Weekly Trinity journal., 1871-09-23
A NEW SUFFRAGE IDEA.

The Virginia Enterprise has the following :;
" In paper in the last number of the Overland
Monthly, entitled The Mahomet of the West
Mrs. Thomas Fitch incidentally refers to the eff
tects of female suffrage in Utah Territory. She
says the advocates of female suffrage declared
that the women of Utah were slaves, and only
required the ballot to free themselves from bond
age. Well, they were given the ballot, and,
strange to say at the last election they cast their
votes solidly in favor of poligamy They organ
lied political clubs, and issued an address de-
claring that they would vote just as their hus-
bands fathers and brothers desired and just so
they did vote In this instance, at least, female
suffrage has failed to fulfill the expectations of
its advocates. 1t has been used as q means of
continuing instead of correcting a great evil,
But perhaps this is not q fair test of the benefits
to be derived from female suffrage. The Nor
man women are generally ignorant, and blind
religious intatuaton has doubtless deprived
them of all independence of action. But this is
not what we started out to speak of, and we
know not what suggested it unless it be the an
uouncement before US of lecture this evening
by Mrs. Stanton, a distinguished champion of
woman's rights. A few days since the Count
de Douhet made u singular proposition in the
French Assembly--one which embraces the
broadest possible ground, and which, should it
be successfully tried in france, might be ac-
ceptcd as compromise in the United States.
1t is true that the proposal was received with
astonishment, or, according to another report,
with dersive laughter, by the Deputies to whom
it was submitted. But this, of course, is the
common lot of men of original ideas, and the
great conception of the Count may, like the ideas
Of Galileo and Columbus, which made the un-
thinking of their day laugh, yet attracted the
admiration Of a world which has profted by it.
Here are the essential articles of the legislative
project of the French reformer
l. Universal suffrage, having for its object
special representation of the authority of num-
bers, shall henceforth, instead of reckoning sim
ply by the vote of individuals be counted by the
accumulated votes of families, each represented
by their natural author that is to say, by the
father.
IL. By this means, every father of family
will receive from the law the conservation where
with Providence has endowed him-that is to
say the responsibility for his wife and children
up to the age of manhood for his sons, and
until their marriage for his daughters. The
father of family will thus be able to deposit in
the ballot box as many ballots as he has chill
dren, with two in addition, for himself aud his
wife.
In introducing this proposal, its author
claimed, with some show Of justice, that the oh
ject was an exceeding moral one, for its tend
cy would be to multiply marriages, and to in
crease the authority of the head of the family
Another clause provides that the widow shall
excise the same right on behalf of her children.
Now, if Mrs Stanton does not like Count de
Douhet's proposition, she has our permission to
reject it,"