Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-02-26
Women in Iowa, and the Franchise for
Women.

N~-ht my AIS itt9t ACNLNt MAYS ~
the condition, employment, and.sup-
port Of women III the west, but espec
tally in Iowa whence he wrote. lie
says, "a man even here has a hundred
chances fer making a living where a
woman has one, which is neither gen
crous nor just it is a cruelty which
has its misehiovous cause in denying
to women the franchise which gives
honor to industry among men. Here
in the west where nobody is idle,
where all men and women have to
work, have listened to many an ap-
peal from devoted women, in sub
stance saying, is there no device by
which we can earn botter pay {? |
met a lady in Iowa, a teacher OF
Crock, o woman with more brains
than Queen Victoria, or the Empress
Eugene, and yet whose almost earns
ings in her profession were $1,000
per month met another, weep~
ing woman, whose husband was lost,
and having ttfe ediidren she could
/ .lia., s. noah.H4 tHat would earn for
chem and herself q support. Here
+ then, were examples OF underpaiG
professions and dependent widows
/ Anl y, ho, titc rcmcdy, but IN recog-
nizing the facts BY law that 50 and So
many Greek lessons shall be paid 50
: much for, whether heard before a wo-
man or man; ana that by means Of
the franchise to women the light ia :
/ dustrial employmet Is may be made
I equally respectable when women ems
/ gage in them rs when men. The
question OF salary Is not one Of gen
crosby but OF business. Women
should not wish to live by charity.
Therefore, open the markets Of indus
try to all SO That when teaching fails
to command good wages women may
compete in anything else they can
find 10 d. The mother and wife
may suddenly ne made widow, in
which ease she y far worse Off than
would be the wifelcss husband with
several children upon his hands
The customs and laws ought to BIZ
such chat in such cases the women
are NO worse OF than the men. A
man may he a banker, a clerk, laws
yer, a pedlar Notwithstanding
that earns an honest living, and no
body thinks AZ Loses caste. But let
u woman engage in such and a dozen
other pursuits, and she is Judged out
Of her sphere, strong minded or in
danger ct depravitv."
Mr.. Iilton makes the prediction
that the first State Of the union to
achieve tie political equality ofthe
sexes Will NE the State Of Iowa. He
says in the: chief universities and
colleges Of Iowa, already the most
radical State in the union not except
ing Massachusetts, both sexes meet
in the same institutions in the high
er as well AS IN the lower classes and
in all the grades and dcps,rtments Of
learning, ineluding the classical
which Mr.. rilton considers the only
true and civilized method ofconduct-
ing schools Of learning. Harvard
and Yale in Massachusetts, belong to
a former generation. their brows un-
gilded by the dawn of a coming era.
Pat five hundred college boys togeth-
err for fouryears by themselves, with,
out girls for classmates, and four
hundred and fifty Will graduate more
vulgar minded than they entered
Put both sexes under the same roof
making the college something like
the family. and mutual intellectual
benefits will follow, and mutual re-
fincmouts. And since it costs Just
rs much to pat girls through college
as II docs boys. whore the common
sense afterwards III paying them half
the salaries for doing the ull intellect
ual labor Of mcnl The inequality all
arises In depriving the woman Of her
franchise and allowing the man TO
populaglse any pursuit he may Ven
ture upon By means Of the vote
which he holds IS a check upon pub
lie opinion. Rob the blacksmith Of
his franchise and bis wages viii soon
melt away to a hale Give the ballot
to woman and il VIII put money into
her purse without lessening the mans
purse Give the ballot to woman
and soon her name viii appear over
the shop windows at the head OF all
business, and it viii feed and clothe
her children.