trade unions admit women on
exactly the same terms as men; there
are two women on the general council
Of the Trade Union Congress, and a
woman Margaret BondfieldD has been
chairman of that council. The Labor
party reserves four executive places for
women, and q woman (Susan Law
rence), will be chairman Of the party
in 1880. Every local Labor party has
its women'S section; every one OF them
has women among its most active
workers.
What Labor Relied On.
This is part of the answer But the
other part is more significant. Labor
relied on the attraction, to women, OF
It's general national program. 1t be-
lieved that the issues that matter TO
women are those that matter to men,
that the appeal Labor has been making
more and more strongly to the workers
ever since the war would carry the
woman voter as It was carrying the man.
Above all, the young voter. And In TINS
LABOR was proved right. the program
of hopeful action did carry the younger
voter, who was repelled by SaIety
First"
There is. therefore, little Of accident
In the fact that Of the IA women VINO
will take their seats in the new House
of Commons, no fewer than nine belong
to the Labor party, which returned
ali but two of the new woman M. P.s
These new nine have all been de-
scribed by the Manchester GUARDIAN
which is not given to idle bouquet
throwing, as exceptionally able" in their
different ways. Nevertheless, 90 not
imagine that any one of them would
dissent from the view that it was the
program and record Of the Labor party,
whose standard bearers they were, to
which. In the frst instance, their cleo
ton was due.
BY its record 7 do not merely mean
that it has been, as party, the hrmest
and most faithful friend Of sex equailty
Voters neither are, nor ought TO be,
irnpelled by political gratitude. The
appeal of Labor,s record was wider than
that. It was its work for peace In 1924
and its dedication to the ideal OF social
Justice then and now, that gave Labor
candidates q better chance of winning
than those of either Of the two other
parties, and explains how 1t is that OF
the women on their list the number VINO
got 1t was one In three.
Sees Broad Issues.
It is to the effort to secure peace
abroad and social justice at home that
expect to see the increased band OF
women now In the House OF Commons
devote themselves, rather than to more
narrowly feminist issues. Certainly, the
nine Labor woman M. P.s know that tneI
have been sent there to help TO give
more power to the elbow of q Labor
government, Of which two Of them are
members.
Labor led the way in putting woman
: on the front bench; now that same
woman breaks new records by being the
| first woman cabinet minister and privy
councillor. She Il the Right Honorable
Margaret Bondneld for the rest Of her
life, and there istnct . woman N Britain