Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-01-28
Prospect. OF the Fifteenth Amendment.

.rs and cannot much Inconvenience the subscriber.
Prospects OF the Fifteenth Amendment.
Twenty-eight States are required to ratify
the Fifteenth Amendment in order TO make
it part Of the Constitution Of the Country.
Two months since, the names of nineteen
States which had ratified were given by the
State Department. The ratification by Ala
blma followed shortly after Last week add
ed the rati6cations Of Minnesota and Missis-
sippi, and the correction by Kansas and Mis-
souri, Of their former imperfect ratiications.
Tuesday Rhode Island completed it. ratifca-
ton. Up to the present date, then, the record
shows that twenty-five States Including
New York; have given their assent to the
amendment The Ohio State Senate, also,
recorded its assent last week, and the best
intelligence from that quarter gives assurance
that the House will concur within a few
days. If We add, as certain TO ratify, Iowa,
Nebraska and Texas, the whole number
Of States ratifying the amendment Will
be twenty nine-One more than i needed
Admitting that the resembling action Of New
York is legal, which is vet to be proved,
there will soon be sufficient number Of
States to secure the necessary ratification.
Democracy vsinly kicks against the pricks-
Vermont ana the Womln's Journal.
1t is quite clear that Vermont is to be the
chief battle ground of the new reform for the
next five months, and We are consequently not
surprised to see the Woman's journal, the
new organ of " woman's rights, deyoting
considerable attention 70 our little State in
its opening numbers Col. Higginson has
an article in No > entitled &c The Door IN
latched " (by the Council Of Censors), Of
which the following paragraph is the nub
Whether Woman Suffrage is carried or de-
tested in Vermont BY the popular vote, IS A
secondary matter. To secure a popular vote Is
in itself victory. Il carries the discussion IL
to every school district, and the discussion i
what is needed. When s reform once gets 81
far SIS TO hsve popular vote taken upon It, the
ultimate result is hardly doubtful Revolutions
rarely 20 backward II you DO not give women
the ballot this time, dear Nermouters, YOU viii
merely have the trouble Of voting on the subject
again. They will never let you alone. Every
woman among them Is the blood relation Of that
scriptursl woman who overcsme the unjust
judge " by her continual coming.
Col. Higginson Is, we believe, coming 70
stump Vermont on this question Before he
begins we should advise him to master lit .
tie more thoroughly the details Of the situa-
ton. The question Of woman suffrage II
not to be put to q popular vote in Vermont
1t is to be decided, under cur present undem-
ocratic method of amending our State consti-
tuition, By vote Of Convention, without sub
mission to the people. It does not even come
substantially to a popular vote for though
the members Of the Convention are to be
elected by the voters Of the several towns,
the fact tina; slr amendments Of the Consti-
tuition are to be submitted, precludes the
possibility of making distinct popular issue
on any one. The questions Of change Of
our Judiciary system, Of biennial sessions Of
the Legislature, and OF the adjustment Of
the Council Of Censors, - be submitted at
the same time, have at least as much practi-
cal Importance with her people as that Of
Woman Suffrage. The voters will either Sc
lect candidates whose Judgment they are will
ing to trust On the various questions. with
out pledges or if they 60 into ezacting
pledges, will probably as general rule,
pledge their men to g against al OF the
amendments except that for abolishing the ,
Council, from the difficulty in agreeing in
advance which Of the amendments shall be !
made the test, ami from general disgust with ,
the work Of the Council.
As for the Importantly Of the Vermont
women, on the subject Of the Suffrage, we need i
not say to our Vermont readers, that it is +
wholly in Col. Higginsons imagination. 1t '
is because the women Of Vermont are g letting r
the voters alone, or when they express any
opinion throw their influence against the
extension of the ballot to their sex, that the T,
Women Suffrage amendment is sure to be ?,
defeated. If the women of Vermont wish to h
assume this new and heavy responsibility, h
they can have it, But in the absence of any t.
expression of such desire on their part, We Il
are not quite ready, being much gwen, up er
here among the mountains, to looking at 2
things with our own eyes to accept in place al
thereof the demand of any outside set of tt
'elf-constituted spokesman for our women, of 70
either sex. ii
Mr.. Henry B. Blackwell, Lucy Stones to
nusband) in another editorial in the Journal. b
shows more intelligent acquaintance with A
the situation here, in respect to the amend Ia
nents and the Convention He thinks pro- W
'ably :" majority of the papers of the State la
have expressed themselves in favor Of the on
equality Of women" We believe they are n;
III in favor of the equality Of women. But SCI
hey do not consider tine women any the less
heir equals, because they do not land prefer bill
lot TOY vote and hold Office. As to a majority
'eing in favor OF Woman Suffrage, we do not
o understand the case. The Montpelier Free
nan and the BrattleborO PLqn1r have advo- bs
ated the "new reform ;; for some time. q,
he Repository NEEDLES little with political of
uestions but on the whole, we believe Te
,ildly favors woman suffrage. The Rutland up
Herald has besn on both sides Of the ques- an
ion, and on neither side, if We have under Oft
TODD its position but now, since It's editor rec
as been made Secretary of the Woman's SIN
uffrage Association. indicates an intention an
, come out for Woman Suffrage. The St. vi
.lbans Messenger, since the adjournment OF
be Council, has been on the same side.
his, we believe comprises the list of advo- -.
ates Of that side among our State papers. of
But these are but fire of the hiirfy-sir pa nsc
ers in the State and we doubt if this seventh III.
art of the Press represents in this matter tro
he opinions OF 80 much as one-seventh of an,
he people. no,
Mr. Blackwell is decidedly complimentary vie
o Vermont. He says; con
1t is probable that nowhere in III. rn;,s5 sbo
States q community be found. A. ,.ll -
JARED to take this great GROWING step /, ,aI;,; ""
,al progress as is the state Of Vermont Nora Sta
han fourffths Of her people Of native birth der
They have been trained in efficient school .v, IL.
EN- Of free schools, where boys and girls have Pc
zen educated together. Churches and Sunday
,chcols exist all over the State. There are fewer
dlsrs and stragglers than elsewhere. There are APP
70 large manufacturing towns and cities no ex der