The Kanzas news., 1857-11-14
From the National Inteligencer, October IS.
Richard Henry Lee OF Wonan's Rights

From the National Intelligencer, October l3
Richard Henry Lee OF Wonan's Rights.
A gentleman of Virginia, well known to
us for his sound learning and many accom-
plishments, has politely communicated to US
the subjoined letter, addressed, in the year
1778, by Richard Henry Lee to his sister,
Mrs. Hannah Corbin, of Richmond, Va,
and which has never been previously pub
ished. We have it before US in the origi-
nal manuscript Of the writer, familiar to US
from other specimens of his hand which
have come beneath our eye. This letter, it
will be observed, was written from Chan
tilly, in Westmoreland county, Virginia,
the country seat and residence of the illus
trious Revolutionary statesman, and appears
from its face to have been in reply to COM
munication from MS sister in which she
had suggested or enforced the political right
of widows, either to exemption from taxa
ton or to share in the election of the peo-
pies representatives.
In order properly to appreciate the origin
and motive, as well of Mrs. Corbin's letter
to her brother as of the arguments contain
ed in the reply of the latter, it is only nee
essary to refer to the great principle for
which the American colonies were then
struggling against the mother country-the
doctrine that taxation and representation
should be inseparable This Is we'll termed
by Mr.. Lee ga large subject and it per-
haps should occasion no surprise to find that
Its boundaries were deemed wide enough by
some strong minds of the female sex in that
revolutionary era to embrace the rights of
women as well as of men, especially when
the position of the former was such as to
impose on them the liabilities which consti-
tuted the apparent foundation of the civil
franchises claimed by the latter. If women
were taxed, why should not women have
voice IN the election of the taxing author
ity?
But to the letter of Richard Henry Lee,
which we shall make the foundation of fur
ther remarks by way of appendix:
CHANTILLY, March II, 1878.
"My Dear Sister: Distressed as my mind
is, and has been, by variety of attentions,
/ am lily able by letter to give you the sat
isfaetion l could wish on the several sub
jects of your letter. Reasonable as you are,
and friendly to the freedom and happiness
of your country, should have no doubt
about giving you perfect content in few
hours conversation.
ttYou complain that widows are not rep
resented, and that, being temporary posses
sors of their estates, ought not to be liable
to the tax. The doctrine of representation
is large subject, and it is certain that it
ought to he extended far as wisdom and pol
icy can allow. Nor do see that either of
these forbid widows, having property, from
voting, notwithstanding il has never been
the practice either here or in England. Per-
haps twas thought rather out of character
for women to press into those tumultuous
assemblages of men where the business of
choosing representatives is conducted. And
it might also have been considered as not so
necessary. seeing that the representatives
themselves, as well as their immediate con-
stituents, must suffer the tax imposed in ex-
act proportion as does all other property
taxed, and that, therefore, it could not be
supposed that taxes would be laid where
the public good did not absolutely demand it.
''Phis. then, is the widows security as
well as that of the neyer-married woman
who have lands in their own right; for both
of whom have the greatest respect, and
would at any time give my consent to es-
tablish their right of voting, although lam
persuaded that It would not give them great
er security, nor alter the mode of taxation
you complain of. Because the tax idea
does not go to tbs consideration of perpetu-