Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-08-05
The Woman Question.

'uH correspondent, WnOSc COnflU-
nica,ion on the subject Ct Woman SUI
TRACE we make room for in anothe, col
umn, does not, it seems TO lis, discuss
the question in tho proper spirit, or
from true standpoint. However
much il may be tlattcring to us men
to look at the question with reference
to how IRE will like it, and how il will
affect or likes, dl>likes and prciudiccs,
we conceive that that Is not the right
way TO discuss it. There is All old DO
litlcal d;o>umcns, as old as the 4tmeri-
can naticn itself, TO which We have all
subscribed c'1r assent i'll all Ms parts,
and the binding quality Of which, as a
controlling gsnius upon o,,r national
institutions, few. If any, have had, or
now have, the hardihooi to question.
That document, issued to the world on
the 4th Of July, 1776. declares that
government derives its just powers
from the consent Of the gorernedH Women
are VIGOROUSLY subject to our laws,
and arc liable for any mfraction there
Oh and there is no logic. save that en-
ployed by the STAKEHOLDER in the denial
of like privilege to the bondmen,
which can den, the right of woman to
vote as men do, namely: i they desire to
do so.
But, taken on grounds of natural
right, and that is the true basis on
which to place the argument, pro or
con, on this question, and the logic is
equally as memorable and uncompro-
missing. DR.. Bushnell goes to the root
of the matter and denies that any one,
male or female, has the natural right
of suffrage; but how, from this premise
he adduces the right of man to exercise
it, and the right to deny its exercise
to woman, is beyond our comprehen-
sion. Strictly speaking, there is no
natural right possessed by one sex not
possessed by the other, due reference
being had to possibilities and fitness.
There is no tribunal to sit in Judgment
on natural right. There can be no sue.
cess in any attempt to show that one
man may be the Judge of another mans
natural rights. The whole thing was
a miserable failure in reference to the
rights Of the different races, and there
is no logic applied then that may not
be as successfully applied to the dis
cussion Of this question. And all those
| who, like our correspondent, fear that
the exercise, by woman, OF the elective
franchise, will ''make them mans equal
in every respect" certainly show spir-
it despicable in its nature and dlscred-
table to mans assumed lordly charac-
ter; while, at the same time they thus
admit woman to BE their equa. in cv-
cry respect except the mere possession
of a franchise, if, as we Judge, the ad-
mission is not of more serious nature.
Seriously, the man who admits that,
to give a woman the ballot will make
her mans equal, admits, in the same
brea h that she is already has superior,
and that he opposes the clothing of her
with the elective franchise for the same
reason that some white men opposed
clothing the black man with the cleo
tive franchise. We cannot but con-
slider that those who desire the contln-
ued disfranchisement of woman on
such grounds. are allied, in spirit, with
all those who, i'll whatever land or
cline, would establish and pcrpetuatc
a caste and exclusiveness Of rights, if
SO that they could be among the IA
vorcd ones. They could "ride free
horse to death" and trample down,
with ruthless tread, all that opposed
them, if they possessed the power. It
Is better, and more creditable to hu.
man nature, to look at this question,
as well as all other questions, in the
cooler moment of reason, and argue it
from such a standpoint, and in such a
spirit, as will be more in consonance
with sound sense and the advancing
march Of civilization.