Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-02-17
f RUTLAND HERALD
uoman suffrage.

eued itsef upon the attention "a Iue
paople 1t has already passed its stage OF
ridicnlc, into that of argument and ere
long must enter as an experiment into our
politicap and social systems. All the
people need is information, and the more
the question is agituted, the sooner it viii
be adopted Already the move of popular
sentiment is started in this direction, and
whence women reach forth their hands
and demand the ballot, we shall not be SO
ungallant or unjust as to deny them the
right Of suffrage, But why wait for her
TO AZ, Are we so lacking in sense of
iustice, dead in our moral sensibilities,
blind to our own true interests, or so
projudiced that we cannot perform this
obvious act of justice, removing the
hinderances of law and custom placed in
the way of her exercising this right, until
compelled by the logic of events ? Yet
this is the history of all reforms, the
privileged classes never granting rights,
until forced, for their own safety, to do so.
Woman has always been deemed the in
ferior of man, and custom, law and re-
ligion, have conspired to hold her there.
Under the system of religion called
Christianity, imbibing the spirit of its
author, who taught the equality of all
who have the image of humanity, she has
attained to the greatest freedom. There
remains much yet to be done, before she
Is entirely free, and stands side by side
with man, in free and full exercise of her
womanhood. What qualities one for exer-
cising this right? Wealth aristocratic
birth difference in sex? These are mere
incidental matters, different conditions in
which the same humanity exists. AS a
republic we should ignore these distinc-
tions, and we do, all but the last, which
we are sorry to say is made text of
citizenship. Wealth or birth does not
imply intelligence or morality, neither
does sex. To be voter one needs three
things First, desire for the public good
a capacity to Judge of the character of
those to be elected to office, and lastly, an
understanding of public measures to be
enacted Given these, they should be al
lowed to tie resting the exercise OF the
right upon individual merit, whether
Whit, black, or yellow, male or female.
Do not women possesses these qualifications,
orsather hive they not the capacity for
il. Giging them the right that would call
for t4 exercise, would they not develop
the requisite Intelligence None will say
they do not Our Declaration of Inde
pendcuco declares "all men are created
eput," and that they have inalienable |
r. hrs" and the Declaration of Rights
adoptrd by Congress in 1875, declares
H. the foundation Of "All free govern
maut is a right in tho people to partici-
3 petriu their Legislative councils" Our
fathcr. said Taxation without represent
alton il tyranny" If we are not
represented we are SlaUeS" These were |
seIfeyident truths to our patriot fathers. |
4, These most evidently refer to human be-
hgs, without distinction of sex, and
must be rs apple BILE TO women as men.
They are no less the governed than men,
aud are part of the people, and many of
thcm are also taxed. This very right,
that when men were deprived of, they
deemed themselves justified in going to
wsr to procure, is denied by the direct
desaeudants Of those men to woman. She |
mr-t bear her taxation in silence, and be
ilsuhiaction to the powers that be- and if
sht dare ask for The right of representa-
tbu, il ridculed to silence, or called
'fuauetl,' or "sUrong minded woman"
Cn-t'm is more powerful than reason,
and however keenly our women have felt
thoir disability, men have remained in
sensible to their claims, and unconscious
that it rests upon the same broad founda-
tion with the revolt of the fathers against
England" taxed and governed without
voice in public affairs. Some of the OBJ
jections urged against the reform demand
an answer, while others are too silly to
deserve tho name OF argument. The
greatest obstacle in the way of reform is
the prejudice of the people. They have
been taught 40 long to regard woman 'as
mans inferior, and created for his sole
use, merging her individuality into his,
hyy cannot in moment adopt the larger
AM MORE humane view, that woman has
wright to her own person and liberty.
W. do not demand this right that wo-
MAJ may get out of her sphere, but be
/. Pat better prepared to fill it. We would
taxi all distractions from her pathway,
and ave her like man, free to do what
her ma, ure and God designed her to do;
she beina the judge whst il shall be. not
we Wal ave no right 10 say Itis or that
il womnp's work. let her Judge for her.
self and have no fears for the result; nor
do believc yo b2n would be any the less
woman by TAXI. Nsthis liberty. We fear
woman will lose h>sr delicaoy, and with
what ground of reason, more than
the Turks, who requ ire their women to
appear with covered faces in pubic Tor
fear OF rendering the m indelictate. Are
politics impure then TOR its and our sake,
let woman put her in.tuitions, her wo-
manly graces, moral sensibilities and spir-
itual life into them. Its very impurity
reveals the fact that woman has had no
thing to do with it. 1t is the only thing |
that man engages in alone without wo-
mans influence, and upon their own
showing it is the most corrupt. Why
should she be any more subject to ridi-
cule by going to the polls than ny at
tending church If it is so natural Tor
man to respect woman, which, according
to Mr.. Dewey, is strong enough to protect
woman in all her rights, will he not be
true to his nature and respect her there
as elsewhere? "If one drunken creature
dare insult her, there are five and twenty
noble men to defend her and crush the
miacreant." In whatever sphere her du-
ties called her, if admitted to it by law