The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1871-08-16
The Victoria League.


both sexes, called the. "equei rights
party" whose headquarters is at New
York, With rami6cations from San Fran
cisco to Boston. This Victoria League
has raised Us bunting to the breeze,
with Mrs. Victoria &. Woodhull as its
nominee for the august office Of Pres
idcnt, %. Presidentress,) Of these united
or disuni,ed States Of America. Ac
companying this circular is speech de-
livered by Mrs Vic. on the issue Of
equal rights, and her secession speech
at Apollo Hall.
Mrs. Victoria c. Woodruff closes her
speech as follows:
If Congress refuse to listen to and
grant what women ask, there is but one
course left them 10 pursue. Women
have no government Men have organ
lied government, and they maintain
it to the utter exclusion Of women
Women are as much members o! the IA.
,ioa as men arc, and they have the same
human right to govern themselves which
men have. Men have none Gu; an usur-
ped right to the arbitrary control OF &C
nen. Shall free, intelligent, rcsscntus,
thinking women longer submit to being
robbed Of their conmna sSshts1 Men
fashioned government based on their
own enunc!atSun Of principles that tax
alton without rcprcssation is tyranny
and that all just government exists by
the censene Of the governed. Proceed
ing upoa 'hese axio:ns. they formed q
Constitution declaring al persons TO be
citi; e7s, that one Of the lights Of citizen
is a righ, 10 ro,c, and that no power
within the nation shall either make or
enforce laws il tcrfering Nth the citizen S
rights. And yet men deny Uomer the
hr>t and greatest of ali the RI hts Of Gil.
zenship, the right to vote.
Unde. such glaring inconsistencies,
such unwarrantable tyranny, such un.
scrupulous despo,ism, what is there left
women to 90 but to become the mothers
Of the future government.
We WILL HAVE our rights. We say
no longer By your leave We have be.
sought, argued and convinced, but We
have failed; AND We WILL NOT fail
We will try you Just ONCE aoKE. If
the very next Congress refuse women all
the Legitimate results Of citizenship if
they indeed merely so much as fail by a
proper declarato.y act to withdraw ev.
cry obstacle to the most ample exercise
o! the franchise, then ~c give here and
now, deliberate notification Of Fhat we
will DO next
There is one alternative lvf', and VIC
have resolved on that. This convention
is for the purpose Of this declaration.
As surely as one year passes, from this
day, and this right is not fully, frankly
and uneouirocally considered, "e shall
proceed to Call another convention ex
pressly TO frame new constitution and
to erect 4 new government, complete in
all it's parts, and to take measures to
maintain it as efFecsuslly as men do
theirs.
If for people to. govern themselves is
so uninportant matter rs men now rs
sers i. to be, they could 10, justify them
selves in interfering. If, or the contra
~, it is the important thing we conceive
it to be, they can bet applaud us for cx-
erci>ing our right.
We mean treason NC mean Secession,
and on . thousand ti,nes. grander scale
than was that Of the South. We arc
plotting revolution; we will overslougl'
this bogus republic srd plan: a govern
ment Of righteousness in its stead, which
shall! not only profess to derive it's power
from the consent Of the governed, but
ShsA do 80 in reality.
We rebel agsinst, denouHce and defy
this arbitrary, usurging and tyrannical
government, which has been framed and
imposed on US without our consent. and
even WITHOUT so much as entertaining
the idea that it VAS or could be Of tht
slightest consequence what We should
;hiuk Of it, or ho1 our interests should
De affected by it, or even that we existed
a, all, except in the simple ca: g in which
we might DC found guilty Of some offensc
against its behes,s, " hen it has not failed
70 visit oa US its sanctions with as much
rigor as if We owed rishtful allegiance to
It which we do not, and which, in the
future, we will not eren pretend to do.
This new government, if we are com
PEELED to form it, shall be in principles
largely like that government which the
better inspirations Of our fathers com
PEELED them to in6i,e in terms in the
Constitution, but f1om which they and
their sons bave Sc scadalously departed
in their legal constructions and actual
practice. It shall be applicable, not to
women alone, but to all persons who
shall transfer their allegiance to it, and
shall be in every practicable way high.
e7 and more scientific development of
the governments! idea.
We have learned the imperfections Of
mems government, by lessons Of bitter
injustice, and hope to build so we'll that
men will desert from the less to the more
perfect. And when. By our receiving
Justice, or By our own actions, the old
and ta!se Shall he replaced BY the new
and true; when for tyranny and exc!u.
siveneSs shall be inauguraie" equality and
fraternity. and the way prepared tor the
rapid development Of social recons..-"c-
tion throughout.
Because I have taken this bold and
positive position; because have adro.
Gated radical political sction; because ]
have announced 5 new party and my
self as candidate for the next Presi.
dencr, am charged With being inhu.
enced by an unwarrantao'e ambition.
Though this is scarcely the place for the
introduction Of . privileged question, I
Hill, however, take this occasion to, once
and 70. al! time. state have no personal
ambition whstever. ALL that l have
done, !. did because / believed the inter-
ests of humanity would be advanced
thereby.
Had been ambitious to become the
next president | should havo proceeded
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