Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-08-06
THE BALLOT AND THE BAY
nNRT.

MET
Last evening the lecture of Mrs.
Laura De Force Gordon at the Meth
odist Church, Virginia, on the subject
of Woman's Enfranchlsement," was
comparatively we'll attended, and for
two hours this talented lady kept the
audience deeply interested under the
magic spell of her eloquence. We do
not care to enter into n lengthy and
detailed report or summary other we'll
presented and indisputable arguments.
An interested in discussing the CUES
ton for or against woman suffrage
shonld have been present and properly,
qualified their understandings anu
abilities in that respect In order to
keep pace with the progress Of the age.
We will, however, briefly refer rs a
specimen point to what she had to say
about the ballot aud the bayonet, as we
have heard more than II saplent indi
yidual sum up the arguments OF his
political creed BY deliberately stating
his we'll digested opinion to be that
| the ballot and the bayonet, or the bay
onet and the ballot should 60 together
that only those carrying the one
should be entitled to WELD the other.
| 10 be sure, our Southern brethren,
| since the close of the rebellion, even to
| the present day, have filed their pro-
tests against the bayonet ruling. en-
forcing. protecting or having anything
whatever to do with the ballot, but
Mrs. Gordon did not refer to that.
On that very proposition Of the bal
lot aud the bayonet, she claimed the
right of franchise for women. Look
nc the records Of the late war and see
what was woman's participation In 1t,
on either side. How many were there.
who, despite all prohibitions and vlgi-
lance, disguised themselves in male
attire and shouldered the musket.
| Many of them were detected and
turned ont Of the ranks, yet 1t showed
how willing they were to carry the
bayonct. Yes. and when discovered
and sent home, after months of SER
vice, they we're even denied payment
of their %well-earned wages as soldiers.
They served in all capacities wherever
permitted, attending upon the wound
ed, OH the field or IN the hospital, or
even In the camp. At home they
worked and did all they could for the
sanitary fund, made clothes for the
soldiers, and even the little girls
scraped lint (she might have mentioned
also that In the war Of the Revolution,
women melted their pewter Spoons
and thus furnished the very bullets
their husbands fought the enemy with.
-REp.). 1t Is absurd to say in the face
of. such evidences, that women would
not carry the bayonet if they were per
United, yet were they permitted. 1t Is
equally absurd to say that they would
ali rush into the army, leaving no one
mt home to take care of the babies.
Men are allowed the glorious privilege
of going to war, and fighting on the
battle field, for the honor oftheir coun-
try, vet how comparatively few rush
| forward and volunteer to do so. If the
actual voters were confined to those
who really carry the bayonet, there
would be precious little balloting done.
Not many hundreds would be entitled
to do the voting, even In this State.
The proportion Of bayonet carriers Is
very small as compared with those
who claim exemption rs ministers.
lawyers, doctors, fremen, printers,
| editors, or even those who run away to
avoid being drafted and obliged to
carry a bayonet. tHessians, horses and
ammunition wagons carried bay0nets
In the war Of the Revolution.-REr.
Whatever favor there Is thus to bestow
In the way of exemption. by all the
rules Of nature and right, belongs
peculiarly to woman-she who fur.
nishes the soldlers-the mother of them
| nil.