The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-04-08
Curious Northern Views,

Politics and physics are newly brought
into relationship in the study Of political
economy. Mr.. BAGEuoY. the English poIiti-
cal economist, has recently given to the
world book on politics and physics which
LAYS the world under obligations to him for
some most valuable reflections. And now
CONES forth a light from the North on the
same line of discussion. A DR.. MARY G..
PuTNAM on Friday night addressed the
Woman's Suffrage Society in New York on
the question of woman's rights physioogi.
cally considered. She argued that the right
to vote should not be given to woman unless
it could be shown that women "arc crippled
for the want of suffrage" The great in
Jury To women she said, sis not that wo-
linen in general do not vote, but that the
"well qualified cannot. The iudiscriminate
"adnission of the sex to suffrage would be
al great blow to the cause Of women's ad-
vancement."
DR.. PUTNAM pointedly repudiated many
French maXims-some of which are found
in our Declaration of Independence-su
as .all governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed" and that
cal! men are born with equal rights to life,
liberty, and happiness" She proceeded to
say;
This Is not physoloSically true, or 40
large o proportion OF human beings would
not die before they are year Old Their
rights to Happiness arc not equal, and the
right Of man 10 liberty closes when 1t con.
flicts with the liberty OF another. The right
to vote includes the right Of representation.
The right Of eligibility to office Is entirely
distinct. The Roman plebeians were repre-.
scented, but BY patrtcian tribunes. A pebeian
could not hold Office. If women could elect
special men rs representatives Of their needs
and claims they might be as etlectualy repre-
scented as II they elected women. Again.
voting Is possible without representation, as
we know to our cost in America, where the
minority Is wholly unrepreSented. Ii is
often better for human beings to have all the
rights of representation without voting. as
tor children, peasants in Europe, and posi-
bly, negroes in America. The attempt to 20
beyond the physiological basis of right in
representation is full Of mischief. Uni.
versai suffrage was decreed in France in
1S4S the consequence was the riyetiug of
the tmpire on France for twenty years."
Further proceeding on the line of the inn.
policy of di>regafding the physiological ba-
sis, the Doctor assumed that nothing but evil
could be expected from the rule OF tue Gig
norant majority in the SOUTH" OF course
she means negroes, and she is uncompromis-
insly opposed to all idea Of putting ..wo-
man suffrage on the same level with negro
Suffrage" She adds: s1
Difference Of sex and difference Of ras,e
are not analogous. There can be no aues-
tion that some races are immensely inferior
to others. rhe capacity Of negroes 10 vote
Is infinitely less densonstrabie than that OF
women"
On the subjects Of the formation of society
aud of the "consent Of the governed the
Doctor had this brief and pi,hy comment:
4 "society did not originate, as Rousseau
taught, In the mutual concessions of indiyi.
aiials, but crystalIized about centre. which
centre was the power taken by the strongest
ara submitted to BY the rest. The theory
=