The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-04-02
FEMALE SUFFRAGE IN THE OHIO
- LEGISI. ATTIRE. -

A correspondent OF the Clnclnnal
Gazette gives that paper the follow
ing account of the "killing off, of
the Female Suffrage amendment:
a scene of indescribable confusion
occurred in the House to day. The
resolution offered by MIR. Scott, OF
Hamilton, to submit to the people of
Ohio the question of abolishing sex
in voting, was before the body, hav-
ing been taken up yesterday evening.
Mr.. Ball, of Muskingum, a bitterly
prejudiced Democratic partisan. had
] offered an amendment to the effect
that hereafter the word "whiten in
the Constitution of Ohio, should be
held to refer only to persons having
no visible admixture of African
blood. The amendment was by no
means impertinent, as Mr.. Scott s
resolution simply proposed to strike
the word "male' ont of the suffrage
section of the Constitution, leaving
the word "white'' to stand there as it
is now.
Dir. Hill, of Defiance, and Mr
Hughes, of Highland, made earnest
appeals to the House to lay the whole
subject On the table, as il had al
ready cost the State money and
trouble enough; but the handful of
grave legislators, who represent on
the floor of the House the views OF
Lucy Stone, George Francis Train
and others, insisted upon further
fight. And fight it was.
Mr.. Ball's amendment .wss agreed
to, Al to 40, and then came desper-
ate struggle by the friends of the
original resolution, to get vote on
it separate from Ball's amendment.
This, the Democratic members. who
seemed entirely too cunning for the
Republicans, strenuously resisted.
For nearly three hours the battle
ragged. At scarcely any moment of
that time were there less than half a
dozen members on the floor at once,
and frequently half the body would
spring to their feet vociferating and
gesticulating fiercely at the Chair
and at each other. Speaker Thorn
hill decided that the question was
divisible, then left the chair and
gave it to Mr.. Hughes, of Butler.
For long time Hughes was ut
terly unable to control the House,
although he shouted and pounded
with his hammer until he grew blood
red in the face, and the noise in the
hall resembled the roar of a cataract
intermingled With repeated explo
sions OF musketry. Occasionally
there might be distinguished the
crier of question - "order :" 81 ap.
peal :" "vote! vote - "downw with
the loud laughter of those who, in
tensely enjoying the scene, were
determined not to be put out of
humor.
At last, Hughes, of Butler, who is
usually an exceedingly good -natured
gentleman, lost all patience touched
his bell; In effect pronounced the
House mob (Which it was), and
declared that neither he nor the Clerk
would take any further note of pro-
ceedings until order was restored.
A new complication was here
discovered. Speaker Thornhill mot
in the chair said he had not decid-
ed (while in that the question before
the House was not divisible; but
that generally question containing
two or more distinct propositions
was divisible. The explanation was
unquestionably absurd. for the sub
ject of the general divisibility of
questions had not been mooted at
all. But the Clerk was directed to
change The journal so as to accord
with this yt:v. Against this latter
extraordinary proceeding, ] under
stand some of the members will
strongly protest.
MIR. Hughes, of Butler, when order
was partially restored, decided that
the question on the pending resolu-
ton with Balls amendment, was
divisible. Then ensued another
frightful struggle, the female suffrag-
Eers insisting that no appeal could be
taken from this decision, and the
others that there could. The latter
party carried the day, overruled the
Chairman decision and brought the
House to vote upon the resolution,
with BalPs odious amendment tackled
on. Then, of course, every Republi-
can member was obliged to vote
against it; and these being re-enforc-
ed by such sensible Democrats as
had from the beginning deprecated
and opposed the whole affair, the
resolution was lost by SO to 40.
The thlrty-six gentlemen who
voted in the affirmative are all Dem
ocrats, of whom, believe, bat two
or three are in favor of female suf-
frage.
And thus ends, in the present
Legislature oi Ohio, the agitation for
"woman's rights"
This action cannot be regarded as
at all decisive or even indicative of
the views Of majority of the Leg
islature on the subject of female
suffrage, since the sequel shows that
it was upon the odious amendment
of Mr.. Ball that the vote turned and
not upon the original question
Those who voted for the measure,
(all Democrats) did so because of
the natural disposition in the Demo
cratic mind to oppress the black
man tor not more than two or three
of them were in favor of female suf-
frage. The friends of the measure
may thank Mr.. Ball and his coadju-
tors for its defeat.
Immense discoveries of gold, in
placers, are reported on the mainland
of Alaska, one hundred and twenty
miles from Kodiack Island, latitude
81 deg. north, longitude $50 deg.
west from Greenwich. Three sever
al discoveries we're made; the first
on Kayak river and Chigmet noun
tains, the second about sixty miles
above Sitka, the third on an island,
name unknown. On account of the