Life, 1912-01-18 · page 16 of 44
Life — January 18, 1912 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents opposing arguments on women's suffrage. Senator La Follette (Progressive politician) argues women wage-earners deserve voting rights because they contribute economically to the nation. The **rebuttal** (likely by Life's editor) sarcastically dismisses this logic, using several counter-arguments: it questions whether the seven million wage-earning women actually *want* to vote; notes many are temporary workers who'll quit upon marriage; and crucially, challenges why non-wage-earning wives and mothers—who manage household sanitation and living conditions directly—are deemed less worthy of suffrage. The cartoons mock suffrage advocates as extremists: "A Mere Matter of Form" depicts a caricatured woman activist in exaggerated masculine clothing, while "Skirmishing Order" shows suffragists as aggressive invaders. "All the Comforts of Home" sarcastically suggests voting threatens domestic life. The author (E.S.M.) ultimately argues that politicians cynically push suffrage to expand their voter base, not from genuine principle—a common anti-suffrage talking point suggesting women voters could be easily manipulated.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
164 La Follette Calls for Votes for Women I say that the women have as much right to the ballot as the men. Do you know that there are 7,000,000. women in this try earning their ‘living by day wages, they are adding to the wealth of the jon? For this reason they have a moral t to have a voice in the questions of sanitation and all that. goes to Improve liv. ing conditions of the home, which are gov crned by legislation.—Senator La Follette ot Dayton, Ohio. UT, Senator, women have also as much right as men to trousers and short hair, as well as to the ballot. The question is whether the mass of women want any of these things. There are some, we know, that want them all, and much more of the same kind, but do the mass of women want them, Senator? Suppose it is true, as you say, that there are seven million women in the country earning their living by day wages, and adding to the wealth of the nation. One would think to hear you that they were all ready to quit unless they got the ballot. But how many of them do you suppose care a hang about the vote? How many of them do you suppose are of voting age? How many are transient and temporary wage-earners who will marry presently and quit wage-earn- ing? And, Senator, how about the twenty A MERE MATTER OF FORM SKIRMISHING ORDER TAKE ADI million adult women in the country who are not wage-carners, but wives, mothers, housekeepers? Do you mean that they are not earning their living and adding to the wealth of the nation, and that they are of less importance and less worthy to be considered than the seven million wage-carners? “ For this reason,” you say, for the reason that they are wage-carners, the seven million (most of whom don’t care a hill of beans for the vote) have a moral right to a voice about questions of sanitation and the living conditions of the home which are governed hy legislation. But they have a voice as it is, though not a vote, about questions that are governed by legislation, and for about nine-tenths of the questions of sanitation and the living conditions of the home, they are themselves—each for herself—the legislature, the com- mittee and the executive, all in one. Go chase yourself, Senator! You are not very persuasive in this argu- * ment for women's votes. If the twen odd million women really want to vote they will probably vote, but it is im- portant that they should not be dragged by their ears into premature ac- ceptance of the suffrage at the in- NTAGE OF ALL ATURAL COVER stance of out-of-a-job women whom the vote won't really help, and of po ticians whose trade is in votes and who hope to get them easier and cheaper if the supply is watered. ELS. M. ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME comicbooks.com