The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-02-22
woman,s Rights.

Congress Hall was completely filled last even
ing by a large audience to hear 8. 8, Foster,
Esq, of Worcester, Mass, upon the subject Of
woman's rights, including her right of suf-
frage.
Mr.. Foster commenced by saying that if he
should fail to interest his hearers it must be on
account of his head being full of business cares
when he incautiously accepted the invitation
to speak on this subject He referred to the
time when he was mobbed in hall near BY,
and said he never expected at tn at time to live
to see the letters struck from the slave, and
prophesied that if the audience should live 30
years they would see woman enfranohised. He
thought we ought to divest the subject of all
prejudice and consider what is right and what
is wrong. He came to put his alongside of the
views of his audience and meet fact with fact
and argument with argument. He meant to
have everybody agree with him, if possible, be.
fore they left the house. What are the facts?
Ever since the world began there have been
two theories. One, that all men are created
free and equal. Has one the right to rule and
share in the government? then all have. We
are all on dead level. The other, that we
are not all created equal. As one has more
power than others SO he has the right to mo
nopolize. If he has not got power enough by
himself to subdue an empire he has got the
right to associate with certain class who have
the power and subdue it, Now one of these
theories must be true. There il no middle
ground. Either thing must be right because
it can be enforced, or because it is based upon
the principles of equality. He held the theo.
~ 'as we would have others do unto YOU" the
true one. Suppose we take for our theory
"might makes right" You claim the ballot
because you've got it. But suppose manage
to disfranchise you. I find you and your party
set Of unpopular men, and I get you disfran.
shissd; your rights and privileges are at the
mercy of another; we have crushed you by our
power; we make you pay our taxes, toll in our
fields, do all our work; you can't demur; we
have got the power and you said "might was
right" Where is the man who will dare to
get up in this house and advocate this theory
He said he was shocked to hear a legal ger tle-
man of celebrity in this city tell him privately
that no man had right to the ballot. (Cries
Of "name him" but Mr.. Foster declined. One
gentleman in the audience stated that Mr..
Fessenden, in Washington, had said that the
ballot was delegated not a natural right
On this theory OF might makes right, every
outrage on the civilized globe is justified. Why
wouldn't the rebel party have been right il
they had succeeded?
The other theory is vulgarly termed "what
is sauce for the goose il sauce for the gander. /"
What is good for man is good for woman. Do
you doubt it? Stand up here and we'll meas
ure against some woman. Can you love? She
can love as well as you; she has as much right
to property, to justice, to liberty. She can en-
joy; she can suffer as well az you. If you
don't think she can, try it. There are some
things woman can do that man can't, and
vice versa. What is proper for you to do 10
proper for her. There is no danger of man
getting into her sphere or woman getting out
of hers. He thought man could sell tape if
he wanted to, but woman could do it as well
He had no hesitation in putting woman, who
can sway the world by the power of her intel.
leet, in position to do it, or letting her hoe or
dig if she wanted to; and if men try to mark
out sphere for women they will make great
mistake. The proper thing is what man or
woman can do that will enhance the public
good, they have right to do. We all stand
on the broad platform of equality. As woman
has need of government as much as man,
she has right in that government. If woman
has an intereset in the. ballot she has right
to the ballot. If the women had elected
President four years ago he did not believe
they would have had worse drunkard traitor
and fool than the one who had disgraced the
position. Talk about women not being compe-
tent to rule. Are the men competent? What
is the glory of government? Not to punish
crime but to prevent it. Take away the incen-
tives to crime by instilling principles of ius-
tice. What has been the effect of mems rule
in this country for the past 70 years? Look at
civilized and savage nations looking on at the
spectacle of beautiful woman, educated and
accomplished, sold from the auction block to
bloated drunkards-families scattered to the
four quarters of the South, never to meet
again till the day of judgment. He mentioned
the great rebellion. These, said he, are two
instances of mans government. Woman's
ballot wouldn't have tolerated the rebellion or
such outrageous spectacles as the slave-block
Ifthe women had possessed the ballot at the
end of the revolutionary war, America would
have been paradise at the present day. As
long as you keep the sexes together, and let
them go on through life hand in hand, ali will
go well. He showed how woman showed her
ability and power and love in the Sanitary
Commission. AS it was on the battlefield so
it will be at the ballot box. Woman will be
the Saviour. As the negro saved us the South
so woman will restore a wholesome govern
ment to the whole country.