Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-17
Largest Circulation in the District
Reading Matter On Every Page.
WASHINGTON CITY;
All kDAY ......... January IL, 1871
The woman Suffrage Question.

Miss Susan b. Anthony, Mrs. Stanton and
other leaders In the woman suffrage movement
who have just held a national convention in
this city, assert that they have no reason to feel
respondent at the prospect. They say that in
terest In the movement is increasing yearly,
and point to many prominent persons as having
recently been converted to the doctrine of equal
suffrage. They assert that they have many
powerful friends in both houses of Congress,
and that even the President Of the United
States, while not pronounced believer in the
right of woman TO the ballot, has practically
demonstrated his belief in the necessity of the
enlargement Of womsn's sphere, by appointing
thousands of females to offices, some OF which
are responsible and important. In the Vice
President they have consistent supporter,
and his presence in the convention yester-
day, and the words of encouragement which
he spoke, Is an evidence that he does not
deem It inconsistent with the dig nity of his
high office 10 express in becoming terms
his conviction on any and all subjects which
concern the welfare of any large body of the
American people. General Butler, in the
House, is another powerful ally, and is supported
in his views by quite a respectable number of
his colleagues. In the Senate Mr.. Sargent Is
an Cutspoken advocate of woman's political
equality, and II was announced at the conven
ton that MIR. Fenton is a convert to the same
faith. Mr.. Sumner himself it is asserted
Is also in favor of the acknowledgements of
women, but for peculiar reasons of his
own, must remain silent on the subject
On the whole, the supporters of the cause,
while in the minority, are eminently re-
spectacle and influential, and it is not improb-
able to suppose that in time they will be suffi-
eienty powerful to bring about the desired
reform AprOpos Of this subject, the New York
70 IavF
Senator Logan relative to the territory
of Utah, says that it contains provisions
for taking away the political and personal
rights Of women and the revival of the
common law of England; that under the
common law of England woman was consider
ed simply as the chattel OF her husband. If she
was industrious and thrifty, the fruits of her
labor and of her good management belonged to
her husband. She had no right to any part.
and if lie chose he had the power under the
Law to make her ingenuity, skill, industry and
frugality, all minister to his laziness, his vices
or his avsrice. The Post adds that the attempt
TO revive this odiOus system of law in Utah
Territory by express statute, to say the least,
requires explanation, and that the repeal of the
laws by which the women of the territory now
POSSESS the right to vote and to manage I'M
der certain limitations, their own property,
- ANeN ~ q VI opinion. III
all OF the wives in Utah invariably vote as their
husbands do, and If the husbands continue to
use their political power for the maintenance
OF pOlygamy, then obviously, the proposed
withdrawal of political rights from the women
OF Utah is both wise and decent. But this is by
no means certain. on the contrary the same
Journal believes that nothing would be more
Natural than that the Mormon wife should
arraign the system that thus detrauds and hurts
her; that she should examine it in the light of
her own sad and bitter experience, and that she
should use the political power which has been
given her for its utter uprOoting and over throw.