Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-17
arc sssll some women Who are afflicted very

their own husbands, sons, fathers and broth
crs are a race Of tyrants and deliberately
making laws to opress them.
You may be surprised that should call in
question the correctness Of the statement
made by one of the speakers at the conven-
ton and often quoted as sort OF an axiom
viz. "Suffrage is the inherent right OF every
citizen" An inherent right, or natural
right, as another speaker was pleased 10 call
it, means suppose right that belongs nat
urally to every persona right which God
has conferred upon every being bearing his
Image. Thus "life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness are inherent and inalenable
rights" Now is suffrage a right of this sort?
Have all persons a right to vote as we'll as to
live If so, then the youngest children as we'll
men and women have the right, and should
enjoy the right of suffrage. If it is an inner
ert right it cannot justly be withheld from
any. on account Of age, sex, or race. Put
this principle into practice, and we shall soon
carrying their infants to the polls, on cleo
ton day. Beautiful spectacle! 1t would be
easy to have 'baby show" on election day,
and would no. the children be of so much
interest to many men, as well as women, that
the idea Of voting would be driven entirely
from their minds?
1t seems to me that suffrage is more of the
| nature Of trust than right The design
of voting is TO express the convictions and
preferences of the people respecting the poll
cy Of the government under whose protec-
| ton they live. OF course provisions ought
to be made by which the whl of the people,
and not that OF few, or of class may be
intelligenty and fairly expressed. Now if
children are not thought to be suitable per-
sons TO express the ishes of the people re-
| speeting public measures, and are not entrust-
| ed with the ballot, 10 right of theirs is in
| fringed. And It women though sufficiently
| capable, quite as Intelligent as the men, in
stinctiyely shrink from the responsibility of
voting. cannot consistently attend to it and
prefer that their husbands and brothers should
| assume the task, they neither surrender, nor
| are deprived of any inherent Shit. So then,
| suffrage seems to me to be a trust, and one
which men can more easily and appropriately
| attend to, than women. And as we entrusted
| our husbands, sons, fathers and brothers with
| Tie Udf OtiSt, uSH OuI country Cdlleu lOT
| brave defenders, so now, are we willing to
en:rust them with the ballot, while peace
| blesses our land. Many changes have been
rung upon the phrase, "taxation without rep
resentation is tyranny" Now, it is evident
that when England taxed the colonies without
| allowing them any voice in the counsels of
| the government, she assumed to exercise au.
thority which did not belong to her, and was
in danger of depressing the people. Even if
she had intended to deal justly, she had no
reliable means of ascertaining the wishes or
the needs of the Colonies. The people were
not represented at all; and justly felt that
they were oppressed. But this principle,
taxation without representation is tyranny"
loses its force when applied to this woman
suffrage" question. For every State, city,
town, and almost every family are represent
ed at the ballot boz, and assist in framing the
laws of the State and nation. And if every
woman and child in the land were permitted
and persuaded to vote, it is by 10 means GER
tain that the wishes and convictions of the
people would be more fully or fairly express
ed than now.
1t may be said that there are unmarried
women who are not represented and whose
rights peed to be guarded by their own vote.
In answer to this, would say that am not
over anxious to come to the defence of this
class of persons, but will leave that duty for
come heroic bachelor; and if there are any
such among the members of the legislature
l sincerely hope they will attend to that deli
cate task. remember that Longfellow says.
LAS unto the bow the cord is,
SO unto man Is woman;
Though she bends him, she obeys him,
Though she draws him yet she follow -
Useless each tcithout the 0thers'
Let these useless creatures get married, be-
come good wives and happy mothers, and we
shall hear no more about woman's suffrage,
or the tyranny and heartlessness of men.
1t has been repeatedly affirmed that it is
necessary for women to vote Sin order to get
their rights" am inclined to believe that
this sentiment originated in the mind of some
misanthrope, who is a stranger to those gen.
erous impulses and kindly feelings which
dwell in the hearts and beautify the charac-
tiers Of christian people. 1t assumes that
there is an enmity between men and women,
and that both parties must stoutly contend for
their rights, or be defrauded and oppressed.
Now may be harboring a strange deluson,
but believe there is, in the hearts of both
men and women, disposition, implanted
there by their Maker, to deal justly, gener-
ously and magnanimously with each other.
BY cheerfully trusting each other, we shall
both be more liable to secure our rights, than
contending for them. l cannot persuade my
self that the members of the legislature, who
treat the ladies who visit the Senate Chamber
and House of Representatives with such
marked courtesy, would pass a law that would
infringe in the least the rights of women, or
refuse to enact any law necessary for their
protection.
have called suffrage trust and the time
may come when it will be the duty of women
to assume that trust, but l sincerely hope
that l may not live to see the day when such
degree of hostility shall exist between the
sexes that it shall be necessary for woman to
vote in order to prevent men from making
unjust and oppressive laws for her.
Mr.. Editor, considerable has been said
of late in favor of woman suffrage. Certain
women at the late convention, pretended to
advocate the cause of their oppressed sisters.
They assumed to represent the'women of the
country. Against this assumption heartily
protest, not only for myself, bat in the name
of multudes, in the name of the great ma
jority of the women of this State. We do not
care to be represented by those sol distant
reformers, any more than we do by those
feminine acrobats, who accompany circuses
and amuse senseless mutitudes by walking
tight ropes. And with all deference to those
benevolent gentlemen who have so CALAMITY
aided those reformers, / will say that we
neither need any Joshua to lead us out of