Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-15
Woman Suffrage in the District of
Columbia

At an election last winter in the District
Of Columbia, several women offered to vote,
and, their ballots beng refused. brought
suit claiming that they had a natural right
to vote, and that such right was also secured
70 them by the l4th Amendment TO the con
stitution. Our Washington letter menti ons
the fact that the district court delivered an
opinion on this question last week, and the
papers bring US the substance Of the reason
ing Of the court Chief Justice Cartier after
briefly abiding to the history Of thew oman
suffrage movement gave the following opiu-
ion
We do not hesitate to believe that the legal
vindication Of the natural right Of all citizens
TO vote would, in this state Of popular IN
telhgence, involve the destruction of the
civil government. There is nothing in the
history Of the past that teaches rs otherwise
There is little in current history that prom Uses
a better result. The right of all men to vote
is as fully recognized in the population of
our large centers and cities a. can well be
done short of an absolute declaration that all
men shall vote irrespective Of qualifications.
The result in these centcrs is political pro-
f1igacy ana violence vergIng upon anarchy.
The influences working out this result are
an parcnt in the utter neglect of all agencies
to conserve the virtue, integrity, and wisdom
of government, and the appropriation Of all
agencies calculated to demoralize and debase
the integrity Of the elector. Institutions OF
learning calculated to bring men up TO their
high state Of political citizenship, and indis-
pensable to the qualifications OF the minds and
morals Of the responsible voter, are postponed
To the agency OF the dram shop and gambling
hell aud men Of conscience and capacity are
discarded to the promotion o. yagabOnds to
power This condition demonstrates that
the right to vote ought not To be and Is not
an absolute natural right. The fact that
the practical working OF the assumed right
would be destructive of civilization is de-
cisive that the right does not exist. As re-
CARDS the question of the constitutional right
Of women TO vote under the provisions OF the
Fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to
the Constitution Of the I nited States, the
opinion continues ''lt Will be seen by the
first clause Of the Fourteenth Amendment
that the plaintiffs, in common with other
persons born in the United States are citi-
Zens thereof and if TO make them citizens Is
To make them voters the plaintiffs may Of
right vote. 1t will be inferred from what
mas already been said that to make per.
son d citizen Is not TO make him or her
voter All that has been accomplished by
this amendment TO the Constitution, or by
its previous provisions, is to distinguish
them from aliens and make them capable Of
becoming voters. In giving expression to
my own Judgment, this clause does not ad
vance them to full citizenship, or ciothe
them with the capacity TO become voters.
The provision ends with the declaration Of
their citizenship. 1t il constit. oaal proyi-
sion that does not execute itself. IL Is the
creation OF a constitutional condition that
requires the supervision Of legislative power
in the exercise Of legislative discretion to
give it effect. The constitutional Capacity