Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-04-23
FRaALE SUFFRAGE.

the age and the country. It
should be eminently horrifyinr 70
any true woman. II Is the bodies,
and most glaring effort Of iinsex.
ing her which has ever been en-
tertained by people protesting tc
be sane, and we are surprised tc
find that there are women who arc
so mad about the possession Of
that which must of itself divest
her Of her most attractive features
and attributes in the eyes Of the
men of the land. We are sur
prised that they do not look with
horror upon it. 1t proposes to
invest them with a right which can
by no possibility bring them any
good, but which is sure to lessen
them in the eyes Of the world.
But since Representative Julian
has brought up the female suffrage
question in a tangible shape, by
proposing a sixteenth constitu.
tional amendment, the provisions
of which are the same with respect
TO sex as were those ofthe fifteenth
regarding color, we hope that Con-
gress win take the sensible course
of proposing it to the States, in
order that the present unseemly
agitation Of the matter may re.
ceive its quictus. In so doing, the
national legislature need not COM
nit itself. 1t can submit the
amendment with the understand
ing that it is done to procure an
expression Of the popular win.
Most, perhaps, would consider
such course too grave treat.
ment Of the subject. While the
women who should wear the
breeches, and men who should
don petticoats, who are the cham
pions Of the new movement, are
in tremendous earnest, and work
with abundance Of will, though
perhaps not equal wisdom, it is
fashionable for those who are at
heart opposed to making politi-
clans OF females, to deal with the
business slightly. The Difference
which men pay to the name Of wo-
man, has caused the agitators Of
the crusade to receive more con.
sideration than they deserve; and
since it has been generally belived
impossible that the movement
would ever amount to anything, It
is fact that strongly as it has
been and is being urged, 1t has de.
vcloped no organized opposition.
The Stantons, Dickinsons and An.
thongs have had a clear field with
abundance of favor, and the apa-
thy with which their efforts have
been treated has naturally caused
them to think that the public
mind is with them. Especially do
they rely upon the support oftheir
own sex, for they see that no an.
ti.woman-sufnrage societies spring
into existence, and forget that the
same delicacy which prevents
ladies from desiring to see the
aims Of the agitators accomplish
ed, also hinders them from
actively opposing the move
ment. Absorbed in one idea as
these conspirators against true
womanhood are, they do not con-
slider that they are sought and ad-
dressed almost solely bythat class
of their sisters who sympathize
with them, and believe the utter
ances they hearto be the voice Of
the women Of the country. Thus
earnestly working, and animated
by hope, it cannot be denied that
they do succeed in unsettling
many female minds, and, more
than this, their efforts tend to de-
stroy in the minds of men the di-
vine idea Of womanhood, than
which no one thing is more essen.
tial to a healthy national life.
We are by no means alarmed at
the proportions this movement has
yet attained, but we do deprecate
its further growth, and think it
time that the flourishing bud was
nipped. Were the sixteenth
amendment proposed, we are con-
fident that every State in the
Union would refuse to ratify it
most decidedly, and thus would be
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