The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-11-20
THE MINNES0TIAN.
Woman S Rights.

We find the following in some of our exchan.
ges, which we consider one of the most plausi.
BILE arguments we have come across for many q
their rights:
To FREDERICK L. TRACY, Treasurer. and the
assessors and other authorities of the Cty
of Boston. and the Citizens gentraHy:
HARRIOT X. Hunt, physician. native and per-
maneut resident of the City of Boston, and for
many years a taypayer therein. in making pay
ment OF her city taxes for the coming year. begs
leave to protest against the injustice and inc
quality of leyying taxes upon women, and al
the same time refusing them any voice or vote
in the imposition and expenditure Of the same
The only classes of male persons required to pay
taxes, and not at the same time allowed the pri.
vilege of voting, are aliens and minors The
objection in the case of aliens is, their supposed
want of interest in our institutions, and knowl-
edge of them The objection in the case of mi
nOrs is, the want of sufficient understandings
These objections certainly cannot apply to wo,
men, natives Of the city, all whose property and
interests are here. and who have accumulated
by their own sagacity and industry, the very
property on which they are taxed. But this is
not all; the alien, by going through the forms
of naturalization, the minor on coming of age
obtain the right of voting. and SO long as they
continue to pay mere pOll-tax of dollar and
4 hall, they may continue to exercise it. though
so oignorant as not to be able to sign their names
or read the very votes they pnt in the ballot
boxes. Even drnnkards. felonS, idiots. or luna
tics, ifmen, may still enjoy the right of voting
to which no women. however large the amount
OF taxes she pays, however res ctalle her char
acter, or useful her life. can ever attain. Where
in, your remonsrant would inquire, is the JUS
ticc, equality. or wisdom of this? That the
rights and interests of the female part of com
munlty are sometimes forgotten or disrcgardCd
in consequence OF their deprivation of political
rights, is str.kingly evinccd, as appears to your
remonstrant, in the organization and admins
trat!on of the city public schools. Though there
are open in this State and neighborhood, a great
multitude OF colleges and professional schools
for the education of boys and young men. yet
the city has very properly provided two High
Schools of its own, one Latin, the other English
at wh ch the male grat'uatts Of the Grammar
Schools may pursue their education still farther
at the pubic expense And why is not Ike
provision made for the girls! Why is the pub,
i.c provision for their education stopped short
just as they have attained the age bus ittld for
progress. and the preliminary knowledge Ecccs
sary to fac tate It. thus giving the advantage
Oh superior culture to Str, not to m:nd9 The
fact that our colleges and process oual schools
mOnstrant has had personal and painful exp ri.
tnce-having been in theye 1871. after TIVE I've
Year, o. med cal pract &c III Bostoa. refused per.
mission to attend the lectures o. Harvard Mcdi
cal Collcgc--that fact would socm to furnish an
add. .t.onal reason why the city should provide
at It's own expense. those means OF sup,rior cd.
ucat on which, by supplying our girls ith &C.
cupat on and objects Ol interest, would not only
save them from lives of fr.volity and emptiness
but which might open the way to many useful
and lucrative pursuits, and so raise them above
the degrading d'Iendence, so fruitful a source
o. female misery.
Reserving more full exposition of the sub
Get to future occas oas, your remonstrant in
paying her tax for the current year. begs leave
10 prot 81 against the injustice and Unequal. tics
above pointed out.
Tbs is respectfully submitted
HARRIET X. Hunt.
No. - Grccnc-st.. Boston, Oct. Is, 1852.