New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-26
Bishop Haven on Woman Suffrage.

At the seventh annual meeting OF the
American Woman Suffrage Association, held
in New York city last month, Bishop Haven,
one OF the vice presidents, spoke as follows:
lie appearing before you tonight as the
Official Aead, for very few hours, of the
society which holds It's annual meeting
here, deem II proper to burden you before
you get a. the richness OF the feast that will
follow, with a few thoughts that are, in my
own mind, connected with this reform.
Every movement which has for It's object
the improvement of the human race has to
pass through various stages and struggles
before il reaches its final elimination in
victory, and this movement is not unlike its
predecessors, but, unlike many Of them; the
authors of other movements have very rare
" been permitted to see so large MEASURE
OF success attend their efforts as is evil
denced BY this large meeting
think there is. upon this platform tonight
the first persoh who agitated the subject of
woman's rights in this country. OF course
reform started in the mind of single
person must have certain struggles before
1t iinds acceptance in the minds OF the
people. All such movements begin at first
with contempt. | remember, when | was
young, the feeling that ran through our
village when the announcement was made
that al six O'Clock on Sabbath evening "a
hen would crow like cock" Now That
same sneer, perhaps, has never been rs-
peated, but similar sneerS have. Well,
after contempt comes another action, and
that is the effort made 10 connect with it
unseemly associations. But there Is
another effect The inevitable eject
OF every true idea is that it shakes
of everything that hinders il and
rises superior TO all these associations. Wo-
man suffrage has reached that development,
and the public of America and England are
beginning TO appreciate il. Now, what is
this idea! Il is simply this-that the right
of suffrage has no limitation with the male
portion OF the human race; that il belongs
alike 10 the whole human family. Il il an
equal right, universal right, and a distinc-
tion can not be made which will deprive
oIe.half of the human race Of the benefit OF
this great right which belongs TO US as a
people, representing the government of the
nation. believe that suffrage is a natural
right; j. belongs, in the nature of the human
race, tina. every citizen has right to par
ticipate in the government of the country.
am Democrat, a Jetfersoni9n Democrat.
and believe in the right of every man
to have & voice in public affairs. 1t is a
right that belongs to the very system Of our
government Monarchical governments
recognize the nation rs belonging to a
family, but the democratic system recog-
nizes government by the people and for
the pc Ople, and, If this be the government,
every porson III the nation has right TO
participate in !ts administration. There is
no Partially possible in such conception
of the system of government under which
We live. Woman Is considered as distinct
and separate from man in every other rela-
ton except the political; she can sue and
be sued, and she can engage in business in
her own name and independent OF her hus-
band. IL ia only when it comes TO voting
that her husband is claimed to act for her
and in her stead. And why should we
say that a man who can not touch his
property away! We are told that woman
can not have the ballot because she
can not defend the ballot, but
we know that our women did good service
in the late struggle. and will anybody say,
who has read our history or the history of
the world, that they have no power to de-
fend the ballot We have been told by the
great leader OF the rebellion that there is
not a reconstructed woman in the South,
and he was not very far from the truth, and
the influence of woman on that side was
enormous, and on the other side there was
a corresponding enthusiasm, and it has been
SO in all ages and in all countries, and this
power gives woman the right to vote, for
although they can not carry the sword and
the musket, they WELD the influence that
gives power to the sword and the musket,
to say nothing of the instances where they
have even welded the weapons as effect
lively as men, as in the case of Joan of Arc
and others.
Charles Sumner said that equality of
rights is the first of rights" and this will
reveal itself in every department of citizen
ship. Here is man who pays tax of
81 SO, and he has right to say who shall
be the Governor of the State, but here is q
woman by his side who pays tax of $50,
and she has no voice. There 10 an inequality
Of right in this that can not but work mis-
chievOusly. This city will never be prop
erly governed until the women who helm
pay the taxes have the right to say who
ehall spend them. 1t Is the old idea of no
taxation without representation; that is not
an American idea; the English fresholder as
serted that right long before it was pro-
claimed here. But again, our govern
ment requires the expression of the views
of the whole people upon every national
question; it is . human right belonging to
the political status of every individual. the
woman - well as the man. We are ct this