through our
country as well as through all the world there is a growing
recognition of the cost of our modern industrial conditions to women.
These are such that in many thousands of instances the motherhood of
our girls has to be forfeited. No one knows except those who have made
a very intimate and careful study of the present cost of social and
industrial conditions how great that cost is. When we demanded in
Illinois the limiting of the working hours for women to ten a day,
many of our women physicians brought forward facts of great value
showing the tremendous physical danger to girls of overwork. At
present a very interesting and valuable investigation is going on,
led by some of our woman physicians, showing the evil result on the
second generation of these industrial conditions.... These facts are
of national importance and it is because right there is the crux of
the entire situation that we women are working for the ballot, for the
sake of protecting the womanhood and motherhood of our 6,000,000
working women, I think half of them under 21 years of age...."

Mrs. Robins gave a number of special instances and in answer to the
question how the ballot would remedy these evils, she said: "The
women, an unorganized group, get together and take collective action
and they find themselves not fighting their industrial battles in the
economic field but in the political field and the weapons that are
constantly used against them with the greatest success are political
weapons. The power of the police and of the courts is used against
them in many instances and whenever they try to meet that expression
of political power, they are handicapped because there is no force in
their hands to help change it...."

In the course of a speech punctuated with lively questions and answers
Mrs. Upton said: "I represent the industry of wifehood and
housekeeping. I spent many of my childhood days in the room of this
committee, my father having been a member of the Judiciary Committee
for thirteen years and chairman for several years. He was the only one
who ever reported a bill favorably for woman suffrage.... I want to
ask you to report against us if you will not report for us. Just tell
the world that we must not vote because we cannot fight, because it
will destroy the home, anything you please, but break your long years
of silence. Is it fair for you _not_ to tell us why you are opposed to
us? Women are not fools; on the contrary,