The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-14
WOMAN,S RIGHIS.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's Plea for
Universal Suffrage.

-.
delivered under the auspices of the BROOKLYN
fraternity, taking for his subject Universal Suf-
1rage." Though the TACT Of the Reverend Doc
1ers appearance In his tavorite role was exten.
plVeiy circulated, there was a very meagre atten-
ance, the Academy presenting beggarly array
Of empty benches.
Whether from surfeit of the subject, orlfrom
bhe TACT that dollar for reserved seats and fifty
cents for Ordinary seats were considered too
much Tor the proposed entertainment, it is true
Ihat the lecture, in pecunary point, was O
decided failure; and whether from these circum-
STANCES, or from the paucity of his hearers and
their apathy throughout, the lecturer was not
as pungent or forcible as his wont. After being
introduced to the audience, Mr.. Beecher came
horWard and spoke substantially as follOws:-
propose to speak to you tonight upon the
subject of universal suffrage. BY universal suf-
tTage I mean that every citizen who has at
rest Ia the laws and government and in the
support OF the state and peace OF society, has a
right to influence the State and its policy and to
express that influencein in the potential manner
implied in the vote. Another name for uni
versal suffrage is manhood suffrage or suffrage
based upon the mere fact of manhood, and not
npon any class reason or any supposed prepa-
gatlon and fitness.
UN1vERsAL SUFFRAGE THE AMERICAN IDEA.
And first, universal suffrage is but the carry
ing out to the full of the tendencies of our
American history. At first, in New England
suffrage was confined TO church members. This
sounds 70 us singular put IT. Is only tne local
yet exists in force, namely, that only the best
qualified have a right TO vote. If you hold that
only the well-qualified citizen has right TO
vote, you ought not to find fault with any
particular mode of determining who are the
best qualified. Experience has taught that
the Church could not save the State, but
that IT was itself corrupted, in that who
OF it into church membership. But we need not
be ashamed of the ideas of our fathers, that the
State is something sacred, and that political
duty is so eminent as to require the best SERVICE
and IT was noble in them to say "a real Chris
tian is the best man." He is the best man. 1t
church member was of course Christian, and
that man was of course not a Christian because
ne was not a church member. Against their
fears, slowly, reluctantly but surely and ire
sistibly, the popular will pushed back the
barriers and widened the circle of voters.
and the tendency, from the very founding
OF the colonies has been In one way, without
reaction, retrocession, or even tendency towards
It. After two hundred years experience. the
sentiment of advanced men of reflection and
sympathy with american Ideas OF government
rs still in favor of wider suffrage. And all signs
show that the time is come to place this subject
on the ground OF universal principle and take
il off from the ground OF expedlency. We adj
vocate universal suffrage as right of man
hood, and not.as privilege accorded by
society TO the deserving, Universal suffrage,
secondly; is a logical result of American doc
trInes OF society. All political power begins
and inheres in the people, and is alienated
from them only by a crime. And If it
exist in any other form, as in magistrates and
governments, it is by the delegation of these
Inherent rights of the people to officers or
bodies Of men chosen by the people to repre-
sent them. Custom may have practically
should exercise potential political power but
the principe is universal, and no man can hold
that all governments derive their power from
the governed, and then proceed to exclude
large classes of the governed from the use of
of aristocracy. In our day there is choice left
to a consistent, reasoning, logical mind only
between the two theories, me t demoeratc ta % ana
the ground that every citizen has a right to
vote, or we are bound to go back boldly to the
best citizens have right to vote" We have
never consistently carried out our own princi-
pies in America. We have really proceeded on
the theory that the Government belongs to the
best part of society. In other words, we have
given very imperfect rendering to the prlnci-
Die that society ought to be in the hands OF
educated and moral men. 1t ought but 1t
ought to be in their hands only by educating
and rendering moral every man in it, which is
very different thing from taking class of
society that are educated and moral and saying
that in them inhere privileges political because
the State is benefited by their exercising them,
and the exclusion of others. hold that reason
should vote and morality should vote,and there
fore, hold that it is Indispensable that reason
and morality should be carried down, just as
long as you can find man, TO the very bottom
of society We have reasoned, however, one
way; we have acted another; and TO be consis-
tent with our own aoenes @ @ % we e@ can sa6e KENO no
nally belongs to the people, all the people have
right to the exercise Of that power, and dis
moral or intellectual grounds, and against
wn political philosophy.
SUFFRAGE NATURAL RIGHT.
Thirdly hold that manhood suffrage is in
trinsically just and right as well as consistent
with our philosophy; and in the line of our
historical development it is the right of every
man to have q voice in whatever affects his
name. his happiness mis- family, his property,
his safety, and his own life. Laws and politics
do this, and every man, II there be any such
thing as natural right, has a right to voice
and Influence in determining laws and policies
which reach him, sift him, which make the
difference between happiness and prosperity in
his case, or subyersion and wretchedness.
Where can you find natural right if It is not
society has the right of self-preserva-
zion. What is society, as distinguished
from the people? The people have the rightto
society to pieces if it be needful to change it, to
modify its structural institutions. But society,
as something different from the whole people,
the organized condition Of the people. And
society, as distinguished from the people, has
no rights which a democratic people are bound
10 respect If the whole people agree with
itself that q part of it shall not vote and that
part consent TO it, that is their lookout; but for
an aristocratic majority to agree together that
the other party shall not vote, is an injustice
laws the best men should be Employed
but that once made, all the peo-
pie should receive a common and like
tration of law being just and right, the benefits
of government will become equal, universal
and that there is no need of universal suffrage
in the construction of the law. But answer
criminal laws and their administration are
but a very small part of the Government infu-
ence Commercial laws have far more to dc
with convenience and with prosperity, ior they
Now, IL may be laid down as fundamental
canon, that no class OF men are NJ TO leglslat
for another class; that every class KNOWS IL
own interests and no legislation is just II
which all interests have not been fairly repre-
sented and felt should like to know II money