The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-04-08
The Right To Vote.
HAS IT ANY NECESSARY LIMITATIONS |?

The Right To Vote.
HAS IT ANY NECESSARY LIMITATIONS /?
A writer in tho last number Of tho Ma
ton undertakes to set forth some Of thu
practical objections to the admission O
women TO the elective franchise, which oc
cur to thoughtful obicctos, who woult
not willingly oppose any measure clearly
tending either to the elevation Of our pol
tiles or to the benefit Of women, and hest
tate to assume an attitude of hostility to.
war,la movement In other respects com
manding their sympathy. Here Is what
he says:
Lot us come down from the realms oI
Imagination and look mt facts. The chiel
drawback upon the happiness Ofthe Amer.
lean people Mt this moment, In view OI
emancipation and reconstruction, is the
enormous amount of ignorance and In.
competence we have taken into our body
polite. Not that what has been done Is
to he regretted. The giving Of the suf-
frngo tO the freedman was inevitable. II
was matter in which we had no option.
Whatever force there may have been In
the argument from justice, tho ovcrruling
plea was necessity. These ignorant black
men had to be armed with the ballot to
protect their liberty and preserve them.
selves from personal violence. And hav-
ing given to them the suffrage, the longer
refusal Of It to their brethreni in the North,
few comparatively In number and higher
In grade, was q simple impossibility. But
il Is not to bc disguised that our ship of
state has taken Ona very heavy load. She
/ is frcightcd to the waters edge, aud her
timbcrs crcak. That some umid souls on
board should quake with fear Is hardly to
BIZ wondered at but those who know her
strength of keel and the stuffof which she
Is made have no doubt of her ability to
weather the gale and float safely into
smooth waters.
Just at this moment, however, We arc
hailed with demand that we shall take
on board more than double rs much ig.
norance and uniitness rs that which Is
now putting to tho test the ships capaci-
ty. That Is to say, we arc asked to admit
to full political rights the women Of tho
North, black and white, native and for
cign. just the Same rs wo do tho men
and % sixteenth Amendment" to the
Constitution, us - means of securing this
result. Is proposed to Congrcss-Mr. Ju-
lian, of lmliana, having the honor of be-
ing the first to Introduce it. Having, un-
der the pressure Of necessity, lowered the
tone Of American citizenship by admit
ting 400, 900 ignorant voters ut the South,
wo are now asked further to dcbaso II by
the admission of 100000 moro of the
same class. still more ignorant, and mill
ions besides NIL over the country, nearly
the whole of whom are inexperienced in
affairs. and very large number Of whom
are mt least rs grossly ignorant rs the men
Of tho same grade who already burden
us.
It Is n settled principle in political SCI
cncc that the people of government are
happy, prosperous, and amcnable to law,
or otherwise, In proportion to their INTEL
ligence. John Stuart Mill,whoso name Is
much used by advocates of the American
wOnlan's movement, says, (see Thoughts
on Parliamentary Roforni.' page 90 "Thc
greatest amount of education which can
bc fairly regarded as within the reach of
every one should be cxactcd as percnp.
tory condition from all claimants of the
franchise. There Is surely no reason
why every one who applies to bc register
cd rs an clcctor should not be required to
copy sentence in English In the pres
cnce of the registering officer. and to
perform sum in the single rule of three.
-. :. Recalling, writing and arithme-
tic arc hut low standard of educational
qualification; and yet even this would
have probably suiliccd to save France
from her present degradation. The mill
ions Of voters who, In opposition to near
ly every educated person in tho country,
made Louis Napoleon president, were
chiefly peasants. who could neither read
nor write, and whose knowledge Of pub
lic men, even by name, was limited to
oral tradition"
These ,,rc startling sentiments, coming
rs they do from the very apostle of tlcmOc-
r.,cy, on whom we have been all along
relying for justification In our bold pro-
cc,lurcs. The lesson would have them
teach Is not repentance for the past, but
carcfilncss for tho future. Wcnrc. trust,
equal to the task we have undertaken. A
body polite like ours, with unmcasurcd
educating forces and training facilities,
and bOundcss natural resources, can tako
IN, and digest. and assimilate IN immeas-
ur,,ble amount of raw material. But
there arc limits to any body's capacity.
do not say that we have reached tho con-
tlition which should remind US of the camel
and the provcrbial feather. Our breadth Of
strength doubtless ailor,ls us still some mar
gin. But do,say that, with tho weight of
ignorance and Incompetence which Is now
upon us, to voluntarily double the one and
triple ti,c other would bc to act like fools
and defy the gods.
This Is, of course, to speak rs one with
out faith, which Is Just tho case Of tho
man am trying to represent. Tho be-
licving power which does not stop Mt
mountains is. happily or unhappily. not
his. If II Is said that this talk about igno-
rance does not touch the abstract question
Of woman's right to vote, nor meet the Is
sue ,s il is put by the most intelligent nd
vocates. l reply that Is true. But Il does
touch the concrete question which Is every
day brought 10 our own doors, and II docs
meet tho percmptory demand made by GER
tain leaders for Immediate practical action
at least, So itsecms TO the dissenting
person for whom speak. whose Difficult.
ties arc not upon tho abstract doctrine rs
held by some, but upon the concrete issue
which has been made up by others.