Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-05-20

encouragement of home manufactures as
one Of the first duties of An American citi
zen, and this ought to be our sufficient
apology to all for not having given more at.
tention to the Ne,cs this week. If there
was single quill driver In the receut Gem
eral Assembly who can show better record
between the date of its adjournment and
the date of this paper le, him speak out in
meeting"
DEECAEI ON WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
New Answers to Old Objections.
In his New York speech, Wednesday
evening, Henry Ward Beecher said:
We are not disposed to have it said that
this is q complaining movement on the
part of women-tLat women are frivolous,
ambitious, tired of home that they are an
tagouizing men, railing at them, finding
fault. 1t is not so. 1t has long been in the
hearts of many that woman should be rails
ed to an equality in civil affairs with man.
But the question is this: Have they not be-
fore the law equal rights with man? Ought
| they not to have in the administration of
public institutions precisely the same power
that men have? think they should. Let
us consider some of the objections to wo-
mans voting. One was the question of
delicacy. 1t did not make her more indei-
cate to go to the ballot.box and cast vote.
She went through all the scenes Of the late
war, encamping with the toughest Of men,
messing with them, yet she came out vrtu-
ously, unscathed, and as delicate as ever.
Woman never deterioratesin virtuc-a true,
conscientious, womanly woman, mean. If
thought otherwise certainly should not
be engaged in advocating her cause as do
on all proper occasions. Who says she de.
teriorates in delicacy? You will find it is
those who consider themselves superior.
The superior always must look with disdan
upon the next lower class. Kings always
feared if their mobiles got power that it
would make them inimical to the thu one.
Mobiles feared the bur her classes, and the
bur. her classes feared the peasants and
yeomanry. You never saw an upper class
that held prerogative that could be made
to see any reason why :he class below
| should be made equal with them. The
| right is usually wrested from them, not
gained by persuasion.
WHAT HARM WILL VOTING Do?
But, stop one moment. Will it hurt wo-
man, individually, in the household or in
the family? Will it weaken or in any way
wrong the civil state to Introduce woman
as an active participant in public affairs :?
1t is this that | will consider tonight, point
after point What is the experience of the
world in this matter? What has been the
L. e
influence or activity in the church? What
has been their influence in the neighbor-
hood or town? II there can be any ques.
ton es to her influence since the introduc-
ton of Christianity. the sphere has been
enlarged. Has woman been going down in
the scale for the last 1000 years? She has
been going up in the scale of powers. Is
she not to-day more attentive to several de-
tails than women who are not educated?
Are they worse than they were 100 years
| or so years or 1000 years ago. when Christ
found them? You know as we'll as | do
they are better. If, when the little sprout
springing from the apple seed has grown
only so large, has put forth one blossom,
and is most exquisitely tinted, a first apple
blossom, and then, after fifty years more,
that tree will put forth its blossoms again in
greater numbers not every blossom Just
as delicate and beautiful as the one single
one? Applause.
NO DIFFICULTY IN VOTING.
But it is said that in politics it is very
different from church affairs. Voting is
very different from the ordinary canvass
ing In what is il different? Do you hes
i,ate 20 say. 'Jane take this letter to the
postoiiice?' Your daughter takes the letter
and deposits ii in the box. There is grea,
deal more trouble connected with doing i
than with dropping the ballot, althou~h
there are men there too. Yes, but when
she votes all this rowdyism vii be changed.
There will be the same arrangements made
then around the polls MS there are now in
the churches. Things will be adapted to
suit the circumstances. The remedy is the
vote, and that is the remedy we propose t.
apply. Did you ever see crowd of men
in rumpus that, when a lady made her
appearance walking among them, did not
open spontaneously aud show her respect
and let her pass through? They ask, wond
you like to have your daughter go to the
polls and vote? Yes-on my arm. APP
plause Would yen have woman par
ticipate in the preliminary scenes that lead
on to election? ! will tell you that the
moment the women begin to vote, th re
will be no scenes preliminary to voting.
there viii be a radical reform. | don't like
to charge anybody with inconsistency-a-h
eeessarily-but-a-1 think a great
many people ere very forgeiful. Detract
from her deiicacy or refinement, No! What
ever on Gods earth n woman's conscience
tells her to do, she will do, though she sit
in the gates of heil-and be every particle
a woman still Tremendous applause.
DIscoRD IN FAMILIES.
But it is said if women are participants
in politics it must certainly undermine the
family, and introduce discord. 1t would
do no good, because she would vote as her
husband voted Well. am glad you are
so happily mated. Laughter. l have
large flock, and my observation has not
been that there is sucn perfect agreement
among them. Tidings have been brought
to me that there were women among them
who have minds Of their own, and do not
think every woman wnuld vote with her
husband unless her husband would make
up his mind 70 vote with her. 1t is said
again, that it,would introduce quarrels in
the family, and that division in politics
is The worst thing in the world. There is
one thing worse than politics. What is
that? Religion. There has never been
anything SO mplacahle as religion, because
now our men are animals, and when they
have anything are devils. If they agree to
differ in religion it will be SO in politics.
There is no danger of introducing such
things by giving woman more power in civil
affairs.
WOMEN NOT INTERIORS.
But this is what look at-this barbaric
notion of the mteriority of woman. Every
higher class breaches about the inferiority
of everything below him. Every man con
siders himself the best man in the world
The American considers hilnself superior
TO the English. The same is the case in
France. Every Frenchman considers him
self God Almighty's first favorite. Every
people in the globe is the first people on
the globe. The highest class all the way
down is the same. II you consider it
among men alone, all men join and agree,
whatever may be the difficulties; but wo-
men hold a second place--are of second
rate. Now, history shows that in some
cases women are greatly superior to men.
Now, hold this, and that on the average