Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-01-28
Woman Suffrage.
AN EXPLANATION.

tion," and ask if we are to understand
that not a woman in the state asks to
have 81 the responsibility of suffrage con-
ferred upon her." BY no means. We
know there are many women in the state
who desire it. but at a preliminary meet
ing, held in Montpelier, it was suggested
by one of the leaders in the movement,
that, in England the men had taken the
matter into their own hands for the rea-
son that men alone were to decide the
question, and he further suggested that
inasmuch as the men in Vermont were
the only ones who could decide the mat
ter, and as there were those who were ev-
err ready to ridicule those who stepped
out of old ruts and attempted to inaugu-
rate any new measure he thought it best
not to have any lady in the state put in
position where ridicule and insult
would be added to injury. We who had
heard the abuse heaped upon Mrs. Lucy
Stone Blackwell by the great champion
of-well, l mean Charles G. Dewey, for
no other reason than that she desires to
become citizen and have the rights of
a citizen and dares speak it, we did not
wish to place any lady in the state in
that unenviable position. These are the
reasons why the ladies were not put up
on the list. Man has enacted laws and
instituted rules by which women are
governed, and it is but right that man
should correct theerrors if any have been
made. Have none been made? Has
woman equal rights with man? Is it any
nearer right for a woman to be made
amenable to laws in which she has no
voice in making than it is for man-for
her to pay taxes without having any
voice in the matter of raising them? 1t
matters not how odious or burdensome
law may be, woman must obey and new
er raise her voice against them. If the
| legislature of state enacts law by
which your wife at your death will only
receive one half of the property which
you and she have jointly acquired CATER
an expense of a hundred dollars made in
settling the estate and have careful in
ventory of each article in the court re-
cords) or if she has a child, only the use
of third of the real estate and one third
of the personal property but if on the
other hand she dies you receive the
achole personal and real, without any APP
prisers, commissioners or administrator
or any EXPENSE say, if such law were
made every woman, if she kept in theil
proper sphere according to the dictun Of
many who oppose the suffrage movement,
should appear with shamefacedness ant
remembering the injunction " servants b.
obedient to your masters" should no
raise their voice in public. They would
be- come masculine women, Amazons, lik,
Lucy Stone And let me here stop an,
ask that if an opportunity is presente'
!, you will go and hear that same lad
against whom so much has been said be
cause she lead off in this movement, an
if you do not find her as refined, modes
and pleasant spoken lady as you eve
heard speak in public / shall be mists
> ken in your appreciation of her. | hop
Mr.. Editor you will not insist that tn
ladies of Vermont step out and becom
targets to receive the shafts of abus
. hurled at every woman who has dared t
raise her voice in the matter. VIII
y would you demand of the women of We
:, mont more than was demanded of til
: slaves of the south Were they calle
:, upon to say whether they wished to |
: free or not-whether they wished to vo
or not ? Yes, many time has the sla,
: at the south been called up before
. northern man and asked by his master
= he desired TO be free. have heard tn,
question asked and always answered n
= and often have | heard the slavehold
, say his ringers " would never lea'
? him, they could not be driven away fro
" him. This in many instances appeart
- to be true. But those agitators like Ga
- rison and John Brown saw somethiI
- wrong in the principle of slavery the
:" was not equality between man and
~ fellow man. They could not see wi
:! inherent rights existed in the viii
40 man and not in the black one. To d
=" there are " agitators " of similar ty
~ who cannot see why man has inhere
gu rights while woman has none.
'u Assuming that your implied ASSERT
nu that the women do not desire TO vo
!" then why is it that you and others are
ie opposed to giving them chance?
. .' majority were to ask ii, / think you hs
'' said you would be in favor of givin.
po- to them. Would that majority chan
in the least. the question of right in
matter. If it is right that major
~ should have the privilege of suffrag
provided they we're sufficiently hmm