Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-01-22
Shall Women Vote

cannot agree with the writer, We admire
the honest and gentlemanly manner in
which he treated the subject and as your
columns are open for discussion we viii
take the affirmative and try to present 10
your readers few points that Mr.. Grim
die seems to ignore. The first objection
raised. is that the sexes are in a physical
and intellectual point different; we admit
that and for that reason claim that men
are not competent to make equal aud Just
laws for women. because they cannot see
from a womans stand point. neither could
women alone make equal and Just laws for
men, the two minds blending make one
complete whole, either. alone are incom-
plete. A Government controlled by wom-
en- without the aid and cousel of men,
would soon be as corrupt as the Govern
ment under which we are now living
That nature ordained woman as the
Mother of the rail- no one will deny, but
from various causes there are thousands
Of women who can never be Mothers and
can have no domestic duties to perform.
II then nature designed them only for the
domestic sphere. what is to become of
them? The fact that women are endowed
with intelects capable OF being cultivat-
ed. equal To any Masculine intellect is evil
dent that ii was given to them 10 use. for
nature is not so lavish Of her giii- a. 10
bestow them and then deny the power to
use them. We do not think that physical
strength has anything TO do with the ques-
/ ton of Suffrage. unless we admit. (Which
We do not that we are Twin. under a
/ despotism.
! on the contrary we believe in 4 natural
I condition. the Female in the human as in
/ the animal creation is equal in strength
and endurance 10 the Male. In proof ot
this we refer YOU to Savagcs OF the past
and present day and you will find the
women doing all the labor, carrying the
heavy burthens and often performing long
marches, with an infant OF a few day, old
7 strapped ID her back, while her lord and
Where can you find man who can work
sixteen hours day doing the drudgery OF
a family and at night taking care OF an H.
FAINT. a. hundreds of our farmers wivc,
are doing daily year after year
I We must confess that the last argument
4 presented 10y Mr.. Grndle against giving
( the right of suffrage To women i new Ia
ns. We are not surprised that in reviewing
tho snrrurrfor, ~ tl, ,rr.a, ,,,If.f..f ,.,,.f.
/ for the past twenty year., Que arrive, at
the conclusion that We are ruled By hrufo>
( rather than by human beings. bat we Hr,
surprised 10 find an American citizen will
Republican government was LAID by
brute force ana maintained at the point %,
the bayonet rather then by the intellect oi
free aud enlightened people. II may be
+ that inview ofthe corrupt state ofpoliiic,,
he sees ia the dim future the CHASTITY form
OF military de>poti>m and has lost sight
of the glorious structure reared hy our
Fathers and on whose corner stones are
inscribed. all meR are born free and tIual,
and "I'arItioH trthow representation i,
TyrdHny". The statement that "thc mum
Der OF votes cast by political party j. an
exact index TO il, military power, for lee
hind every vote stand, the Military power
OF man i incorrect. tor we all renem-
Der what large percentage Of the draft
ed men, during our late war. were exempt
from Military duty from Physical di-4hili-
" and we have yet to hear of one being
diSiranchised because thev wer" i"""p'-
bic of bearing arms. In conclusion We
say. We do not consider these ar.un ents
have anything 10 do with abe principle III
volved in the question, shall women
vote: A. an earnest advocate 81 that re-
form. We claim that women should have
the right 10 vote because she lives under 4
form OF government that declares that
ali men are created free and equal" that
Government, derive their just powers from
the consent of the governed" and that
Taxation without representation i, ~
ranuy" By denying the right of suffrage
TO woman you violate every one OF these
declarations. you place women in the
same political status with Indians Idiots
Criminals and lower in the political scale
then the most ignorant and vicious
Foreigners and Negroes. who by being al
lowed 10 participate in the politics OF our
country are virtually our masters. because
the Laws they assist to make, ,re are COMPEL
ed to obey. ana for any appropriations they
make. our property i taken without our
consent.
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