Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-04-27
Etom Eliznbelh nilson.
CADrz, Ohio, April 18th, 1850.

tee of Arrangements, my much esteemed
{ friend your husband uniting in the solicIta-
ton to attend the Convention of Women to
assemble in Salem on the 18th and goth in
stont. II is perhaps unnecessary for me to
say, that heartily concur in the measure, as
my opinions on this question are already be-
fore the public. But regret 10 say il will
he out of my power to have the pleasure
of attending on that occasion. The object
of the Convention, the Elevation of Wo-
man, is one in which / take an intense in
} tcrost, as il deeply involves the interest and
well-bcing of the whole human family. WO-
man has been long the Uictim of oppression
and iuong, and God has so ordered matters
IN this world that we cannot inflict ON injury
on our fellow-crcaturcs without infiictfg
; greater injury on ourselves. Man has in
flicted greater injury OH himself by the
assumption ofarbirary power than he has ON
woman, though it is extremely injurious TO
both. Arbitrary power has always been n
curse both TO the pOssessor and its victim
Woman is little more than an automaton,
well nigh pushed off the platform of human
ity, so that she is not "an help-meet for
man." This lays responsibility ON man
which he is unqualified 10 meet. In no de-
partment Of life does man manifest this
more stlikiugly, than in his administration
of civil government; more particularly his
moral impotoncy is manifest to humiliuting
| extent The communicating moral influence
| of the political arena is urged, rs reason
why woman should not engage in 1t, lost she
would become contaminated like n majority
of Political man--thus men yields 10 her
the supremacy in morals. Would not wo-
mans moral influence be corrective of its
communicating effects? ." II is not good for
man to be alone" aud the Great Sovereign
of the Universe has assigned woman politi-
cal duties. What! does God require politi-
cal duties of women yes, political duties.--
Queens shall he your nursing mothers is
scripture prediction, as well as Kings
shall be your nursing iathers.' Where might
we most naturally have expected the fulfill
ment of this prediction 10 commence, but
| in Christian, Republican .4Biericd, the worlds
best hope. AS the sovereignty is vested in
the people in Republican form of govern
ment, all who enjoy political rights in Re-
| public are constituent parts OF the SOver
eigniiy, and may lie called kings or queens;
and in the character of queens does God re-
quire service of woman. But our model
Republic tells God that queens shall notbc
a constituent part of its sovereignty, 10 he
nursing mothers to his Church and people,
and has denied women political rights in to-
to. The government of the United States
with respect TO women is but great hercdit-
nry aristocracy, which governs them by ar-
btrary laws without their own consent; thus
giving the lie to their o,oa principle, that
government receives its legitimate powers
from the consent of the governed. Has any
person liberty when Inc is governed by laws
he has no voice in making? il is a direct
step towards ensavement. II would he an
anomaly, that such Il class would he govern
ad - just ai;c CYui''iB'e1uws; iience tne uh-
equal and oppressive laws which govern wo-
men. 1t is said that the right of suffrage is
a conventional right, an1 not natural right
and people may be lawfully diyesicd OF COLI
ventional rights. The principle that gov
ernment receives its legitimate powers from
the consent of the governed overturns this
opinion. We deny that the right of suffrage |
is conventional right--itis natural and in-
aleniable right-iorming conventions gives no
right to exercise authority over those who
are not members of the association. Con-
ventions can give no rights; IL is God that
gives us our rights. The province of civil
government is TO protect us in our God-glv-
en- rights. And women have inherent aud
innlienabe rights the same as men, and have
corresponding duties, and should have di-
rect voice in all matters which effect their
interest.
II is said that women's rights are safe in
the hands of their affectonate fathers, hus-
bands and brothers. Do the facts in the case
testify that this is true? After woman
becomes wife, she loses her identity in
the eyes of the law, she is a being of the
laws own creation-a monster, fictitious
being, not having human rights as before
The laws that govern the wife and the slave
differ in degree, but not in kind. Instead OF
the civil law being tic protector of the wife,
or widow, it is her adversary, her yrant and
oppressor. We are convinced that if there
were no organized civil government, in our
present enlightened civilized condition, the
wife and widow would enjoy more rights
| from the common sense of the community
than they do from the civil powers. The COM
mon sense of an enlightened community
would award to the wife n right TO ac-
quire and own property.
The virtuous woman spoken of in the good
old book, considered a field and bought II.
Prov. 81, Is. An enlightened community
would brand man as despicable tyrant,
who would exact the personal labor OF hls
wife and pocket her oarnngs-it wonid
brand a man as u savage, who would Dlhd
his wife with cords, lock her up IN closet,
and if she resist his lortly authority ana
brute force, muim her! Tho husband
a licensed woman-wllipper! Mognanlmlly
sustained by our Republican chiyalry! She
a nursing mother queen! Alas she is strip
ped of her crown aud dignity. A most
shameful violation of n constitutional guaran-
ty, that no person sIioll be deprived of liber-
| " without due process of law. And were It
not for legal enactments, who would ever
think of pouncing on the poor widows pro-
perty, wrestling it from her, dealing out her
apportionment, as il she were saaried do
inesiic, and making such disposition OF
the residue as they see proper? No, the
common sense Of an enlighted community
would say, that the widow was the proper
person, after the husbands exit, TO have the
sole control and management OF that proper
". and that she is the God-ordaued guardian
of her children, the same as the husband,
after the wiia's death. Arc not the moral
aud intellectual training of the children un-
| 1ar tl,eir nnfhar,a control md Xyhv cannot