The Portland daily press., 1875-09-29
Two Votes for the Married,

Two Votes for the Married.
Nothing is more admirable in a public
man than keen sense of justice. When
this is very largely developed and united with
great facility in adapting means to ends, the
result is craftsmanship. Tried by this test,
James R. Dooittle of Wisconsin, who used
to be rather conspicuous senator, but who
of late, on account of political miscalcula-
tion some years since, has been, like the
belted hunter of the skies in springtme
"Low do,on in.the West"
seems at first blush to be statesman Of the
| first class.
Mr.. Doolittle having plenty of leisure has
been thinking about the corruption OF our
political system and the abuses of suffrage
which have led Mr.. Lowell and other pessi-
mists to fear that the Republic has seen its
best days and to brand it as the Gland of the
broken promises" The retired statesman
suggests several remedies, which, though
clearly empirical and intended to ameliorate
symptoms rather than cure the disease by
the use of the specific, education, seems to
us at least novel. In the course of his re-
Elections he is led by strictly logical course
of reasoning to consider the great superiority
and deserved prominence of man of fam
lily as political unit when compared with
the bachelor. The man who is married,
says Mr. Doolittle in effect, is better than his
minated brother, first, because be represents
TWO or more persons instead Of one; second,
because he has twice as much at stake in
good government as bachelor; third, be-
cause he kDows twice as well what is good
for society; and fourth, because he, as king
of his own family, has been trained TO gov
ern.
The emperor Augustus, wishing to encour-
age marriage, harassed the unhappy celbates
of his glorious reign with taxes, fines and
other annoyances. Mr.. Doolittle, thorough
ly imbued with the more humane and en-
lightened spirit of modern times and giving a
hearty assent to the doctrine that govern
ment of rewards is always TO be preferred to
government of punishments, proposes to
encourage the Benedicks instead of teasing
the bachelors. In word, in the happy Doc
littleian era, ii it ever comes, the married
man or the head of family is to have too
uotes.
What say you, often rebuffed, always de-
feated, but never discouraged advocates of
suffrage for woman, will not this COZ Does
not this plan incidentally meet your case,
too? Incidentally, we say, for it is clear that
nothing was further from Mr.. Doolittle's
thought than you claims. You have often
| been told that your complaint of
taxation without representation is idle be-
cause, forsooth, your husband, father or broth
| er casts his ballot as your representative.
But you have ever held that this yicarious
expression of your will is extremely imper-
| feet and unsatisfactory because though the
husband or father may by chance represent
you, he is quite as likely to represent his en-
ployer, his political leader, his special and
private interests, his rumseller or the Devil.
But now he is to have another vote on pur-
pose for you in the express capacity of your
representative and proxy. Is this not all
that any fair, amiabe and well-dressed woman
can ask?
But this is a critical and gainsaying gener-
alton. No sooner is the eloquent voice of
Doolittle hushed, than cries are heard, loud,
shrill and reproachful, rejecting the dual bal
lot solution and setting at naught Mr. Doo-
Titles ''four points,"
To the first the unappeased woman will
| say, with that redundancy of emotion and
sentiment and that utter lack of reason
which is characteristic of the sex: Chow is
| my preference for hard money adequately ex-
pressed by my husbands two votes for inaa-
ton? Shall 1 and my sisters make good speed
| in our crusade against rumselling by our poor
| inebriate fathers taco votes for the free ram
candidate? Shall successfully protect my
property, which came to me from deceased
husband, by my destitute, spendthrift
brothers. t,oo votes for extravagant appropri-
ations and the consequent high taxation?
At the second, the poor woman who sup.
ports an imbecile husband and six children
with her needle or by taking in washing,
while the man is the nominal 'head of the
| family and has his tvo votes on account Of
his double ''stake in good government will
smile sadly but speak not.
And what shall the good woman say to the
third, who is struggling against the demoral-
| izing influences of dissolute husband, to
bring her children up in good ways and to
give them opportunity for education and pre-
paration for useful lives. Will she Concur en-.
tirely in Mr.. Doolittle's theory that her hus-
band knows twice as well as she "what is
good for society?'
And the fourth! Behold the henpecked
husband at the polIs-he who is strained to
govern" The who is skiing in his family"!-
| see him with his two votes at the polls
What shall restrain the laughter of good and
true men at his public assumption of the
| state expressly authorized in view of his
functions as "ruler'-as "governor"
Mol Mr.. Doolittle's theories must be TAX
en- with many grains of salt. He has not yet
solved the suffrage question and he must hit
upon some more substantial topic upon which
to become conspicuous or he will never cease
| to be, as now, retired statesman.
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