Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-08-03
Woman Suffrage.
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE.


/ COUNCIL VI tENsCHS-sECoND SESSION.
To the Honorable Council Of Ceusors, noso
/ an SESSION.
| The Special Committee, appointed un-
der the following resolution,
( ResoireI, That committee of three be APP
4 pointed to inquire into the expediency Of so al
tering the Constitution as to extend the tight Of
suffrage to ml the citizens Of the State, without
regard to sex.
having duly considered the same, report
The Declaration of Independence az.
serts that "aH men are created equal, -
that "yoeernmentS deriee their 7ua polc-
ers from the consent Of tie gooerRed."
The first clause OF our own State Con-
stitution decl4 res that "0U men are torn,
equally free aud Independent, and hare
certain natural, Inherent and iuaiiena5le
rights, amoaJ mh Oh are tie defendjnJ and
egoyinJ life and liberty, ac7uirinI, pos
sessinI a'ad protecting property, and pur-
sum- and oJiai@inJ happiness ami Safety."
"Taration and representation are IN
separate, cried our fathers Of the Revo-
luton.
We all believe these to be sef-evdent
propositions, and that they apply to all
mankind, man and woman alike.
Suffrage is IN expression Of opinion by
ballot. Tic QUALIFICATIONS are, capacity
to understand the effect of public meas
ures an,. desire for the public welfare.
And it is the right OF any one person who
possesses these qualifications, as much as
it is the right of any other.
But one-half Of the people Of our state
are denied this right, aud woman has no
vote. Yet she has all the qualifications
the capacity, the desire for public well
fare. She is among the governed She
pays taxes. .r
Even-handed justice, fair application
of the principles of the Declaration oi In
dependence and Of our State Constitution,
above quoted, give woman the ballot and
do not shut out from it one-half' of the in
telligence and more than one half Of the
moral power Of the people. Custom and
prejudice alone stand in the way. There
is no reason why woman should not be al
lowed to do what she is so eninently fit to
do. We have seen no objection to woman
suffrage that has not been successfully met.
We know no good reason why the most
ignorant man should vote, and the ntelli-
gent ,cOmaa be refused
Our present political institutions were
formed and shaped when men had their
chief interests and pursuits out Of doors,
and women remained the humble slaves al
home. The social change has been i'm
mense. Now woman sits by the side Of
man, is his companion and associate in his
amusementS, and in all his labors, STUDIES.
pursuits and interests, save the one Of
governing the country. And it is time
that she should be his associate in this.
Some Of the best minds Of the English
race tathom3l this subject 1t is
so extensive that we cannot present it
within the limits which would secure the
attention Of even members of this Coun-
ell. For statements of some of the views
Of Woman Suffrage entertained by your
committee, the Council is retcrrrd to the
speech of John Stuart Mill in the Brit
ISL Parliament May 20. 1867, the adj
dress Of Henry Ward Beecher at the
Cooper Institute, New York, and to the
recent report Of the joint Special Com
M tteo on Woman Suffrage to the Senate
Of Massachusetts, May "a, 1869.
We fully concur in the sentiments of
tbo g,,low;Ho ovt,,,cts IRON, ,,o odd.oee r.
~, "''" 'i0'l' '''o '"0'e'' "
MI Deecher
Look. for moment st some ~ tbe rcsults
that w,iild occruc from tho gr,nt;na nr tho IN
.artv or euiY,,,c to ,,o,,cn q
What vnnli bc ,l,o e@t,.t IF tbo;r ,ot0s; j., ~,
selection Of men for otR,s-town state and No.
tioraly Do Won net kpow docs ROT cvor,, roI;
ti,.inn know does moi cyorv man tbnt ;s IT all
conyersant With nubli, n b,irs know that ynu
are ol,lired IN chase men far ofce with r"e.rcncs
tn thoss who ore IN vote Gn,. thnm and thst if
mon were selected wboso oleet;on d.nepdad 40
much unon the yotcs Of women nc unon tbo y,tcs
Of men. not one bad man would be mt IN where
there are fftv selected now Tha rot;rr ofwo
men wonld be tbc sizing Of mon tbrouchont tho
nntiop.
Now tho nomon, Won hr;r, ;rto an, milf,
o; no ;mesnoo o hns ,,o OUT puong
"an4;,,,ant H. lnn" ns nv a',u'st. ,,o1a
io'. anon al ~ aoI ~ n',,; S'nunts
100, e'. -, Y, pu'Hy'
- ; INV 80 ~ az M ~ - R'ou'
ne "nu "9piara'ous ioi ane ,iRneI
oJ'.n' ,."a "au'e ne.'9nly tIu'ns sn'. kho~i-1
etsvS' ''e '"o'pon' YOU pt'n@ 'ose'nrr III puiilc
1T IN n I',' ae''ie 'eine'eh'
asa wv ~ ny WV ioui'''N'iDh lor moral
puit,y ''nI P"pl,y P"oSi uliu sre"t moral m
',tes's snu questions u huinai,iy VIII tKe the