Chapter 143: A More Promising Business
The women's rights movement was one of the biggest trends in the country at the moment, having developed for fifty years since emerging in the late 1840s.
According to the historical trajectory of the country, even if Davey did nothing at all, the movement would still undergo a historic transformation in about twenty years, when women would gain the right to vote as a collective.
At present, all voting rights in the country rested in the hands of men. Because of the war, the number of men had dramatically decreased. If not for the peak immigration wave—composed mostly of young men—the number of women in the country would likely far exceed that of men today.
Even so, women already made up 51% of the population.
If women obtained voting rights, it would trigger a massive political upheaval across the entire nation.
Put simply, whoever could secure more women’s votes would hold the strongest political advantage.
Davey had founded the Veterans’ Club with the intent of stepping into politics, and the women’s suffrage movement was clearly a powerful opportunity for him.
“Mr. Callander, Miss Penelope asked me to inform you that she’ll be attending the women’s rights rally in Rhodes Town at 1 PM, and she hopes you will join her.”
“Please tell Miss Penelope I’ll be there.”
Inside the Rhodes Town hotel, Davey replied to the guard who delivered the message and handed him a one-dollar tip.
The guard was extremely grateful for Davey’s generosity.
“A ridiculous movement, Davey. Are these women insane? What good are they? In wartime, are we supposed to rely on them to form an army and fight the enemy?” Mac scoffed without a hint of restraint—an opinion shared by many men.
Even after fifty years, most people still treated the women’s movement as a joke, believing its success was impossible.
In this society, all money-making jobs remained in male hands. Most women could barely find work at all, and were entirely dependent on men.
“Put away your prejudice and arrogance, Mac. You need to show women at least some respect—at least on the surface.”
Davey said it casually. He didn’t expect profound understanding from someone whose brain was mostly muscle. Getting Mac to not cause trouble was already enough.
In truth, even if Penelope hadn’t sent anyone, Davey would have gone to the rally anyway—to meet Mrs. Calhoon, the leader of the women’s rights movement in Rhodes Town.
In the game storyline from his previous life, Mrs. Calhoon was assassinated not long after.
Although no killer was ever confirmed, the Gray family was the most likely suspect. By then, the Braithwaite family had essentially been wiped out by the Van der Linde gang, while the Grays had only lost their drunken sheriff—the patriarch and the other brothers were still alive.
Being able to lead a women’s rights rally meant Mrs. Calhoon was at least a member of the Country’s Women’s Suffrage Association—possibly even part of its leadership.
Even though women wouldn’t gain the right to vote for another twenty years, most people overlooked the immense spending power women already possessed.
Simply put, if Davey could build a good relationship with Mrs. Calhoon and then open a café in Rhodes Town, that café would be packed every single day.
And if he could use her connections to meet the leadership of the women’s gatherings in Saint Denis, then starting any women-focused business there would become dramatically easier.
Only people from the future truly understood how terrifying women’s spending power could be.
In future online discussions, a common ranking of consumer groups went: young girls, young wives, children, the elderly, pets, and finally men.
Yet in the current country, most businessmen focused solely on making money from men, neglecting women as an entire consumer group.
As someone from the future, Davey knew well just how powerful women’s spending habits could be.
Often, those who don’t earn money spend it with the greatest abandon—and in today’s society, where the country actively promotes spending ahead of one’s means, this effect was even stronger.
Once wealthy women focused their attention on your products, getting rich became almost inevitable.
This had far greater potential than the moonshine business.
At this point, Davey’s moonshine business had reached its limits in the West. Its main advantage was its sweeter flavor, which suited the taste of people in the country far better than other spirits.
Combined with a unique sales model, this was the real reason Davey could bring in gold every day.
But moonshine recipes and sales methods could always be copied. And because it was illegal, the moonshine trade also came with constant conflict from underground forces.
Even if Davey expanded further, he could never compete with the massive eastern gangs.
In the country, nearly 80% of all industrial and economic activity was concentrated in the developed eastern cities. The entire West combined didn’t even reach 20%.
And that was exactly why the West was often dismissed as “the countryside.”
Author's Note
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