Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-07-01
If SHE WANTS III.

Frank Hatton, of the Mt. Pleasant Jour
nal, was as he expresses it drafted to do
daty as Secretary of the Iowa Woman Suf-
irage Convention, recently held in that place,
and served in that capacity only on condi-
ton that LIE lie accepted as ian anti-woman-
sufrrageite, open to conviction In the
last number Of his paper he makes the tell
ing Of the circumstance, the occasion for
exactly defining his position on tie suffrage
question. We propose to briefly notice one
OF two points in the article, dropping the
name of Mr.. tIaton, and speaking of him
in the impersonal title Of the Journal The
Jo,onal unlike some papers in this section
of Iowa, does not plant itself on the unten-
able and scarcely less than absurd ground,
u denial Of The abstract right Of the fran
elise 10 woman because size is woman, and
according il to mau because Of the anagous
reasons that he wears beard, sings base,
rides a.straddle, and is distinguished by 9th
.r variations" Ii evidently appreciates
that position so trivial would reflect
80 credit upon its good sense or fairness,
ard so cordially admits that 'woman should
have every legal right that a man has" This
IS concrete form Of the creed OF those
sho advocate suffrage, ard interpreted in
lis true spirit embra ces all that the most OK
acting cf them demand. 1t has Tie merit
$50 Of disposirg efectual,y OF tie Journals
argument against woman suffrage: that it
would not right one of her wrongs. The
franchise once accorded as her right, wo-
man alone is the judge of It's efficiency
or the wisdom of It's exercise The right
is still the same whether that judgment be
wise or foolish. Bat the Jounal after this
frank declaration, inspired by its sense Of
justice, proceeds to fetter it with conditions,
which have a paternity less noble. II says
"lf she thinks the ballot necessary to re-
move oppression, and so decides, we say lie.
her have it." "She' in the above sentence is
intended to be taken in the plural, and the
inference is that iifa majority of women so
demand, then they shall have it, but il one
CIR one hundred or any number less than the
majority indicate their desire for tie ballot,
t!en they shall be denied it. Now as the
night to vote--one Of the legal rights" SO
freely accorded by the Journal-is as much
The right of one As Of the whole, whether
exercised By women or men, what justice
can our cotemporary evolve out Of rule
which permits ma jority who possibly are
Indifferent to the exercise Of right to deny
it to minority who demand it and deem ii
Of value to them. But suppose that we ad
nit that the majority of women must decide
the question. 1t is essential that the decis
ion be made with full information Of ali its
points and bearings. And it is 20 this end
that womans suffrage organizations exist
The question is one that should not be de-
termined by mere feeling Or reference tc
precedent. The women have not as vel
given the subject that attention which it de.
manas. II is yet novel, it is subversive o.
,ilne.honored traditions, and therefore pc.
cu!iar.y Liable to condemnation without in.
vestigation. All this will wear off with ia.
miliarity, and the time come when the wo.
men will decide the question intelligently
and as we believe, rightly. That time, how
ever, is net yet, and tie proposition that
woman should vote on it at this early day,
is born of hostility to the movement.
The Journal says that it is open to con.
yction. We believe 1t speaks the truth and
ere full Of confidence that conversion will
not long be delayed, and that the Journal
will soon be doing as good work in this re-
form as it has performed in others.