The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-01-28
FEMALE SUFFRAGE.

, invitation, and that his sensibiilies may
suffer no further modification, propose to
notice briefly his arguments, as he calls
, them, in favor Of female suffrage.
a. G. =" has a stereOtyped metaphysical |
preface to his articles, that would be little |
hard to initiate, and still harder to answer. |
That must pass to the jury as it is. The |
charge Of dogmatlsm is however sufficiently !
disposed Of b. remembering that in my first /
paragraph only asked the modest privilege |
! Of giving my opinion 1t would be beneath |
tho proper character of man, who presum
ed to address the public, to stop at every |
paragraph to express his INDIGESTION aud |
doubt Of what he was saying. When our |
thoughts are rambling and desultory, it may
be well to express them with hesitaton.-
But where truths are seen clearly, and the
belief Of them amount TO conviction, they
are unaVoidably expressed with n confidence
| that does seem authoritative. When men
feel the solid ground under their feet they
step with trmness.
The thing that looks like a.. g. strong.
est argument, is that the women Of the
| country ought to vote to offset the negro
vote of the south. Does not a. O. see
| that the same wise law.givers that gave the
! negro the ballot, can, for the same purpose,
en'fanchiso the wGnches Of the south, TO
| balance the white womau's vote? The
! sagcs that invented the reconstruction code
! are too persevering to be caught in such a
| trap. And the other reasons, given by ~.
| c." for female suffrage, are ~ applicable,
! II not more 30, 70 wcnches ns TO white wo.
men. lie says "the present state Of thelaws
| ,vbf L. - dol -. III
az well of as the favored few, but where
women are obliged to workforA living give
them fair show" The favored ones are
doubtless the wives and daughters, whohaye
husbands and parents to provide for aud
protect them but the other class, the indi-
gent working class, for which his sympathies
mount 50 high, would doubtless include the
INDECENT working wench, as well AZ the poor
white spinster. ~. g." will have to, on his
own principles, hunt some other material
| than white women to balance the negro vote
Of the country.
~. G." finds fault because | notice the
fact that the marriage relation, and the gen.
eral status of the sexes, as we find them, is
sanctioned by, and descends TO US through
christianity. He tries to give the impress
zion that claim Divine authority for all |
have written on female suffrage aud he
will have nothing to do with the sanctions
Of christianity and that finally there is
no use to argue with men that take up such
positions
1t would seem then that he does not think
M existing law or usage is any better for
having the sanction OF the author of the
christian religion. | had always thought
His precepts the highest authority any law
!, or usage could have among men; and that
II any law or usage was found plainly con
trary to them, while every christian citizen
s. would abstain from violence or disloyaIty
f. he would certainly feel it his duty To change
!. It, Or if on the other hand rs in the pres
y ont case, be found laws and usagcs in exist
r. cnce, founded on and descending from such
Q authority, he would pause long before h
would lay ,is sacregious hands an them
Such. are marriage and the general ststu,
of the sexes; and my defence Of them found
t resource both in christian and political prin
), ciples. | ain the more surprised and grieV'
o ed at the manifest iuidclty Of -. g." be-
9; cause, 10 former letter he naG rl,,ao prom.
! ise Of better things, by saying that Christi
anity had done much for the elevation o
q, women
,e lie says he claims female suffrage becsus
10 it will remediate injustice What injustic
Il. and where All this is vauge and meaning
less. If woman is wronged by mans leEi'
latjon, why not show where and ask tn
change for specific reasons. If the lnjustic
is only depriving her of the ballot, VIII
re. has there never been found means OF equr
ID, Justice among men who have the baIio
All the efforts that have ever been made, t
give men their natural and political right
as are only Approximate. The ballot confer
VI some power. 1t can give voice for a
officer to pretorm the functions OF a govern
'0i ment. If the election is lost, that voice ts
ny fruitless on the air; and the minority is n
oF more represented by its vote than the woma
"a or the child. If the election is won, thos
~ who win are sodiversely situated in the bod
w polite that there are often more than
~ thousand fold difference between their il
Nv terests while they have alike, each cast on
vi; ballot. The ragged lazaroni, licking th
j. bottom Of sugar hogshead for liyinl
do casts as heavy stone on the balance, q
the philosopher or the merchant prime
Al whose interests ramify TO every institutio
of the country. And 1t is safe toassert tht
nls no system has, or ever can be devised,
on which each man shall have power, by meaI
in. of his ballot, that shall correspond with h
q, interests and rights. The thing is beyou
!, the reach of human sagacity. Since the
~ no government can be made which VI
H. afford exact political justice to oil men, 1t
vain to seek it for woman through the ba
ed lot and the little advantage it might gi'
her would be far less than the advantal
she has in the protection and support Sd
~ claims from the stronger sex. For sure
to she will not claim exemption from the e,
70 posures and rough encounters of life, if 81
herself has an equal share in shaping i
political aspects. Surely she will not as
'Sy to guide the ship Of state, with but timi
o. heart and al impotent arm to defend it,
Inc its day ofperil. Legislation and war are s
ISL nearly related, that no class ought to partc
en' pate in the one, without standing ready
I, vudicate it BY the other Leave this to Il
NJ strong, and let the weaker rest in the pr
eE' lection that a msgnsnimous civilizRtiO
Is always will award it,
'fAl But }. &. says this injustice is "felt sever
ly IN the old countries especially" Here
Seu a change Of base, and this allusion to ii
% "oId countries aud his quoting Lucy StOr
20 and Stewart Mil repeatedly, in his letter
ly reveals pet Standpoint" of bis own, thu
nm no doubt gives shape and pathos to niue
ms that he says about female suffrage. II
lls great lights" Mill and Stone, may be heav
'0S' weights iu England and England ma
sadly need Reconstruction in It's treatment {
m women, as well as the weaker and MOI
defensless of all classes there; bat it is bar
at to see the Milestone weight it has o
all American politics. We have twice repelle
OBJ il with the sword, when its bene6cence Wa
attempted to be thrown over us; and "
bar might have been better employed, for tn