The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-29

10 import the Massachusetts legislation
on TINS subject into our New York code?
My. You helped to ratify the Four
leehtn and Fifteenth Amendments. In
80 uolhg, you builded better than YOU
an suffrage with them; and volIr aroII-
men! against it comes too iate The
case Is as plain as Japan crystal The
IOuIIeehIh Amendment saws: "AIi
persons born or naturaIized in tbe
United States, and subject to the iuris-
dlctlon thereof, are citizens of the United
states, and of the State whereir, Tho
reside" Mr.. Bingham, the author of
TINS Amendment, admits that this world
| persons" includes women. Whatever
doubt, Therefore, has heretofore existed
as to whether women We're citizens. that
doubt was removed by the Fourteenth
Amendment. Now the old Constitution,
Article 4, said (and still says: ''CitiZens
of each State shall be entitled to all the
privileges and immunities of citizens in
the several Statesp What is the
meaning of this? Even so early as
WashingtOn's day, the Supreme Court
of the United States, through Judge
Bushrod Washington, decided that
among these privileges and immuni-
ties" was the right to exercise "the
elective franchise Chancellor Kent,
Judge Story, and the other great lights
that have illumined the text of the Con
stitutiOn, long ago united in declaring
the same thing. The Fourteenth
Amendment has since carried these
privileges and immunitiesn a step be-
yOnd the Fourth Article This Amend
ment, after having declared ''all persons
born or naturaliZed in the United States"
to be citizens Including women as well as
mem, then Immediately adds: ''NO
State shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or
immunities of citizens of the United
States" In other words, no State shall
''abridge the privileges or immunities"
either of men or women, among which
is the fright to exercise the elective
franchise SO you see the links of the
chain. All persons Gncluding wOmenl
are citizens; all citizens have privileges
and immunities, including suffrage;
therefore women, like other citizens, are
entitled to suffrage. If there is any flaw
in this argument, will you do me the
favor TO point it out?
XIV. You say, "Why should any man
| be the candidate for President of the
woman suffragists. Logically and CON
/ sistently, | feel that their candidate
should be woman To this l reply,
that certainly would have no objection
TO woman as n candidate, either for the
Presidency or any other office And vet
woman suffrage does not require a
woman to be its candidate, any more
than negro suffrage demands a negro for
a like position. You have been a prom
inent advocate Of negro suffrage, and yet
! do not remember that you ever nOmi-
mated a negro for President of the United
States. Indeed, l once urged you to
nominate Frederick Douglass for Vice
President, but you declined. And, if
you will pardon me for the dieression,
since you have done me the honor to say
| that | invented you as Il Presidential
candidate, will you now let me crafty
my early and unquenched instinct as an
abolitiOnist by similarly 'inventing'
Mr.. Douglass as the candidate for Vice
President on your ticket?
| XVI. This leads me to refer to your
sitting at Cooper Institute a few even
| ings ago rs chairman of a meeting called
TO hear a speech from Mr.. II. B. Elliott,
member of Congress from South Caro-
lima negro. / am glad you honOred
him as you did; and all | ask you TO do
for wOman's enfranchisement is exactly
what you have done for the negrO's. But,
on that very evening, in spite of the fact
that the American Government still
refuses the political rights of twenty
millions of citizens on account of sex,
you went to the Tribune office and pre-
fixed to the report of the proceedings the
astounding title equal Rights to ALL
Now, in view of your attitude on the
woman question, will you not correct
the next proof-sheet of your favorite
catch-word into equal Rights for
/ Half?"
Finally. your recent communication
addressed to me in my own journal was
reprinted by you in yours, but not a line
of my reply there accompanied it,
although the other daily papers of New
York did equal justice to both sides of
the controversy. mention this fact for
the sake Of pledging that every word
which you may say as rejoinder to this
present letter, if you print your remarks
in the Tribune, shall be faithfully re-
printed in the Golden Age. Inthis way,
since l can never hope to equal you IN
ability, shall at least have the honorof
eXeelling you in fairness.
Ever your friend,
THEODORE TILTON.