Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-04-18
Political Rights of Women.

OF woman's right to the ballot was pub
lished. several weeks ago, in the Port
land Press. Il is written by Judge Tai.
bot, gentleman whose high social and
political reputation give additional
weight to he argument. Doubtless this
article helped secure the favorable hear
ing and large vote which followed. The
Woman Suffragists of Maine would do
well to repubish it in the form of
tract.]
Mr.. EDIroR:-It would present nv
own opinions in n more favorable light,
and be more agreeable to me TO discuss
this subject from my own point OF view
aud in my own order, rather than from
Your point OF view and in apparent
controversy with you; but you will par
don few additional suggestions.
/ nave looked over the constitution
and d. not find the slightest ground
/ ior yeur assertion that "the theory of
/ our vernment, as expressed in the
constitution and laws, regards the fami-
! II as 4 unit. and the husband as the
/ proper representative of the family"
| The words husband, father, male, fe-
constitution. The constitution itself is
ordained by the authority of the people
themselves. Representatives must be
I elected by the people OF the States.
Rights not given TO the national govern
inent are reserved to the States and the
people. The right of petition the right
"i Keeping arms in time of peace, the
right of security i'll person, house. pa
prrs aud effects are nll guaranteed to the
people. Does ANYBODY suppose that
these guarantees are not for women AS
well as men! Canuot women petition,
Keep arms in their houses and be secure
from unreasonable search and seizure?
DO not the people OF England mean the
women a. well as the men? Are not
the people of Massachusetts, male and
female a. in the original creation? II is
Just n have asserted the political unit
IN this county is the individual. and not
the family or the head of the family. |
The head OF the family under the law
has no rights or immunities above the |
single adult man.
There j. uV.hiug IN the United States |
constitution to prevent a women being |
elected President. The qualifications |
are that the President shall be thirty |
five years Of age and u native born citi- |
who are persons and native born riti- |
Zen-, some Of whom might be willing |
to ackuow ledge themselves as old AS |
that, for the sake of being President. |
|, the electors should elect to the chief /
executive office woman possessing |
these qualifications. il is hard TO see
WHY her ght to hold it would not be
It, perfect rs Queen tLftoria's. or anv
otter womans u whom = crown had
come by hereditary descent. II is true
the personal pronoun he l. used in the
constitution when speaking OF the Presi-
dent, but that il only bv rhetorical |
courtesy a in the declaration. .'he that
brlicycth shall bc saved No one would |
think OF arguing that women was bv tai;
impiica ION excluded from salvation BY |
the terms OF this Scripture. Indeed if |
The question were presented to me as a !
judge. to decide by the torcc OF the Ian
<u.as ..lo,.o II ,iiU constitution aud its !
amendments, 2-idc from the wcll-known |
opinions and intentions ii. trainers,
whe her womeAi had not already the |
night OF suffrage. 1 cannot imagine the |
argument that woeld convince me they |
had not.
But when the right nj votingis accord |
ed 10 women. as feed assured il will |
be, hope it will he hy the deliberate |
concession OF men, giving plain words |
fair meaning but not the meaning in |
the minds that used them.
The whole question Of women's voting
j. simply matter OF fair play Men |
claim 10 be the presentatives of the
political rights of women but the claim |
has no fonndat ion.
/. Because it is OF the essence OF
representation that the constituents
sIould coutrol the representative, either
bv.dictating his conduct or determining
his authority and substituting another,
neither Of which have women the power
To do.
,. Because the representation is the
worst kind ot rotten borough represcn-
tatiOn, because the man who represents
himself, and his wife and five grown up
daughters, counts in ,he political state
only Just the same ~ The man who rep
reseuts only himself.
8. Because u large proportion OF wu-
men, who have no husbands. are not |
represented at all. !
1. because voting is itself the primal |
political junction 0J constituting the |
representative, and in political matters |
j. never permitted to be done by proxy.
On street in thi, city lives family !
man with ii wife. eight children ami two
female servants. one dozen in all. The
next house is occupied by club of
twelve old bachelors. Now govnr"'"o".
concerns itsalf maiuf. with questions OF |
taxation, education, the preservation of |
the public peace aud morality, the re-
preston and punishment of crime, and, |
international dispute. liable to issue in |
war. What interest have these twelve |
a -. al, q E.,h;
! irea. unless they happen to be OF be- |
nevolent and sentimental turn, What |
in the preservation OF temperance and |
purity! A. 70 the first, they set a perni- |
cious example OF intemperance, and fe-
male innocence and chastity are their
| prev. While taxation is levied mainly
| upon consumption, the tax is levied
equally upon the family and upon the
| club. Ii il is amatter of war, what care
the twelve bachelor exempts, save that
| II VIII offer them an opportunity TO
| make fortunes in army contracts or
| speculations in stocks. But four BOYS
from the other house must 90 to the
war, and one be killed, aud one lose a
| leg. before it is over. anS four girls
must wait to see if the war spares them
| "A lover aud a husband, or the wrecks
of one. And vet the political weight of
this bachelor household in the State il
just welve times as 2 eat as that of this
family. Bv giving the wife aud servants
the ballot AID making one house count
against the other as four TO twelve,
>ho I'D we not proximate towards a
just arrangement?
donot know what you mean by your
insiuuation that advocates of woman
voting have lost their Saxon attachment
to home. and their respect for the iami-
lv relation. II is in the interest OF home
and to give the family more political
weight tina. the ballot is asked for class
of citizens coniessedly more attached to
temperance, purity, order and all that
gives the family its best influence and
the hoMe its sacredness.
Your idea that voting would tax with
audue labor the female sex. even with