Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-07-26
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
Xewiny cf tie lEomom .snGrage
Commitsee in tie 1Ner IorL Coa-
sAtut;ouok (onreatiou.

| tLIJtjIthCSS Nk CftS 4hsW xCffO Ton
shtutionol Conrention.
A very large audience assembled
at the Capita to listen to the advo
Gates Of female suffrage. Mr.. Greeley
as Chairman Of the Suffrage Commit
tee, presided. He said that the Con
vention was waiting for the report o
the Suffrage Committee, and they
wished TO give the friends Of Univer
sal Suffrage Q hearing before report
ing.
He introduced Mrs. Elizabeth Cad .
Stanton, who said She came to i'm
press upon the Convention the i'm
portance Of giving the ballot to VIC
men for several reasons.
| First. Because of its national effect
Reconstruction begins at home. How
shall New York reconstruct South
Carolina until she first purge herself
Does the North consider women unfit
to vote? So the South did negroes.
In this prolonged unsettlement Of the
country she saw wise Providence
th at gave us time to debate the fun
damental laws of the State. AS in the
war freedom was the key note of VIC
tory, 80 universal suffrage is the cor
ner stone Of reconstruction.
Second: The ballot should be ex-
tended in order that the Constitution
may become consistent with itself. 1t
opens grandly, We the people. On
its second page the word male citizen
disfranchise half the people, and the
word colored adds another twelfth
part to the DISTINGUISHED class. You
do injustice to woman. You do not
disfranchise the negro worth $3.50,
but YOU tax the poor widow and give
her no vote. You exempt $500 of
clergyman's property, but if he dies
you tax his widow for it.
Third: Justice to woman demands
the change. Taxation without rep.
resentation is tyranny, aud resis, ance
to tyrants is obedience to God. Wo-
man here refusing to pay any taxes
would act in accordance with this
healthy revolutionary sentiment. Tax
alton without the consent of the taxed
disfranchises Of every political right.
Woman reyenges herself for this neg
lect. Every den Of vice that alures
your sons and mine from purity proves
this. The horrid tragedy on your
streets and the vacant seat in your
body proves this. -Four thousand
times 100000 black men could not
SO sap the strength of the nation as
woman is doing now. She asked it
because the d,stranchised class is al
ways degraded class. Look at Eng
land. With the ballot in her hands. a
new type of manhood would soon be
established. Look at our own coun-
try. If you had given the ballot TO
the black man in i776, would we have
had our late baptism in blood? The
negro belonged to the di-tranchised
class, hence his present position. Wo-
man is disfranchised, hence degraded
from her proper position. The ballot
is 4 power in mans hand, and would
be so in woman's. There is a connec-
ton between bread and the bollot.
Give women . vote and her small sal
airy viii be increased. Would not a
father rather have his daughter in a
post office at $4,000 a year, than run
ming sewing machine in u garret
with AL its temptations? There is no
place wheresa woman is moro legral-
ed than in the Northern States. In
Euronean countries she can hold Of
fee. In the Southern States woman
has never been compelled to see her
coachman or footman going to vote
on her behalf. Many say it would
produce social revolution. So they
say il would if she had her rights of
property Give woman the ballot and
the Republican party would be rs
ready to elevate woman as the negroes
Of South Carolina. They would send
their kelleys and Wilson's through
the land to enligften them. Woman
Suffrage is one of the great ideas OF "A
century which must prevail. The call
for Universal Suffrage pervades all
Europe. and New \ lorl should not be
behind. No question will come be-
fore the Convention of more import
ance. De not make it separate ques-
ton. Let it 60 linked to the new Con-
s.itution. The inalienable right belongs
to woman. 1t is a national and not
political right. She simply asks the
Convention to permit her to exercise
it.
Mr.. Greeley then introduced Miss
Susan Il. Anthony. On taking the
stand Miss Anthony said she proposed
to answer any question that might be
asked. In reply to question from
Mr.. Greeley. She professed her will
ingness to have men and women in
Discriminatory drawn upon jurics. Mr..
Hand. of Broome, asked whether in
case of q draft the same rule would
apply? She answered unhe stating
", :" Yes" She did not believe in
war, but they would fight ii necessary,
Applause. A question had been ask
Ell her as to whether the ballot would
be the remedy for womcn's low
wages she thought it would. In Ills
country only women and negroes arc
the degraded classes who cannot get
the same wages as others. The ballot
will dignity woman and elevate her.
It has done it already for the negro
in Washington City and III Kansas.
The ballot will extort from the legisla-
tors Justice apd right. Ycu say the
women don't want the ballot. Even
if true, this is no reason why they
should not have what is their right.
The wealthy may not ask for it, but
the poor need ii. Give her, then, the
power Of self-protection. She ,honsht
female suffrage was the only salvation
Of the Republican party. This clogs
the wheels of reconstruction.
Mr.. Greeley asked, When does
this inalienable right commence for
young men and foreigners ? Have we
the right to say when it commences?
Miss Anthony answered: My right
as human being is as good as any
other human being. Ii you have Il
right to vote at 81 years, then | have.
AL we ask is that you should let down
the bars, and let rs women and ne
groes in, and then we will sit down
and talk the matter over" Loud and
prolonged appause.
Mr.. Greeley inquired rs to the pro
portiou Of the women of the State hat