The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1871-05-18

make this kind of average applicable to
the gentleman argument, he must show
that woman cannot attain unto the aver
age intellectual ability of men at twenty
one. No test of mere masculinity can
be found in any of our laws either ex-
pressed or implied. / remark further,
that the age of twenty oneis not so much
regarded as a qualification for the right
Of suffrage as it is the time when other
definite qualifications may go into effect.
For example, soundness of mind birth.
or residence fer certain length Of time
in the country loyalty freedom fiom
the commission of certain crimes ETC.. etc.
| have no objection to the establish
ment Of any reasonable tests for deter
mining the right to use the ballot. But
when these are once fixed, let all who
can meet the tests enjoy the right
Still the gentleman seems profoundly
alarmed at the prospect of female suf:-
rage, as if the moon were about to be
turned to blood and a pail of darkness
were soon 70 shroud the world All these
dread calamities are predicted on the
ground that there is something essentially
unnatural and awful in woman voting.
Miss Lander's argument was designed to
show that these fears are groundless
There was no attempt to derive from
other nations model for the United
States. The design was to illustrate
fact, and that it accomplished. 1t mat
tiers not how low the tribes mentioned, in
comparison with our own civilization may
be. But when several tribes differing
but little in blood, surrounded with
| about the same local conditions of climate
and scenery, and soil, and food, are COM
pared with one another,w would natur-
| ally expect that those, equal in other
advantages, who violate principles sup
posed to be fundamental in human nature,
would expiate their crime in ignorance,
! in degradation, in violence. But the
reverse is true Of the tribes of the Upper
| Iambesi. They are the most powerful
| and intelligent as we'll as the most peace
able. Their actual condition contradicts
our understanding unless we conclude
that there is nothing essentially degrading
and contrary to good government III fe-
male suffrage. The case of Algerian
piracy does not invalidate this conclusion;
for though at that time the Barbary
power was the most intelligent in Africa,
was it the most just? the most truly re-
spectacle and respected by other nations?
Did rot her piracy lead to her humilia
ton aud that too, right speedily? 1t is
not urged that tie intelligence and integ-
| rity Of the Zambesian tribes have resulted
from female suffrage, but that they could
not have existed from generation to gen.
Grafton if cnfranchised women are the
destroying angels which the gentleman
supposes them to be- Like the piracy
of the Algerians, their voting would long
| ere this have brought them to disgrace
Likewise Athenian emnence acithout
| female suffrage proves nothing against
it. We have no means of knowing that
it would not have been as mighty a0ith
female suffrage. If, in the grand primacy
Of her splendor, Athens had adopted the
measure and had thence began to decay,
the fact might establish an adverse
presumption. The gentleman errs in the
case of England. Woman has already
exercised her elective right several gener-
atoms and TO a considerable extent, con-
sidering the limited suffrage granted in
that country, even to men. According
to the time agreed upon by historians
and the gentleman, women have voted
for members of Parliament and for parish
officers long enough to enable statesmen
to judge of its effects. The constantly
increasing favor with which the English
Nation regard the measure, attests the
Punishment of their former fears. The
case of New Jersey the gentleman an
swers by pouring upon her his barrels of
rum 1t is a convenient stratagem to
get stern antagonist drunk-if' it sue
ceeds. The instances cited in my last
article establish, as conclusively as prece-
| dent can establish anything, that female
suffrage is not mother of discord and
breeder of faction. This is all I wished
to accomplish. It was enough, for it
answered one Of the gentleman ''indis-
putable' facts, - namely, an assertion.
With characteristic reverence an ap-
peal is made to the Bible. Ireply by stat
ing that in those times men were com
handed to render tribute toCasar. There
| fore, men noa0 ought to do likewise. The
fallacy is obvious. I defy any one to
show that Christ either by word or ex-
ample made any distinction of sex. Both
were equally human and equally amen
able to the same laws This latter con-
dition implied that she stood in the
same relationship TO the law making
power The generalization of this seems
to be true; namely, that those equally
under any given law ought to be equally
related to the legislative power.
| | am glad to observe that after so
much contention my opponent comes out
| at the emu ana steps S4uaTely on my DlaC-
form [ heartily agree with him that
Mature mot the legislature '.has
fitted women to be artistic and loving,
and to have oversight of the family"
| What Nature has told her to do, she will
| do without legal enactments. Why not
have the Legislature enact that men shall
not become artistic and loving" &c?
| Simply because. men can't. 1t is unne-
cessary. Yet precisely this absurdity is
practiced in the case of women. jun.
OFF FOR THE WEST. One of our most