The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-11-30
Anti-Woman Suffrage Decision.

Saturday last, by a unanimous bench,
adversely to the claimants. The deci-
sion rendered by Chief Justice Cartier
10 = clear exposition Of the law in the
case, and summar!ally disposes Of the
absurd pretensiou first put forth by Vic
toria Woodruff as discovery or " revs-
lation" Of her own, and since extern
sively adopted by the fraternity, that
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend
ments already confer on woman the
right to vote. The plaintiff in the
Washington suffrage suit claimed the
ballot as a natural right inherent In cit
izenship, and recognized by the consti-
ton, of which woman could not bs de.
prived by legislation. Judge Cartter's
reply denies that the right to vote IL u
natural right, and shows on the contra
ry that it is purely right Of prescrip.
ton, which civil societies have always,
and Of necessity must reserve for those
adjudged to he qualified for the safe and
benef1cssl use of it. The su drage has
always been regulated by statute, and
not confirmed by common law. The
regulations have been varied In the diff.
erent states, but the right has uniformly
rested upon the express authority Of the
political power, and made to rsvolve
within the Limitation of express laws,
and Judge Cartier further maintains
that such power of Limitation is neces-
sary to the preservation Of civil society
and government. The present exten-
sion Of the suffrage is all, and it is
doubtful il it may not prove more than
the present stage Of popular intelligence
and morality warrants. It is not said,
nor held, that the addition of women to
the voting population would still fuIth-
er demoraIize politics. The argument
is simply that the corruptions of politics
incident to universal Imale) suffrage,
demonstrate that the right to vote ought
not to be, and is not, an absolute nat
ural right "The fact,' says the
Chief Justice, that the practical work
ing of the assumed right would he de-
structive Of civilization is decisive that
the right does not exist"
But the argument Of the court on the
Constitutional aspects Of the case
Is singularly clear and con
elusive retutatiun OF the baseless
claim of the Woodruff suffragists un
der the Fourteenth amendment. The
first section Of that amendment pro-
vides that " all persons born or natural-
lied in the United States, and subject to
the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens Of
the United States, and =! the State
wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities of
citizens of the United States.' The
Washington court holds that this pro-
vision Of the constitution defines the
status of women as citizens, but does
not confer on them the privilege Of 70.
ting. For to make person a citizen is
not to make him or her q voter. All
this regard is to distinguish women as
citizens from aliens, and to make
them capable OF becoming voters. Aud
it now rests with the law making pow.
er, if it shall see fit, to confer the right
of suffrage on women, which the con
stitution authorizes aud allows, but
does not itself grant. As this is a stand
ard decision which will often be referred
to pro and con in the woman suffrage
agitation, we add the closing sentence.
of Judge Carriers decision, in when
these conclusions are distinctly stated.
He says:
"ln giving expression to my own judg-
ment this clause does advance them to
full citizenship, and clothes them with
the capacity to become voters. The
provision end with the declaration
of their citizenship. /. is a constitu.
tional provision that does not execute
itself. 1t is the creation of u constitu-
tiDnal condition that requires the
supervention of legislative power in the
exercise Of legislative discretion to give
it effect. The constitutional capability
of becoming voter created by this
amendment, lies dormant, as in the case
Of an infant, until made effective by
legislative action. Congress, the legis-
lative power Of this jurisdiction, as yet
has not seen fit to carry the inchoate
right into effect, as is apparent in the
law regulating the franchise or this
district. When that shall have been
done it will the pleasure Of this court to
administer the law as they find it.
Until this shall be done, the considera-
tions of fitness and unfi tness, merit and
demerit, are considerations for the law.
making power.'
A most just decision, which the
revelations Of the spirit of Demos
thenes,' through Victoria &. Woodruff,
will not succeed in reversing until all
reason shall have fled from the heads Of
our Supreme Judges. The woman
sufiragists must fight out their cause
before the people and the Legislatures,
and not attempt to steal march on the
ballot box by sleight of spirituali.tic
nonsence, or the examining constitu.
tional amendment. with a meaning
which their trainers never intended
Cleveland Ohio Lcuder.
Whenever you see young men spend
Ing their leisure hours at some resort of
gaming or other amusement, it Is a sure
sign that they will never become great