The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1870-09-15


iect. These women were all married, pro-
Tossing ChristiansI their ages ranging Grouf
80 to so years.
It is significant fact, that not one Of
the women of Wyoming, composing the
| first grand jury of wonlen, refused to Hll
the position. And fact, more signifieans
and grander still is, that those women
were aware Of the solemn responsibility
resting upon them; and every morning
bowed together in prayer before the Jldgs
Of ali tts earth" ere they entered upon
their duties.
In Iowa, the most popular advocate Of
the ause Is Matte Griffith Davenport,
lately happily married to a young and
risiIg lawyer of Oskaloosa. She IS an
earnest, noble woman, who is happy and
enthusiastic in her work. Truly does the
ottumwa Courier say "Latelljgencs rad
ieates from her UeTy eyes' She wins the
hearts Of her hearers wherever she goes.
and converts many young Pa5ltdyris by
her logical and eloquent arguments on
the woman Question" She works for
a principle that she fully believes to be
Just and right not because she is unhap@
/ py or discOntented.
Another prominent advocate is Mrs. l.
N. Fletcher, of Council Bluffs. Only
twenty six years OF age, gifted and beauti-
/ full, she breathes forth her words of wit,
argument and eloquence, in poetrv, and
caPtivates her hearers, not so much by
her lovely face as by her beautiful words.
notice one thing in particular, and
that is this. The wnmen who are labor
ing, in private and in public, for this
cause, are happy in their domestic life
women who have large-hearted, LIBERAL
minded husbands, who are with them on
the question, heart and soul. Take a
man who is in favor Of women having
the ballot, and as a general thing Cif mar
riedl you will find a good husbands
husband who thinks his wife has rights
he is bound to respect; a husband WHO
believes that his wife is to be, not merely
kitchen drudge, but a cOmpaniOu-uOs
an inferior, but an equal.
Expressing my surprise once tOa good
man, that he had come over to Woman
Suffrage, "why," said he, "I thought it
was time; for every vllain in the land
was opposed TO it." Now we know that
there are thousands of good men opposed
to woman's enfranchisement; but let them
look around them, and see if they have
not the ''rif-raf'' Of society upon theiF
side.
Women may well be proud Of the army
of men now battling for their just rights.
I do not think I oYerstate the matter,
when say that tleo-thirdS of the Metho-
dist Ministers of Iowa are in favor Of the
movement. Neither are those of a mors
exclusive faith wholly behind the times.
While on visit to Pana, Illinois, found
the New School and United Presbyterian
Ministers, both advocates of Woman Suf-
frage and of women speaking IN the churches.
There are many good womsn who declaim
against Woman Suffrage; but nine-tenths
/ of these are opposed, because they have
not gone down to the heart of this subject,
and fully Investigated it. No, Mr.. PUTIN
dorf," you are mistaken when you say
that it is not the sensible women Of this
country, but the unhappy, dissatisfied
ones, who desire to vote. You pity the
strong-minded girls of Highland. You
are sorry they were not created men, &c.
Ridicule is not argument. There is no
logic in slang.
Women can vote in a woman1y way,
and they will. 1t shows how low an es-
innate some m IN put upon women, when
they persistentIy and continually insult
them with the stale, threldbare, brainlezs
idea, that women will sink into a whirI-
pool Of misery and degradation when once
invested with pOwer-they that will neg
lect home, husband, babies, and all the
sweet and gentle amenities of life. And
this idea at last is the chief argument (9)
brought against Woman SufrageI Don't
let her come down into the '.f,tly Usire Of
politics, " is the great rallying cry Of the
the opposition. In the name of deeeney,
if politics is so ushy, it is time somebody
were settling the mud. Ifunder- the con-
troll Of men alone, politics has become 50
foul, surely some element is needed to
/ purify this turbid stream, before our Ma
tion becomes submerged in its filthy
depths. If the ballot is degradiag, it is
time that men were rid Of it too. But is
it so? Does the ballot degrade man
Does it degrade the negro? once said TO
a gentleman who was using this argument,
.Sir, you are an old man; and have voted
many years; have gone to the polls,
amidst all kinds of circumstances; have
met there the worst of characters. Did you
ever feel degraded by so doing:"
"No, madam" he exclaimed. al a.
ways felt as though it was a proud privil-
ege-an. honor; that somehow was lifted
up by voting. The bad characters bad no
influence over me-" Women having AS
much moral power as men, (and some say
far more) how can it be, that she will
sink Is there such difference between
men and women, that what is precious and
everlasting to one, can be worthless 20 the
other ?? ...ri ..5..
There are men, and women too, who de-
fleeverythiugt they touch who prostitute all
ennobling privileges to base purposes;
who would sell tht ir souls as cheaply as
Judas, and their ballots for less. But be-
cause of this, should ali good men and
women be disfranchised2 Oh, ye oppo-
nents of Woman Suffrage, give US soolo
other argument besides the "degra ling"
one. We are getting tired Of this talk
about the ulire Of politics. We don't be-
lieve that the men we have 20 live with,
three hundred and sixty-fve days in the
year, are too ''degradsd" and "siTy' to
vote with occasionally. r...e
Strong-minded daughters of Highland,
I congratulate you. You have no need OF
Ditv. Do not be afraid Of being called
sslrong-minded." In the name of COM
mon sense, who wishes to be called weak
minded 1t is neither wise nor wommly.
Neither will wise and manly men respect