National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-02-26
Female Suffrage.

| a sensible article on Female Snf
irage appears in the Gin imati GA.
zette from the pen of Mr.. L. ID.
Mansfield, who has 40 long contrib.
uted 10 the New York Times under
the ignature OF ~ Veteran Obser-
ver." lie asks: "WiIl human soci-
ety he beneiitted in this, or any
country, 10y woman sharing in the
business or responsibility of luiiti.
cal life What are the newspapers
must engaged in now \ drnunci.
alton OF AL public officers; a cry of
corruption against all public men
Charges. suspicious and inslnuat ions
against all who have any public bus
incss to perform. We do not believe
IA tenth of all this ; but, it is evident
that universal suffrage has not III
creased the belief in universal virtue.
And now, it is proposed to double
the entire vote, 10y duplicating tie
vote OF each man with that ui his
wife, sister OF daughter. You'd
that make any improvement in the
country! Would woman's votes be
materially different from dupIi-
Gates y
On all moral and religious ques-
lions, Mr.. Mansfield is OF opinion
that women would vote none wisely
than men, and for this reason he Is
inclined, as We are, to graft them
the ballot whenever the great bod'
OF them ask for 1t. AT present !.
thinks that the vast majority OF Ul.r
women shrink from the prospect of
voting. 1T Is not feminine weakness
which makes this decision, but.a
consciousness OF the truth that gov
ernment is business, which ilvoi-
YES care, study, controversy. ana TO.
spon sibiity. Hence, to i'm pose il.is
upon women is not merely uintces-
sary, but it is to make new burdens
for them, which WAS never imposed
| by either God or nature.
lie goes Oh to say that the advO.
Gates of Female Suffrage quote the
Declaration of Independence that
the government is founded pn the
consent of the governed, and main-
tam that as women are alIOi,,, the
governed, their consent should he
obtained. But the salie argument
applies equally well to chilolrn.
The Continental Congress Ia a,ioit-
ing that phrase never mednt ivei\o
il amy such application. Nhah is
| the conseat of the gu> erned ilow
is it ascertaincd All words are 10
be taken to nleau what they lneaht
in the day when they We're used.
The consent Of the governed meant
then and means now, the cOaStnt
ascertained as tie otrU lac PTOthies.
No consent was then or Is bow re-
qulred from tuUsc who have LO
otcS, nor from miIoii 1t 5 IA Al, ,;aiIlst
najorltcs. When uid the Drmi,-
crd lt party consent To he ci'c..on
of Grant Nhen did ia lcU,l
States consent to he cu.qs e. cd and
reconstruct Tris h.moug OF
the consent q The gOre,ned was illol-
Uuyhiy cXplo,icu III the war. Thc
renei States set up this doct.ine
with rs .nuch gravity and carhrsl-
ness as il 1leN b"iievcd it. .my
said tncA did not consent to be gov
elncd by the ln;loriIy; that lhe
consent of the SfdteS was necessary
To the action OF the Government,
Il Il, III tine, as they did not cou>eIiC
the general Government had no
night lo govern them. But the Sen-
cIal Government di govern them,
and made them swallow their doc
trlucs at the expense OF their llNeS
and properly. 1he doctrlnc oi the
Declaration is abstlacty true, aud
il was announced as Al offset to tiio
,.ivint right OF Kings, which was tho
!, doctrine of Europe, on winch George
III. attempted to act. But the con.
sent Of the govern I'd is 10 b" asccr-
tanned il the mote preSc ibed by irH
lac.
IN CONCLUSION, Mr.. Mansfield says
that the real points III TIE question
are these: I. VIII not female sut-
lragc change the natural proper re-
lltlJns of the family! .. WIN ie-
male suffrage be Dselul 10 women
). VIII female suffrage bcnciit soct-
cty as Il whole! When these qnes-
ions are satisfactorily answered he
links that women will find no Oh
lrction III the way Of their getting
,hc tight Of suffrage.