Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-07-20
Woman Suffrage Well Defended.

Hon. Daniel +. Miller, Of Keokuk,
Iowa, has lectured on Woman SUIT
irage, at Madison where the pcnniten.
,iary is located He certainly treated
the subject with great freshness, and
was sufficiently ad captanaam Among
many pointed paragraphs he perpe-
tratcd these:
In these days, especially when wo.
men are trustees tor nearly all the
property in the country, they have q
peculiar interest in the right TO vote
on its taxation. It's really humilla-
ting to our sex, that there are SO ma.
ny men who find themselves incom.
petent to manage their estates, and
have been obliged to put them under
the protection of their wives.
The morals OF women furnish an.
other argument Tor female suffrage.
see my friend, Jimmy Blair, here.
Jimmy, how many women arc there
in the penitentiary
Mr.. Blair-"None.'
lie says none. Well, friend Jimmy,
how many men are there?
Mr.. Blair 1.-TWO hundred and
ninety"
Look at that, you male ganders
7seo huad,'ed and niaetyH l never
knew penl;entiary bird who was
not opposed to female suffrage.
But it is said women Will meet
drunken men at the polls. Well, it
is better that they meet them there,
where they can be taken off by con-
stable, than at home, where they are
detenceless and alone. Woman's In
ilacnce is needed to purity the ballot.
Nothing less than an angel can stir
the political pool. 1t is also urged
against female suffrage that women
haven't mind enough to vote. They
can Gull flower, and smell rosc-if
it's put up close to their nose but
that's about the length OF their line.
When | hear some craven man talk
ing like that, l feel like saying, Thou
TOOL! Because women arc physical
ly smalle. and weaker than men, 1t IS
claimed that their minds are CORES.
pondingly inferior. Yet it is an es-
,ablished fact that small men are as
fully gifted as large ones, and that 1t
is health and not size which deter
mines the mental energy.
| have held my scrptural argument
in reserve, for the benefit OF those
who never believe anything until
they have had the Bible thrown at
their heads. read my Bible as |
read my law books, Tor myself, and
have an Orthodoxy of my own. II
other people did the same, they would
see that Eve was never forbidden to
eat the apple-the command was CIV
en- before she was made. Notice al
so the reason why she ate it; she saw
that 1t was good tor food, and TO be
desired to make one WISE Oh you
may all thank your good mother Eve
that you are not, this day, like the
apes and baboons-that you are not
living in caves aud roaming in forests
as torlorn and naked MS ghosts.
Eve was the one who took the first
step towards knowledge. Until she
had decided, Adam didn't kno,c hor to
rote !! 1t was woman who explain
ed the sacred text, when. in the time
of Josiah, it was accidentally discov-
cred. Il was to that learned and ell
egant LADY, whom the transIators, in
the heading of a Biblical chapter,
have libelled rs the Witch OF Endor,
that Saul appealed in his distress.
Then think how Jesus lonored wo.
men in appearing to them first, after
his resurrection. And yet you say
women are not fit to vote.
II is also argued that women don't
need to vote, because every man rep
resents his family. IF so, but one
man in the family should exercise the
franchise. Again, it is said that te-
male suffrage will lead to family trou-
bles-as II women had not right to
hol ] their own views. 1t a wife is
afraid to think for herself, she is a
slave; and if she don't know how to
she is an idiot.
If women attended the polls, men
would behave much better. When
among themselves, men generally cut
up very bad; they are savage and
beastly, half horse and half alligator
but as soon as woman appears, g
great change takes place; they black
tLeir boots, brush their clothes, and
vain men have frequently been known
10 oil their hair, a thing which | new
err do.
The chief reason why the Catholics
arc SO rapidly gaining ground in this
country is that they use the gifts OF
woman in the service Of religion.
Who does not honor the Sisters Of
Charity, and feel that IN extending
the faith one white bonnet is worth a
a dozen black gowns.
Before concluding, | desire to oh.
tain the sense Of this meeting. All
those men, who think they know ev.
erything, and that wisdom will die
with them, and who arc opposed TO
female suffrage, will please stand on
their feet. l see that no one rises,
and rejoice to learn, that every man
IN Madison, outside the pcnitcntiary
IS ready to vote for Universal Sui
frage.