The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-07-07
A Question of the Future.

recent advocacy Nv pcHutOI nlOhhON allu
Senator TRUMBULL, the latter in his
Fourth of July address at Galesburg
These are men who have no nonsense
about them, and when statesmen OF theiI
caliber take serious ground in favor Of a
measure, the public will conclude the mat
ter is worth thinking about. There is nc
doubt that the claim Of the ballot for
woman has made good deal ofhcadway
in the last two or three years II has
passed the stage of ridicule, and Is now
receiving n respectful consideration at the
hands of our public men, many of whom
have come TO think the claim neither alb.
surd nor unwisc. II Is indeed not very
easy to assign substantial reasons why
women who desire II should not have II
hand in the government. There are
thousands who do not want IT, The same
il true of many mon. There are thou
sands Of men 80 Indifferent to the duties Of
citizenship that they never go to the polls
Yet 1t isno hardship for them to bo in
vested with the right to go if they choose,
so Of those women who think they would
never wish to exercise the prerogatives Of
citizenship; they could not he compelled
10 vote or hold office against their will,
But because some men do not want to
vote or hold office, we do not deny those
prerOgativcs to the men who do. Nor is
II clear that they should be Withheld from
the women who claim them because 9th.
rrs do not The right 10 exercise II priv
ilege includes tile right to refrain from It's
exercise; and Rs no man Is now compelled
to vote or hold Office against his wish, 80
10 woman would be against her Will. But
why should not those women vote who
claim the right and wish To exercise II,
and why should any woman be disabled
from exercising official functions II her
fellow citizens choose 10 inVcNt her with
ihcmY What reason can be offered IN
favor Of the exercise Of these rights by
one sex that are not just as sound when
asserted Tor the otherY
If It should be admitted that married
women already have their voice m the
government through their husbands, there
iq still an almost equally large number oI
women who have no husband. There are
widows and spihsters, who own property
and pay taxes, and are yet denied all voice
in making or administering the laws Il
which they and their property are subject
II taxation without representation is
wrong as We assume under our form oI
government, then II would seem these
classes of women at least are entitled ia
their due agency in the making and adj
ministratiOn OF the laws The same
must DO true Of married women owning
property in their own right, even If we
suppose other married women had all the
representation they have any right to
through their husbands.
In the matter Of voting, Il disability
stops with the individual disabled, but
where person is rendered ineligible TO
exercise the functions Of an office, the
disability extends to the whole cOmmuni.
ty The community Is prohibited from
choosing an officer whom but for the pro-
hibitlon II might prefer to choose; SO that
while these two disabilities always go to,
gether there Is an important difference in
their character.
The removal Of the barriers that now
exclude woman from the body polite
would certainly be followed by important
results not easily lorescen in their details
We do not see that the country could bt
any the worse for II. On the contrary
we believe II would he the better. |
would add very greatly to the moral ele
ment now represented IN the Govern
ment, and II II had any marked effect |
would he in the direction Of n more ele
ated grade Of politics In social qnes
tons, like that affecting the traffic II
liquors, very important revolutions woulC
almost certainly I've wrought. For a tim,
probably only n limited number q
women would avail themselves Of thei
new privileges; but in time doubtless Il
large proportion would exercise them a
Of the opposite sex.
Those of our readers who look upoI
the claim of women 10 equal politica
rights with men as n heresy TO be de
nounced and dreaded, should he. warned
that II IL steadily III aking its way up Il
the position OF a ilrstclasq issue Ant
that issue Is not so far In the future q.
some imagine. Many Of the women whC
advocate II publicly hinder rather thar
help itsprogress That Is their fault; hu
their cause makes headway nevertheless
because Il Is the assertion of an Intelligent
and equitable idea, and nothing can bt
more formidable than that. 1t survive.
scon, ridicule and:evcyEphase of hos
tIlity.
The most intelligent minds Of the coun
try are engaged seriously in attempting
TO solve the question Of the future poll
llcal status Of women in this country
1t stoo late to ridicule ii out of sight.
must go on to n solution and we judg
That solution will be the removal of ever,
barrier that now imposes political ,lisa
OllllIes on women not rcatiug on men