Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-10-20
To the Women Of Iowa.
DEs MONIES, Sept. 13, 1871

have requested me to take necessa-
ry steps to secure full representa-
ton of the friends Of woman suff-
rage at our next annual meeting, to
be held at Des Moines on the 10th
Of October.
In behalf Of the association-but
assuming a personal responsibility
for the particular views l may ex-
press-I beg to call the attention
Of the mothers, wives and daugh
ters of Iowa to few suggestions
for their most thoughtful considera-
ton.
Twenty years ago, in the call for
a national convention TO be held at
Worcester OH the 18th and 10th Of
October, the following subjects were
presented for discussion: "Wom-
ans Right to Education-Litcrary,
Scientific and Artistic; her Avoca-
tions-Industrial, Commercial and
Professional; her interests-Pecu-
mary, Civil and Political; in a
word, her rights as an Individual
and her Functions as citizen"
The bill Of Woman's Rights or
Declaration of Independence was
re-echocd through both hemis-
pheres, and arrested the attention
of the great thinkers of the civilized
world. Conservatism was startled
from its Rip Van Winkle sleep,and
the newspaper press, with hardly
an exception, prophesied the utter
degradation OF the sex as the fruits
Of this ''new departure" for women.
Let us enquire OF these same
prophets of evil, how far their idle
fears have been realized? Wom-
ans rights to "Education-literary,
scientific and artistic; her avoca-
tions-lndustrial, commercial and
PROFESSIONAL" have been gradually
conceded, until to day, this part Of
her bill Of rig ghts is accomplished
facts, and the daughters Of America
CONSERVATIVES and progresslon-
ists-in their enlarged spheres Of
usefulness, are now reaping the
benefits Of the moral heroism of the
leaders of that convention.
The leading statesmen and think
ers of the age, those who lead the
advance guard in letters, i'll law, in
politics and religion, those who di-
rect the march of events in both
hemispheres, have conceded not
only woman's right to exercise any
and all avocations, but the justice
of her claim to political equality
And political rights have been con
ferred upon women in many parts
OF Europe and in two of our terri
tories.
Therefore the time has past for
the discussion Of woman's right to
the ballot. 1t now only requires
one more combined and determined
effort on the part Of the women of
| Iowa to secure it.
The noble men of Iowa who have
stood by us, complain OF our falter-
ing aud inactivity, while our enc
mics, vanquished in argument, have
descended to personal scandal for
the purpose OF poisoning the public
Judgment against us, and are seek
ing to make the suffrage party re-
sponsible for the opinions of f:nati-
cal adventurers who always attach
themselves to a great reform.
The question, and the only ques-
ton, which has been raised by the
suffrage party of Iowa, is that of
equality.
The Republican party was organ
ixed upon the simple issue of "No
more slave territory" A man
might believe in perpetuating sla-
very in the states where it existed,
he might buy or sell in slave states
and still be in full communion with
the "new party;" he might rob the
slave owner of his lawful property
and yet occupy high seat i'll the
councils of the "great moral party"
His opinions upon the questions of
free love or free trade, were never
asked, his home continued to be his
sanctuary, and was not invaded,
that the morbid appetite of the pub
lie might be fed with the story of
his mistortunes or his crimes. If
he but pronounced the "shibboleth"
of the ''new party" every organ and
orator of freedom became his de-
fender.
1t was charged by the opposition
that this "new party of reform"
were for the social fabric and ANAL
gamating the races. Horace Gree
ley the patron saint Of the ''new
departure" said: 1--WE have moth
ing to do with this social question;
that will take care of ITSELF
When the slave power, beaten
by the ballot, renewed the battle
with the sword, even then this
same party refused to incorporate
any tactional opinion into its arti-
cles of faith, but adhered, with in
flexible purpose, to the one idea of
"the Union as it was,' and the
"Sccond Washington" was willing
to compromise the private opinions
of a majority of his party and save
the Union with slavery.
During the long struggle of the
republicans for this one idea, the
only qualification of a soldier was
the ability to carry a musket and
vote the republican ticket.
The deepest dyed villains of the
sea-board cities were taken into full
fellowship, and received the bene-
dictions of all good men and women
as they marched to the front. Bill
ly Wilson's cut-throat ZouaveS
might carry their crimes with them;
no matter, so long as they carried a
bowie knife for the enemy. The