Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-06-03
Equal Rights"
INDEPENDENCE, IOWA, !
MAJ, 81 IG-A

May 81, 1870. !
MY DEAR SNYDER: You say I
misstated the question and discussed
| representation instead of the inalien-
able right of woman to the ballot.
You must certainly have mis-. under.
stood me. presume the readers of
the GAZETTE had no such difficulty
of apprehension. As you very prop,
erly ask for enlightenment, / will
endeavor to make the proposition
plain even to you, whose whole in.
terest in this controversy is evidently
not to understand it. ...
1 stated, in effect, that the friends
of equal rights claim that every
adult citizen, regardless of sex, pos
sesses an equal right with every other
to say how and by whom he or she
shall be governed; that this right is
inalienable, being derived from the
Creator of mankind; that since the
ballot is simply the medium through
which this right finds exercise, and
since the right to self-government
must carry with it the right to the
medium through which it may be
exercised, of necessity the right to
the ballot is as inalienable as the
right to self.government itself. De-
ny one and you of necessity deny the
other. Not, of course, that the word
ballot" shall be taken as signifying
particular mode 10y which self
government shall be exercised, but
as representing the idea of practi-
cable medium through which to eff.
feet the result. The expression OF
the choice of the citizen may be by q
printed or written slip of paper,
called a ballot, as is the established
mode in Iowa where we are discus
sing, or by word of mouth, as is the
custom in England and elsewhere.
The peculiar mode is immaterial,
provided it be effective, open to all
alike and entirely impartial. l had
not thought of discussing the right
to the ballot as the right to that Pc
culiar manner of exercising the cleo
tive franchise, but as representing
the idea involved in such exercise,
and hardly expected you to resort to
so ingenious a trick as q mere play
upon words.
The very idea of an equal voice in
government involves some means by
which that voice may be heard and
understood. The appointed means
in Iowa is the ballot. If, then, all
adult citizens regardless of sex, have
an inalienabls right to an equal voice
in their own government, they have
here in Iowa an inalienable right to
the ballot as medium through
which that voice may find expires
sion. You deny this inalienabIt
right of woman to the ballot and as
consequence her inalienable righ
to an equal voice with man in hel
: own government. You must either
. admit this or adopt the weak dodge
that by using the word ballot yot
simply mean peculiar manner IN
which the will of the citizen ma.
find expression rather than the fdet
of such expression. At any rate
ask no broader admission OH you
part than this-that woman has al
inalienable right to an equal vote,
with man i'm the government which
is for their mutual safety and interes
and which they mast mutually sup
port aud obey.
have occupied so much space il
re stating this question in manne
to bring it within your comprehen
: sion, that / must defer the argumen
in favor of self-governmeut till mex
week.
Allow me to suggest that the i'll
natured slur with which you clos
your article, in styling me "self
constituted Champion" does not in
, dictate that equanimity of Tempe
which follows the consciousness y
being in the right.
Very Cordially Yours,
]. L. LOOMS.