Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-25
Gail Hamilton" on the Woman SuE-
frnge Movement.

The lively and merciless critic of Rev. DIR,
Todd for his opposition to female suffrage, ex-
ercisies the woman's right to change her mind,
now writes to the Independent in relation to the
woman suffrage movement, as follows:
have watched with unfagging interest, with
such intelligence as was vouchsaled to me, and
from what vantage ground | could command,
every phase of the movement which came with
in the sphere of my observation. The move
ment has advanced from weak and despised be-
ginnings to point where it is discussed with
seriousness; recognized by parties, deferred to
by leaders, and acknowledged in some quarters
as a not very remote future possibility.
From this careful observation of its course
thus far cannot see that anything in its treat
ment of difficult questions or in its conduct of
delicate affairs-in the ends which it proposes,
the methods which it selects to accomplish
those ends or tine manner in which it pursues
those methods-gives us the smallest prospect
of any introduction to higher grade of pot-
ical life than that which we are already occupy
ing under the dynasty of man. | fail to see that
it is more comprehensive in vision, more mex
haustible in research more radical in thought,
more scientific in method, more conscientious
in action; that in discussion it is more sober,
candid, Just and courteous; that it displays
more information and less inflammation, more
of philosophy and less of personality; that it is
more accurate in presentation, and more con-
scientious against Misrepresentation; that it is
more judicious in the selection of agents; that
it appeals to higher motives, or teaches wiser
mode or points to wider field of activity. 1t
appears to me- on the contrary, that the woman's
party copies with singular fidelity the old ways
of the old parties, which ought never to have
been entered at all.
Women, so far as they are already in politics
are doing right over again, and often with
peculiar feminine and fatal facility, the very
hov nv MOI nd
which ought never to be done at all; while
have not been able to discern the introduction
by them of single improvement or sign of i'm
provement in political thought or action. Uni
versal purity, freedom and happiness are in
deed noble ends for any party; but no party in
the country confesses or processes any other
ends. When we look at the means by which
the woman's party proposes to reach the
desired results, we find that they are either
general, and therefore practically worthless,
or specific, but empirical, and often worse than
worthless; or they are the same means which
men have been employing and are still continu-
ing to employ. This has nothing whatever
to do with the right of woman to the ballot.
man is not forbidden to cast his vote because
he casts it for the wrong person or the wrong
measure; no more should woman be. But,
when the vote of women is urged upon the ma
ton as its means of grace and hope of glory, it
is requisite and necessary to infer somewhat
from such preliminary grace and glory as have
been displayed. If ;he dawn is darkness, why
shall we suppose that at evening time it shall be
light2
Nor do these statements, if admitted to be
true, involve the inleriority of woman to man.
1t does not imply inferiority TO fail where he has
not succeeded. 1t simply indicates that at pres
ent she is not politically his superior. 1t dis
misses again to the domain of abstract reason
ing the idea that government and society are to
be uplitted by the direct professional particpa
ton of woman in politics. and leaves it with pre-
sumptive evidence against it..