Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-07-22
THE GAZETTE
CEDAR FALLS, JULY 90, 1870.
Equal Rights.
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa. 1
July 10 1870

"o@t '.At th~ SuV piIhCipdi Vi InO-
nogamous marriage was a natural
outgrowth of the association of i'm
telligent beings, rather than mere
creation of governmental will; that
free. lovers claim that men and wo.
man sheuld he allowed promiscuous
sexual intercourse, and assign as a
reason that marriage fs not relation
naturally springing from intelligent
association iD society, but only an
arbitrary and unnatural relation es-
tablished by law. I further asserted
as the true christian idea Of marriage,
that 1t Is sacred relation ordained
6y God ia the very nature of things,
which cannot safely be entered int
without such previous association of
the parties concerned as shall render
1t morally certain that they arc fitted
for each other, and which ought not
to be dissolved except under extreme
circumstances; and still further. that
christian marriage, which is the le-
gitimate outgrowth OF the association
in society of men and women suited
to each other and coming through
social intercourse to love each other,
would be held by all right. minded
persons to be just as sacred aud Just
as morally binding without law as
with II, but that law steps in for the
protection Of the relation against the
assaults of the vicious and wicked.
Now the ideas involved in the fore
going may be expressed thus:
i. Homogeneous marriage is a nat.
ural and not an artificial relation
not mere creation Of government.
z. That IL Is ordained by God.
3. That IL Is naturally and proper.
ly a result Of the association of men
and women In society---or is n Sc.
quence Of society, aud not of govern.
ment. (This you, i'm common with
heather nations, deny.)
4. That free lovers deny that IL is
natural relation, ordained of God,
and claim that IL Ia a purely artificial
and arbitrary relation established by
government.
Thus 1t appears, according to my
own setting forth In the article you
were pretending to answer that the
views Of the advocates of woman
suffrage, are diamctricaiiy opposed TO
those Of free lovers and are identical
with those held by the great mass of
christian men and women. Yet In
the face of all this, with the coolest
assurance POSSIBLE, you give utterance
TO the following remarkable asser.
tiOns:
You say, "You declare that mar.
riage Is not sequence of govern.
ment but of society. This we say il
the starting point of the free. lover.
You do not deny 1t, nor can you de
ny it,"
You certainly could not have read
my letter, or else your mind had be-
come strangely confused. Had any
one but yourself written such an as
sertion the proper name for 1t would
have been, wd.fui misrepresentation.
As l cannot believe such thing OF
you. / must be charitable enough to
term 1t merely an editorial uartation.
The necessity, however, that impels
you To make use of these variations
shows how desperate has vecome
your cause.
You also say. "The only difference
between you" land the free. lover) "is
as to the continuance Of the contract,
not the relation Of the parties at all. "
Another variation" We have seen
that the difference is that OF direct
antagonism throughout.
You assert and re. assert "that wo.
man suffrage aud free. loveism are out.
growths of the same infidel and licen
tious view OF the marriage relation. "
Again you say, "when you objected
to our carrying your statement-that
marriage Is a sequence of society,"
out to its legitimate conclusion, viz
free-lovism, you only indicated your
ignorance of your own expression. ."
You talk tiercely of the deep, damn.
Ing licentiousness that underlies this
whole movement" of "men and
women deceived in its fair words and
specious, but sin.inculcating senten.
ces. and assert that ''it is the secret
attack Of infidelity OH the morality
OF the scripture touching the family
relation" and declare your valien,
purpose to "unmask and scourge this
most recent phase Of immorality!n
Now, my dear Snyder, you are nc
doubt very wise man, and capable
| am sure, Of discovering meanings
in the English language incom pre-
hensible to anybody else, but you are
unduiy excited and hence confused
upon this subject. You see men and
things, as through smoked glass
darkly. Your readers are more calm
and not having the weak side of an
argument to bolster up, will he able
to estimate not only the meaning Of
expressions, but the righteousness o
yonr excited denunciatlons, at thei,
true value. The AboIitionists used
to be denounced and misrcpresented
In precisely the same manner YOU
have adopted, by the satanic and
pro slavery press. The Abolitionists
were declared to be set of abomina.
BILE infidels who favored the over.
turning and destruction of the dear.
est social ideas of the nation. Soci.
ETY. was to he utterly destroyed by
these anti-christian infdel fanatics
just as now you declare that "woman
suffrage and free- -lovisn are out.
growth of the same infidel and licen.
tious view of the marriage relation y
and refer to II as a pilot couched in
this movement by which infidelity
Is seeking to fell at a stroke the whole
structure Of christian morality az
embodied in the idea and existence OF
the family" You will live. my dear
Snyder, to see the day when you will
be heartily ashamed Of such misrep.
resentation.
Your assumption of superior sagac.
ity and wisdom and the correspond.