Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-04-12


Two women.
The presentation of petitions in Congress for
woman suffrage Is now an every day matter and
excltes little comment, the more especiaIly As
the form Of petition Is usually the same; being
that sent ont from Washington for signatures
throughout the country. The other day, how
ever, two petitions were presented I'm the Senate
IN relation to this subject, having some chsrac-
teristic features
The first was the " Petition of H. g.
ingersoll, praying that the right of suffrage
be granted TO women in the District of Co.
lumbia" Mrs. IngersoIl is a resident of this
city, and Is known to the readers of The SrAR.
through her initials, an intelligent writer for
the press In her memorial she sets forth th.,
after the many able arguments made in behaIf
OF Womens political rights, it is generally ac-
knowiedged that there is some Justice in her
pea TO be represented when she paws
es' anu also TO have some voice in
naklng The laws by which she is governed
Taking it for granted that this Congrs.. he
heves many women able to vote intellioentlv
ana 10 De as deeply interested in the welfare of
tne country as themselves, she asks that thew do
Jusuce 10 this faith by giving suffrage to such
women OF this District as are qualified TO repre
sent the true interests of their SEX and to aid in
preserving the true interests of the State. She
doesn't ask that ignorant women should vote. or
'hai woman should determine questions of
peace or war, a. man does by his vote. s.for ha
mas his strong right arm to fight for the govern
ment he makes, while she 10 ONLY Able 70 r.h,
by means Of her ability to provide a substitnt.
In case Of war" The qualifications aha sats
fortn FOR the right Of suffrage are, that the
women TO whom 1t Is given can read and write
inteIigentiy; are possessed Of property enough
10 provide substitute in war; have never been
convicted OF crime, and pursue no unlawful
vocation as q means Of living.
She rather pointedly suggests that these aual-
locations, If applied to men who have been In
the habit of voting. might be difficult TO deter
mine; but she proposes for women ga simple
and practicable mode of selection She saws
Let every woman of the District of CoI1m-
bia vote who will go before the mayor of this
city and take oath that she can fulfil the above
fear Of the penalties for perjury, would make
this rsle safe rule There seems to be An es-
Peclal Propriety in admitting an intelligent vote
from the women Of this District at this time
HE chairman OF the District Committee has
said that improved legislation for the District
was probably desired by majority of the infeI-
tgence In II while he feared that a majority rote
could not be obtained for such. In this condi-
ton OF things what better measure could he
taken than to increase the intelligent vote by
giving the suffrage to its intelligent women 2"
And again:
.Should il be feared that womanly grace and
refinement would be injured by her going to the
polls, iett be remembered that in this District
many women, TO pay their taxes, are Obliged to
encounter crowd as dense and as yariously
colored as II ever can be on election day Thr
taHes being received here at hours when many
men OF the District are in the departments many
of their wives in doing this business, and in
order to help their husbands are initiated 10 a
Sasl Iuite as annoying as they can be in the
husbands only, but the whole beloved country"
Inc other memorialist above referred to is
also woman, Mrs. G. e. Mckay, but her petit
ton Is 'remOnStrance against the right of
suffrage being granted to women" And Mrs.
MCKAY, we learn, pays taxes, was in the army
OF the Potomac, at the Front during the whole
war ana afterwards worked two years for the
Freedmen She gave her services unpaid to the
cause of liberty, but does not think that cause
would be benefited by the universal suffrage of
women. She asserts quite positively that the
large proportion Of her country women do not
want the ballot, because the proper administra-
ton of household affairs, and the suitable train
ing OF those who are to become the men and
women Of the future generation, are sufficiently
onerous without the additional burden of having
10 acquaint themselves thoroughly with a class
CT subjects quite foreign to their tastes and ord-
nary occupations, in order to be able to cast An
enlightened and conscientious vote. Why there
fore, says she, " should we tempt our Legislators
TO put q yoke on the neck of women which
neither our mothers nor we are able to bear pr
But the greatest reason for deprecating uni
versal woman suffrage is, she thinks, that 4" it
would imperil the safety of the republic by An
immense increase Of the unintelligent and In
competent vote" She says in this connection:
THE duties and daily labors Of the poor man
lead him out among men, where, even ii he can
not read, his opinions are formed by obserya-
Ton and contact with minds superior to his own.
But now can the poor woman, overburdened
with the care Of her children and the daily
struggle for life, busy all day in the kitchen,
standing at the wash-tub, form any correct
opinion as to who shall best make and adminis-
ter the law which she cannot read, and guide
the state, the significance of which she cannot
comprehend? I have spent several years in
the South, and believe others who have closely
observed them viii bear me out in the testimony
that the poor colored women are Tar more ignor-
than the men. This, think, Is also true Of the
POOR whites OF the South, and of the great
mass Of ignorant foreigners which every
50 large q proportion of our population.
The admission to the polls OF 100000 of col
ored men, just redeemed from slavery, was q
matter OF justice as well as political necessity
but IL was not accomplished without the gravest
anxiety as to the result. Why should the dan
ger be increased by the addition OF the same or
Ignorant women may indeed be In their mar
70. sphere models OF virtue, accomplishing all
but admitted 10 the pells, they would only h.
90 much new material for the msnipulstisn of
IN .a ,s Su, Her and crafty
thus be placed In the hands Of the Catholic
Priesthood. Yet some Of the most gifted minds
OF the country are demanding that 70 them shall
be committed the sacred right and privilege Of
suffrage, How can they?"
Here are the contrary opinions OF two wo-
men. Who shall decide when doctors disagree?
III oehoeves the men to stand aside and let the
women settle the matter among themselves
whether they really want the right Of suffrage
II they want IL they viii pretty certainly get it,
but are We sure they really want 1t?
Mayor Han, Of New York, who under the new
charter, has tie appointment Of the various city
commissioners, has exercised that power In .
manner which seems to afford an agreeable sur
prise to the better oiass Of citizens OF New York,
from the fact that many Of the appointmests are
really good ones. This 10 the case more espe-
~cially In the Department OF Docks, the Park
Commissioners, Commissioners OF Charities and
nd In IL.