The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1859-08-20
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Saturday Morning, August 20, 1853.
rhs voting Righ,s Of woman

The Voting Rights of Women.
Tn. Wyandott Convention Judiciary
Committee through their chairman. Mr.
Kiugman, reported against giving women
the right Of suffrage. They reasoned that
"ihe rights of women are safe in the pres
ert hands" such rights as are natural
are row enjoyed as fully by women as BY
mer." So voting and holding Office are
no, natural rights, but as they further
stated, merely political in their character"
and should be withheld from women that
they might better attend to their duties as
wives and mothers. The Convention in
dorsed the report yet some of its mem
bers take to themselves the credit of hay.
ing secured political rights for women in
the sphere Of school matters. This is
claimed as a great advance-if so, it is an
advance from the position taken by the
Convention itself. Before, however, we
accord it high need of praise, it is well
to scan the section which gives such a
grant of political power" II is confer
redin the following section:
Sec %. The Legislature, in providing
for the formation aud regulation of schools,
shall make no distinction between the
rights Of male and female. .
The section is indefinite. 1t does not
specify whether the rights are natural or
political, rights as pupil or teacher, as a
taxpayer or State Superintendent of Com
mon Srkools. Had the Convention in
tended to confer the right of suffrage in
school matters, why did they not say
unequivocally, that "in all elections hav.
ing reference to the regulation Of common
schools. females shall be admitted to the
right of suffrage on the same terms as
males?"
Ii the clause, as it stands, confers the
right of suffrage, it also confers the right
to bold all offices which have reference to
common schools. A woman has under
1.-THE same right to be Superintendent Of
Public Instruction, Secretary Of State, OF
Attorney General, who constitute the
ATE School board, that she has to be
school director, or voter in school meet.
ingS. 1t confers the right to hold these
Offices qnite as much as to vote. If she
has right to vote for school directors she
has also right to vote on the question oil
sale of the school lands, aud on the cleo.
ton Of the State officers who constitute
the school Board. This accession Of
political rights would no doubt be ex.
ceedingly gratifying to the women Of Kan
sas, but should they attempt to hold ofiic,
or vote, they may fiud Judicial decisions
declaring them. II would be held tina
the rights Of suffrage and holding Office
are already limited by the Constitution t,
males, aud that the Legislature has NJ
power to take further action; that no new
power is conferred on the Legislature by
this section, but simply prohibition
against depriving woman from any "natu
ral' rights. Hence, as the Constitution
already makes the needed distinctions, tn,
Legislature has no necessity for takini
any other action except to use the phras
qualified electors" in those portions 0
the school laws which refer to suffrage
The Constitution must be construed as
whole, and so constituting it, this sectio
does not confer on woman the right I
hold rffice and to vote. It is a high
sounding generality, an adroit dodge c
the "woman's rights question"
The white mans party" with all the
zeal for equal rights, have ignored tn
civil rights of women just as completed
as they have those of the negro Will
they are fawning at the feet of the foreignt
aud prating of their generous liberality,
the women of Kansas will not forget the
hypocrisy and their betrayal of the prir
ciples of equal rights.