The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1871-04-20

peached by lady.
In speaking of the respect UNIVERSAL
ly accorded to women among the tribes
of the Upper Zambesi, DR.. Livingston
says that many of them are governed by
female chiefs, and that women vote in
all their public assemblies. And from
the contrast he makes between these
highly intelligent tribes and other de-
graded ones, you certainly get no unfa-
vorable idea of the results. =
"Other cases might be adduced show
ing that the right of female suffrage has
long been conceded, even in monarchical
countries-such as the summoning the
abbesses to Parliament in right of the
abbey lands, and the female stock hold
ers in the West India Company.
In the islands of the Celebes, where the
government is Republican, the President
and four of the six counselors are not
unfrequently women. In England the
law allows such women as own certain
amount of property to vote on parish
questions and for parish officers.
''In 1922 the office of Grand Chamber
lain was filed by two women in success
sion. A woman has been Clerk Of the
Grown In the Court of the Queen S
Bench; aud in a parish OF IN orfolk where,
among six hundred souls, there was not
a man who could read or write, woman
was appointed parish clerk Women have
been invested with the Office of overseers
of the poor, and surveyors of the high
ways, besides being eligible for that OF
sexton and constable. 1t has also been
decided that an unmarried woman hav-
ing free hold may vote for members Of
Parliament, and an instance is given of a
Lady Packington returning two mem
bers. ''Thus we find abun-
dance of testimony to the fleet that, in
countries where suffrage depends on
property, 1t is not a new thing for wo-
men to cast their votes, and that the
world has not been turned upside down
by their doing so. But IN this great
American Republic where, by the very
constitution, all, without distinction of
sex, are pronounced equal, the right of
female suffrage is not only matter of
bitter opposition but of downright denial,
Yet even here we are not altogether with
out precedents.
In New Jersey women were formerly
allowed to vote and in the Presidential
contest of 1900 public thanks were rem
dered to them in one of the journals OF
the day for their unanimous support 81
! Adams instead Of Jefferson. We look
in vain for indications of mischief at their
hearth stone or in the social circle as the
result Of their unwomanly doing.
but still worse lit is on record that
in 1902 a member of the State Lagisla-
ture was elected by the ballots of some
colored women-a double dyed sin.
The people Of Victoria, in
Australia, coming together early in 1865
to elect member of Parliament, were
astonished to find the whole female pop
ulation voting. In commenting on this
the London Times remarks that, in a
country like Australia, it can easily be-
lieve that such an extension of the fran
chise will be a, marked Improvement and
gives its opinion that the precedent viii
stand How far these female voters en-
tered into the 'brandy-smashes' and
black ckguardism we are not informed"
Without quoting Miss i s language ]
will give one more fact which she pro-
duces. On the l1th of April 1867 when
this question was gravely considered for
the first time III the British Parlia ment,
it was sustained By a powerful influence,
including such names as James Marti-
neau. Herbert Spencer, Professor Hux
ley, Goodwin Smith and John Stewart
Mil. The latter gentleman-I might
more properly say philosopher-urged ii
dS ItdSOHdUit, COuSCIFdGIfC, uCCGSSdTS y
and inevitable"
So much for gloomy forebodings and
incidentally [ say, so much for the char.
acter Of the men who urge tb is reform
| am aware that the innovator should
make good his cause by preponderance
| of argument. But in full view of such
7 =. L I
| dare to call this cause an innovation
1t has been tried, tried practically anG
England's greatest political organ says
''the precedent will stand" The ques
ton is open before the world, precedent:
are established on both sides, and one
| side no more than the other has right
to the defensive. 1t has become a gen
eral engagement in an open field and he
who first calls for the defences of ''es
tablished usage" gives the first token
of surrender or retreat. For another
reason also [ am not bound to do all ot
the offensive warefare, and, indeed,
might claim the defensive The gentle
man came out in an unprovoked attack
on not only the cause, but its advocate.
as well. Ifthis does not entitle Us to de
fensive measures, [ must confess igno-
rance of dialectics After his first on
slaught his discretion pursuades him oi
the cxpediency of disseminating the rolt
Of a dashing knight and of assuming The
wary character of man behind wall.
He asks me to stand out in the opeI
court and boasts that he can shoot MT
with poisoned arrows from a castle
window. No man having confidence il
| his prowess and faith In his cause would