Liberty advocate., 1837-10-24
EXTRACT FROM MISS MARTINEAU'S NEW WORK
ON AMERICA.

Fit# ON AMERICA.
One of the fundamental principles an
nonnced in the Declaration of lndepen-
dence is, that governments derive their
siust powers from the consent oil the gov
efned. How can the political condition
of women be reconcied with this!
3 3Governments in the United States have
power to tax women who hold property;
fo divorce them from their husbands, to
hne, imprison, and execute them Tor GER
tain offences. Whence do these govern
nents derive their powers? They are
rlot Gust" as they are not derived from
the consent Of the women thus governed
Governments decree to women IN some
States half their husbands property; IN
others one third. In some, woman, on
her marriage, is made to yield all her
s nroperty to her husband; in others to re-
sain portion, or the whole, in her own
4 ahands. Whence do governments derive
3he unjust power OF thus disposlng OF
property without the consent of the gov
armed? .,
lM The democratic principle condemns all
his as wrong; and requires the equal po-
glitical representation Of all rational be-
ings. Children, idiots, and criminals, du-
5ing the season of sequestration, are the
pnly fair exceptions.
f The case is so plain that | might close
Il here; but it is interesting 10 inquire
how so obvious a decision has been SO
\ zbyaded as to leave to women no political
lights whatever. The most prlnclpled
1cmocratc writers on government nave
on this subject sunk into fallacies, as dis
Graceful as any advocate OF despotlsn
has adduced. In fact, they have thus
Junk from being, for the moment, advo
Bates of despotsm. Jefferson, in Amer
lea, and James Mill at home, subslde, iol
the occasion, to the level of the author o
she Emperor of Russia's catechlsm to
khe young Poles.
Jefferson says, "were our States pure
democracy, in which all the inhabltant
Ahould meet together to transact all thel
business, there could yet be excluded iron
heir deliberations, |. Infants until ar
lived at years of discretion; 2. Women
who, to prevent deprivation Of morals
and ambiguity Of issue, could not mix pre-
miscuously in the public meetings of men
3. Slaves, from whom the unfortunat
state Of things with us takes away tn
rights Of will and Of property"
If the slave disqualification here as
signed, were shifted up under the head c
II Woman, their case would be nearer tn
lM truth than as it is now stated--woman
lack of will and of property, is more lik
the true cause of her exclusion from rel
resentation than that which is actuall
set down against her. AS if there coul
be no means of conducting public affair
but by promiscuous meetings! As
there could be more danger in promise
GUS meetings for political business tho
in such meetings for worship, for orator
N for music, for dramatic entertainments
fer any of the thousand transactions
civilized life! The plea is not worth
mother word.
Some who desire that there should
an equality Of property, between M
3 and women, oppose representation, on Z
ground that political duties would be
compatible. with the other duties viii
women have to discharge. The reply
M this is, that women are the best judg
here.
tits pleaded that half of the human ra
" does acquiesce in the decisions Of the o.
er half, as to their rights and duties I
this acquiescence is only partial; and,
give any semblance Of strength to
plea, the acquiescence must be comPie