Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-19

Mr. E1FsIDENT: propose to discuss
this question to-day in its serious aspects.
It is to be conceded that many distin-
guished men in this country, possessing
brilliant intellects and excellent moral
qualities, have made exceedingly ingenious
arguments in favor of Female Suffrage.
Conceding the premises upon which these
ingenious arguments are based to be we'll
taken, many of them, as logical produc-
tions, are unanswerable; and it is not
strange, sir, that even thoughtful men
and women, under the influence of these
appeals, are led, for the time being, to
embrace the error. 1t is not the first in
stance in which the popular mind has
been led captive by sophistical reasoning.
especially when maintained by the elo-
quence of popular favorites. A set of
philosophers once maintained that matter
can be annihilated by the mere force of
compression. The argument was based
upon the assumption of the porosity of
matter as being an inherent principle,
something like the assumption that the
function of voting is an inherent human
right, and this being assumed, it was ap-
parent that in the irresistible grasp of the
hand of the Almighty, the earth might be
compressed to the size Of bullet, and
completely annihilated by final con-
traction of the infinite COMPRISING force.
The logic was conclusive, but the prem
Uses were false and imaginary. Permit
me to further illustrate my point, Mr..
President by an allusion to the great null
ification speech of Mr.. Hayne. As a.
piece of logical workmanship, that speech
had never been excelled and so plausibly,
so forcibly, and SO skillfully was it con-
structed, that when finised, it seemed to
the wisest men of the nation, there
sembfed, saye one, that it was easy for
a babe to batter down granite monu
ment with a straw in its puny fist, as to
overturn the massive argument of the
brilliant South Carolinian. But there
was one great mind in that assembly not
moved from its poise. 1t was perceived
the argument of Haynes might be con-
structed, however it might rise in majestic
proportions and pierce the skies, it had no
warrant to stand upon the Constitution,
upon which it professed to be based and
that on the morrow he would be able
to demolish it as the baseless frabric of a
vision, and leave not a rack behind. And
as the great expounder arose, calm and
majestic in his place, to reply, he was
probably the only person in the Senate
chamber, and perhaps in the whole coun-
try, who did not expect his most complete
discontinue in the great encounter with
his adversary. All Were overwhelmed
with the conviction that however they
might have wished otherwise, the mortal
disease of nuliifcatiOn was seated in the
very heart of the Constitution. Leading
men of Massachusetts, hung breathlessly
over the galleries, their eyes suffused and
their hearts depressed with the deepest
gloom, AZ the great Senator arose. Sir,
the result Of that days work was the an
more completely than the aophists ami
hilated matter by the force of compress
sion. 1t was aunihilated because it was
based upon a false assumption. The eyes
of those who witnessed the performance
of the great nullfier had been dazed and |
their minds entraneed, by the brilliancy
Of its execution, and they stood gazing III
wonder upon the faultless structure, with
out one thought of examining the pedes-
tai
Mr.. President when such instances as
these may be quoted, without number, OF
the popular mind being led astriy by So
phstries, it bchuovcs NJ, sir. to pause in
mil-carcer and examine 'hr Question now
under consideration, At ~ foundation,
and we should be careful not to suffer
ourselves to be led to wrong conclusions
by the quotations of the brilli,nt names
of those who favor suffrage for females
In humble imitation of the example of
Mr.. Webster, but of course following far
behind him in the effectiveness of the
performance, it shall be my cndcavor to
show that all the ingenious argun ents
that have ever been advanced in favor OF
universal Female Suffrage, have been
founded upon the false assumption that
the exercise Of the function OF voting is a
natural right, and that it is within the
natural sphere Of woman to exercise it.
Sir, | declare this assumption 10 be who'll
iy false. maintain that the exercise by
woman Of the function OF human govern
ment, in any Of its departments Of force,
is contrary to divine revelation; to the
natural law OF the sex; and that it is not
demanded by expcdiency, but on the
contrary, would result ia the most la
mentable consequences to the race.
Let us then, Mr.. President, begin at
the beginning "In the beginning God
created the heavens and the EARTH" and
garnisbod them with lights, and carpeted |
the floor Of this Terrestrial ball with vogc-
tation TO be fit place for the nhabitancy |
Of the immortal beings, who were to be
created in his own image. Aud this pre-
paratory work being accomplished, then
God uttered those awe-inspiriug words
90 Let us make man in our own image, |
after our likeness" And 30 God made
man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him male and female |
created he them. How plain, sir, are the
scriptures 'In the beginning was the
word, (meaning Christi and Christ was
with God, and Christ was God" And |
from the language of the inspired word,
in its account of the creation Of man, as
read in the light of this inspired language
of John, we may plainly understand that
while the first male imaged the God-head
in His creative and ruling power, or in
his Fatherhood, the first female imaged
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