Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1867-04-27
Women's Rights.


The women seem bent upon creating
sensation, nowadays, in some way or other.
They have managed to keep the masculine
portion of humanity in constant autter OF
excitement and on tip-toe with expectation,
lately, by the "showy," unique style of
costume they have adopted. until at last any
new monstrosty with which they may adorn
themselves has ceased to excite wonderment,
or even provoke smile of derision. Water
falls, filters, and other similar institutions
with which the sex have managed to make
themselves sufficiently ridiculous to attract
attention, have had their day, and like other
follies which the freaks of foolish feminines
are constantly leading them to commit, will
soon be forgotten. The female mind, in its
pristine condition, before it has been sobered
by the cares, sorrows. joys and responsible
ties incident to matrimonial life, is feverishly
restless and unstable. From the days of
Mother Eve down to lhe present time, the
sex has manifested a morbid, Unsuitable ap-
pttltC lOi eANAtCututg diio eilO"A eiiS sunny
unconquera.le desire to usurp the preroga-
tives and privileges which God expressly
designed should be exclusively enjoyed by
the lords of creation, that they are exhibiting
at present. Tie last expedient which they
have adopted for raising breeze, and one
which proves to be so eminently successful
as TO totally eclipse all their former efforts.
is woman's rights. Yes. incredible as it may
appear. the softer sex waut, and absolutely
demand the right of suffrage. The desire to
exercise the functions which have heretofore
devolved upon masculinity, is no longer con
fined to a few vinegar visaged, sour-tempered.
disappointed old maids and strong minded
wives of henpecked husbands, but has taken
possession of and pervades all classes and
conditions of the female sex. From one end
of the country to the other, from the Kenne-
bee to the Rio Grande, from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, the cry of the females for
"suffrage' is heard, and the determination
and earnestness with which they are pushing
their demands plainly indicate that they
mean business. The columns of the press
are filled with articles in which their suffer-
ings, wrongs and grievances are pathetically
set forth, their claims are advocated and
supported by lecturers and essayists, and
in many of the States, petitions formidable
at least in length, have been presented to the
Legislatures, praying that they might be en-
franchised. Now, that women should have
their rights, no one will deny; the question
is, what are they? Is the right to vote, one
of them The reasons given and arguments
advanced by the ladies and their advocates,
in favor of the proposition, certainly possess
merit sufficient to entitle them to eonsidera-
ton. They say-and statistics prove the
the truth of their assertions-that matrimony
is on the wane in fact, that it is an old
fogy institution which is becoming unfash-
ionable. and that in consequence the number
of women who are thrown upon their own
resources for support. is rapidly increasing +:
that in a number of the States the females
outnumber the males, and as the laws of the
United States do not allow polygamy, and
as the men are evincing a reprehensible disin-
clination to undertake the support of even
one wife, their chances for procuring hus-
bands are desperate in the extreme; that
custom excludes them from many kinds of
employment for which they are qualified.
and establishes rate of wages for them far
below that given to males for the same labor;
that they are taxed without representation,
and amenable to laws in which they have no
hand in framing. That this is a formidable
bill of grievances, and one which demands
immediate action, the most bitter opponent
of female suffrage cannot deny. That the
use of the ballot would have a benef-
cial effect matnmonially, we are inclined to
doubt. We are of the opinion that the de-
crease of marriages is owing more to social
than political evils. What the women de-
mand is simply this: that the men shall
either support them, or give them an equal
chance to maintain themselves. They pre-
sent two alternatives, matrimony or suffrage,
and leave it to the men which horn of the
dilemma they will take. AS a compromise
measure, actuated solely by desire to heal
the differences between the contending ele-
ments, we propose the following amendment
to our franchise laws: That all males shall
be allowed to vote from and after the time
they assume the responsibility of supporting
a wife, and not before that all females over
the age of twenty-one years may exercise the
elective franchise as long as they remain sim
gle; but when married they shall transfer
the breeches to their husbands and submit to
his authority like dutiful wives. Ifthe ladies
will accept this proposition as basis for
compromise. our sympathies will go with
them in their struggle to ameliorate their
present condition.
Citizens Meeting.