New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-02-20
Gerrif smith 10 Susan II. Anthony
PETEFBoRo, Feb. ;, ls73.

. -fifS 4Hf1"Tg
4 DEAR FRIEND: 50 the men talk of nut
ting YOU in prison for your having voted
They vote; and feel that, in doing so. the
discharge high duty. But they hold tina
you, notwithstanding your conceded abilitie
and virtues, and merely because YOU are
woman, may net vote. Why men have II,
/ ballot and women havn't it. and why the,
/ have SO much else in which they refuse I,
/ let women share, originates in the simpl,
fact that the superior physical strength j. OF
/ the side Of man. | confess that such thing,
/ go somewhat toward making me ashamed o
, being man. Nevertheless, | am console,
/ by the thought that when men shall have
become wiser and better, ana exchange,
their barbaric pride in their stronger anu
roughcr sex Tor 4 sense of what thew owe t.
the weaker and gentler one, they will he
glad to do justice 10 women-ycs, a full
generous, chiyalrOus measure of Justice
We are constantly told that suffrage is but
a conventional and therefore an inferior
right. 1t is, however, an emincntly natural
and transccndently important one-tor it is
the right protective of all rights. The chic
use of suffrage is in the selection of rulers
Hence, as the Office of the rulers j. to protect
the persons and properties OF the people, il
follows that they, who have no voice in the
choosing of the rulers, have no voice in the
question of the protection Of their own lives
and properties. The distTanchiSol lie, with
their possessions and their lives at the mercy
oi those who have u>urpcl the t.soiISire fran
chisc
The question is not whether men shall
confer the right of suffrage on women. Men
assumed it for themselves and properly ST..
But they are mean and base tyrants for not
suffering women also to assume it for them
selves.
Nor should the question have been raised
whether women have the right of suffrage i'll
the Constitution. Mans claim to this right
was prior tn and far above all constitutions
and the like claim to this right he should
have been prompt to recognize in woman.
But, alas, constitutions. being man-mair,
are made, almost universally. in the interest
OF defeating and ignoring this claim on the
part of woman.
What tyranny and what hypocrisy, then, for
men to say that the Constitution settles it
whether women have the right to vote You
have not forgotten how Indignantly unwilling
few of us were to have it made a constitu-
tiOnal question whether our millions of slaves
should be set free. The question of their
freedom rose hcaven-high above all parch-
ments and papers; and 50 does the question
Of wOman's equal right with mans to partici-
pate in choosing the guardians of the rights
OF person and property-rights certainly no
less sacred in woman than in man. Let con-
situations settle questions which fall within
their sphere-hu let them not presume to de-
eide that one man may own another, nor that
have the absolute disposal of women. Lord
Brougham's grandly eloquent outburst
against the possibility Of law for slavery APP
plies with scarcely less force to the outrage
of mans assuming to be exclusively the
maker of laws for woman. do not say that
l would not have constitutions speak out
against slavery and against this oppression
of woman; but | would have them do 50
simply as registering the antcccdent DEGREES
Of heaven and of every true soul against these
denominations.
Rightly interpreted, however interpreted
according to the accepted canon Of iutcrpre-
tation--the Constitution intcrposc5 no him
derance in the way of woman's assertion OF
her rights to the ballot. All this talk about
what the trainers Of the Constitution intended
is idle and so also is all this talk about the
intentions of its adoptcrs, save only as they
are gathered from the simple words--from
the bare text-of the instrument. Moreover,
we are to bear in mind, that, whilst on the
one hand, we are to admit no interpretations
in behalf of injustice but such as are irrcsisti-
bly, plain, on the other we are allowed and
required to wiring, if need he, from the Con-
stitution whatever in it makes for Justice
especially for such clear and commanding
Justice as the ballot for woman.
But are the friends of this vital justice t.
woman driven to the necessity at wringing
anything from the Constitution in order Il
maintain their cause: Certainly not iOi
nothing in il is palmer than that every one
of our native or natrraliZcd women is cjti
zen. Then, I'VE follow this up with lookin.
into our standard American dictionaries an,
into the utterances at this point Of not IA lev
of our most eminent iurists, we find that SUI
iragc is among the privileges and innnnitr
of a citizen.
Let what VIII be said to the contrary. til,
moment that the first section Of the ionr
teenth amendment became a part Of the Con
| sttuti0n, our women became constitutions
voters and this too, beyond the power Of
state to dsfranchisc them.
But the enemies of this indispensable Jus
| tice for woman assail her from the secmin.
/ vantage ground of the first section OF the iii
| teenth amendment. They ask-why, if wo
man shall not be denied the right to vote
! this section does not say she shall not? Tn
answer is that, at the time Of the adoption o
| this section, the absorbing concern Of tn
/ pfpplc a. W iiIdhC hOiDi
/ and trebly sure, the protection Of the blacl
man-in other words, his right TO the ballot
! If, however, it be said that she was, then ar
we at liberty to say that she was thought o
not for the purpose of excluding her from it
provisions, but thought Of only as needing n
| further constitutional expression against he
| disfranchisement. At any rate, there
nothing in this section which can go to dc
! feat the positive grants to woman derive
! from other parts Of the Constitution.
/ This mere outline Of my argument will sui
! flee. l need not fill it up and fortfy it 4
/ point. where it is open to criticism, an
| where it could easily be filed up and foT
. titled.
! But be not discouraged, even though Con
gress and the courts shall decide that an
other amendment 10 the Constitution Oh
! Julian amendment) is necessary ere wOma
| can vote. In that event such an amendment
( will be forthcoming. The Republican party
; with that wise and honest, brave bat modest
man at its head, il in power for another fou
wears. 1t came originally into power by be-
/ ing reform party. BY continuing to be sucl
il has continued in power; and only by n
manning reform party can 1t remain /
power. The Democratic party, which wa
the reform party in the early life Of the RI
public, came, at last, 10 kiil itself by relusin
10 be reform party, and By clinging TO /,
/ sins and crimes. The Republican party hai
just now. abolished the ranking privilege
4 and il will, doubtless. soon follow uc tLa