Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-02-19
Female Suffrage.

A sensible article on Female Suffrage appears
in the Cincinnati Gazette from the pen Of MIR. E.
b. Mansfield, who has so long contributed to the
New York Times under the signature Of -
Veteran Observer He asks VIII human
society be benefited in this, or any country, by
woman sharing in the business or respopsibilty
ofpoliteal life? What are the newspapers most
engaged in now A denunciation Of all public
officers; cry Of corruption against all public
men; charges, suspicious and insinuations against
all who have any public business to perform. We
do not believe a tenth Of all this; but, it is eyi-
dent that universal suffrage has not increased
the belief in universal virtue And now. it is
proposed to double the entire vote, by duplicat-
ing the vote of each man with that of his wife,
sister or daughter Would that make any i'm
proyement in the country? Would woman :
votes be materially different from duplicates? p
On all moral and religious questions. Mr.
Mansfield Is Of opinion that women would vote
more wisely than men, and for this reason he is
inclined. as we are, TO grant them the ballot
whenever the great body Of them ask for it. At
present he thinks that the vast majority Of our
women shrink from the prospect Of voting 1t Is
not feminine weakness which makes this decs-
ion, but consciousness Of the truth that govern
ment is business, which involves care, study,
controversy, and responsibility Hence, to i'm
pose this upon women is not merely unnecessary,
but is to make new burdens for them. which
were never imposed by either God or nature.
He goes on to say that the advocates Of Fe-
male suffrage quote the Declaration Of indie
pendence that the government is founded On the
consent of the governed, and maintain that as
women are among the governed, their consent
should he obtained. But the sane argument
applies ECU lily well to children. The Cont
mental Congress in adopting that phrase never
meant to give it any such application. What is
the consent Of the governed? How is it
ascertained2 All words are to be taken to mean
what they meant in the day when they are used.
The consent Of the governed meant then and
means now, the consent ascertaine1 as the Girl
lalg pr0rides. No consent was then or is now
required from those who have nc votes, nor
from Illnoflles against uilOflllts- W heu
did the Democratic party consent to the election
of Grant? When did the rebel States consent
to be conquered and reconstructed This hum
bug of the consent Of the goreracl was
thoroughly exploded in the war. The rebel
States set up this doctrine with as much gravity
and earnestness as if they believed it. They
said they did not consent to be governed by the
majority that the consent of the States was
necessary to the action of the Government, and,
in fine, as they did not consent the general Gov
eminent had no right to govern them. But the
general Government did govern them and made
them swallow their doctrines at the expense Of
their lives and property. The doctrine Of the Dec
laration is abstraetly true, and it was an
nounced as an offset to the divine right Of kings,
which was the doctrine of Europe, on which
George Ill attempted to act. But the consent
Of the governed is to be ascertained in the mode
prescribed By Girl lqr.
In conclusion, Mr.. Mansfield says that the
real points involved in the question are these
/. VIII not female suffrage change the natural
proper relations Of the family > VIII female
suffrage be useful to women? 3. VIII female
suffrage benefit society as a whole? When these
questions are satisfactorily answered he thinks
that women will find no objection in the way of
their getting the right of suffrage.