New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-15
FOSTER ON REPRESENTATION.

his audiences. He likes to startle his hearers
into surrender, and to convince them Dy
sort of galyanic moral battery. Long expert
ence has perfected him in this method OF
warfare, which-fatal as it is to good Judg-
ment, to careful thinking, and TO sound ana
logical conclusons-may have its uses when
the main purpose is to awaken apathy or to
stir M a mob. 1t is Mr.. Fosters idea that, to
be at all right, one must reject what all
others receive. and disbeeve whatever is
accepted by the rest of mankind Thus lie
tried yesterday to bully the women at Worces-
ter into declaring that men were tyrants,
when the dear creatures persisted IN say
ing that they did MT think anything OF
the kind. Thus, little farther back, he
took occasion, in the recent Womans Con-
ventioa at Cleveland. to inform the aston
Ished congregation that "he did not believe In
representative assemblies at ALL" while the
body which he addressed was, If not repre-
sentative assembly, something less than
nothing at all. He also avOwed his faith in
ga pure democracy" by virtue of which every
man would be his own Member of Congress, were
it not that in the sublime and miennal cOnd-
ton for which Mr.. Fosters soul yearns there
Member of. Of course the projection OF these
theories to their logical conclusions would leave
society without any political government what
ever; as there could be no legislation without
the full and unanimous assent of the whole
population, it would follow that there could be
II, laws binding upon the minority; the doc
time of its theoretical assent, which is the sole
safeguard against anarchy, would be discarded;
AID nothing short of n radical change in hu-
nan nature-a change which we have no reason
to cxpect-could save us from that brutal
domination of the physically strongest, which,
| if it effected nothing else, would make short
and sharp work of Female Suffrage" Mr..
| Foster no doubt, has in his minds eye (Which
rolls in a fine frenzy, if minds eye CAM an
election such as it would be in Heaven, if the
angels only voted. The citizens of both sexes,
| clothed in white and wreathed with flowers, to
| the music of lutcs and soft recorders, approach
| the glorlfed polls, each with the same ballot in
! land, and all of one accOrdant mind. But
under such circumstances Of complete serenity,
and of brotherly and sisterly love over all,
what will be the use of voting ut allY
| And how shall we be sure, when
everybody is with everybody else
agreeing and all the he and she-citizeDs are
voting as Wordsvortl's forty cows were feed
! ing like one" that the appartiOn of Mr.. ).
| s. Foster will not grizzly appear to denOunce
! the whole proceeding rs covenant with
! death and an agreement with the place which
| nav not ne mentioned to ears pOliteg We
can imagine no possible state of things in this
! world which would be safe from the Fosteran
! STYLE of criticism He is the one man in the
world whose existence makes nemiHe contrddi-
cente impossible and una roce out of the ques-
! ton. He is like the Hiudoo philosopher who,
when his wife told him that his rice was ready,
would cry out: "What is rice ! Is it positive
" or negative? Is it entity or quiddity P'-and
so on until the rice was cold. He laughs to
scorn the notion that there are only nine parts
| of a hair He could himself discriminate and
| dissCct ninety!
1t is a popularity of Mr.. Foster, aud of the
less distinguished disciples of his school, to say
! their say az inappropriate moments and under
distinctly iaopportunc circumstances. 1t is this
which leads them their race, and starts be-
wildercd minds, just as they are about to find
a standpoint, once more upon their travels in
search of noblcr notions. 1t is the mission of
! Mr. Foster to bewdcr the weaker brethren
| and sisters, and to transmogrify them into
Wandering Jews OF disputatious turn. Here
is a Convention met to consider the question
Of Suffrage for Women; unless its members
! believe in representative assemblies" there is
literally no business before the house; but
while fair delegates are dreaming of the day
When under the dome of the Capitol they will
gracefully move to the desk of the Clerk, and
| With low, sweet voices take the oath OF
! a representative, up rises the form of Mr..
Foster, with a negative in every line of his
| crntenance, and denOunccs all Congresses,
| General Courts, Legislatures and Assemblies
whatever! Here is wind of doctrine which
cts only in one direction and if it be strong
enough can only blow the delegates home to
heir babies and their pie-making. What do
hey in Cleveland7 What do they want
With what are they dissatisfied? OF what
arthly use will the ballot be, if they are to
To allowed to vote for nobodyf If this Re-
public is to get along with the most exquisite
snoothness without Presidents, Vce-Prcsdents,
CDngressmcn, Mayors. Aldermen, Selectmen,
and other representatives" this voluble bat
te for Female Suffrage" il after all but
vile waste of breath. There should have been
| q Convention not to promote the admission of
women to political privileges, but to take
measures for sweeping politics altogether from
tie face Of the earth. The theory of Mr..
Foster, If it is to be accepted, is an irrefragablc
Argument in itself against all voting, whether
tie voting is to be done by beings in panta-
Icons, or by beings in pettcoats, or by those
Who reject both styles of costume
md walk in anomalous attire With his pc
dlliar, and, we may say, unique opinions, how
vas it possible for Mr.. Foster to feel anything