Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-11-08


The mos; part, notes Of her lecture, on slips
Of paper, to which she occasionally REQUIRED
by a glance. Her subject was, .. Idiots and
women - and her text the words, Sc All
persons except criminals, paupers. idiois,
and women, shall have the right 20 vote. -
Thus, 80 said Miss D., saith the law -
but she did not tell Us what law. There are,
sc hardly need to say, no such w1rds-no
chasing together Of criminals, idiots, pau
pers, and womcn-n the constitution and
statutes OF this State. With this as a basis
for her discourse, Miss D. prop5unied, with
great p5=itiyeae-s AID spirit, the various AZ
gumcnts IN favor Of female suffrage. These
were not new altogether they were, in fact,
tie same often presented by Mr.. Beecher,
NJ. Curtis, Mr. Philips, and others, urged
however, by Miss Dickinson, with an earn.
cstuess which made them her own. Miss
Dickinson declared that she had never yet
seen man WHO knew women bn: she had
evidently not a particle Of doub, that she
knew men; and she knows them, we are
sorry TO say. for, in the main. q set Of tyIan-
zeal aud arbitrary bEutcs n, tha; she had
10 good words for good men but she seemed
% dwell with far greater junction on such
declarations as that the prl-en. arrange
mcut Of the sexes ia ilis country is an ari--
t5cracy meancr than any IN Europe that a
woman must have a husband OF nothing,
which is commonly a choice between two
n5thiuss. that God made 30 many women
silly to mate the men, 6c., and 10 recital. OF
brutality and uuutteraJle molnue-ss- 90 tue
part Of husbands towards gentle and trusting
wives.
Doubles Miss D. presented this sr,a,
question more lor,iliy TO many minds tien
it had been as Jet. Doubtless she made &. u
yerts TO hcr doctrine; bat hr discussion Of
the sal jject was wholly oae--ilei.-as indeed
was 10 be czpec.ed-anI a good deal Of it
seemed to Us about as well calculated 70
arouse oppositl n as TO win assent. She
failed, at any rte, 90 convince all her hear
ers that extending suffrage TO tile women Is
50 certain a cuIe i.r orisilsl SIN and l.al
dcrravity as she suppose. She SAID, with
out qualification, that &c that 81 women could
vote there would b, ..- ,l5 If indecent places
w anybody 20 - to. We are n5s quite
sure ofthat.
care not surc either that the brutal
and drunken husband would not control bis
w.f, 5 vote, as absolutely as he controls her
Z ars5n. money, time and labor. Since men,
with al their devili-h Ingenuity and entire
control, have failed to make laws which viii
prevent the possible wreck Of the hapri-
ness and life of the man bY the woman to
whom be is tied for lfe-and there are such
Eases, though Miss Dickinson did not allade
70 auy-we are not sure that women, if Civ
20 the power 70 make the laws. could fix it
so that their happiness could not be destroy
ID by the man to whom theY are tied for
lie.
We can g part way with Miss Dlckcn-
IA. Where q woman represents a house
iold' OF Is taxed upon property in her own
light it seems but right that she should
ave share in saying BY her vote how her
money shall be appropriated. Beyond that
he case Is not so clear to Us. We do not
aY that We would deny to women the
light to vote II they or majority OF them
e sire the privilege. We are generally in
favor Of giving them whatever they desire.
We have no objection to Miss Dickenson's
citing, early and often. We do not
row but universal suffrage, for all races.
yes and sexes, is bound to come. We take
% attitude of oppo-i ton to 1t. but the poll
y of such unlimited extension Of the right.
is Tot Yet clear to Us Believing that wo-
ne as mass are purer and better than the |
zen. We cannot shut cur eyes to the fact that |
he met who aIo most Ike women, in their
.enileress OF heart, purity and conscientious
ess. are the hardest to get to the polls.
hey SHRINK from the turmoil and excite
.ent Of elections They are Disguised with
oIi'ics, and so their votes are wanting.
'hcn most needed.
Is there not here an indication Of the pro-
able working Of female suffrage? Would
of, as a rule. the worst women vote. and
le gentler and better portion-the true wo-
at home? And would this not
AXE things worse instead Of better On
me of these points Of the practical working
universal suffrage Miss Dickinson threw
O. light. Are there not also some teachings
div Inc revelation, on this subject, worth
Perhaps after all the ease is not az
ID as she supposes. If the present
is an " aristoeracy, it is one
which woman is the queen. How many
the lords Of creation devote their
7es to tie care of wife and family work
hard again for them as they would for
emselves, delight to earn money that
cir wives may spend it ; consult them on
cry occasion; rOte as they desire deny
EN- nothing, Perhaps If Miss Dickinson {
Is united to somesuch kind and worthy man, t
: would have better opinion of the !
niger sex, and take a more cheerful view l
the situation. Till then she mag be sure b
1t no true man blames her for taking 5
lckily the part Of her sex, as long as she t
.siders them oppressed. Their cause, if it o
theirs, has certainly IN her a very effect v
advocate. II