The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-03-16
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

The recent defeat of the Woman SUI
frnge Amendment to the State Constitu.
ton Of Michigan has attracted compare
lively little attention, owing mainly, we
suppose, to the general political revolu-
ton that accompanied it. The greater
swallowed the less yet the significance Of
this doeat ought not to pass uuapprecia-
ted. In fair fight, on free field, the
advocates of the change were overwhelm.
ingly beaten, aud that in State where
there vas no such prepondcrancc offer ale
population as to arouse the fears of the
men that they should be placed by the
proposed reform in minority 1t fin.
ishcs up the matter for Michigan for ma
ny years, il not for all time, and cannot
fail to have most discouragng effect
upon the whole movement. That that
movement is waning in power must be
painfully evident to its friends; and we
trust the time may come when they will
rejoice in the fact as heartily as we do.
1t has had a good many burdens to
carry that it did not anticipate-burdens
which, however, in the nature of the case
will always cucumber it. Wherever the
movement has come to a social head, it
has come to an absccss or an ulcer. II
has always had special attractions fol-
those entertaining loose social theories,
and the good and pure men and women
engaged in it have been obliged, again
and again to wash their hands, and pro-
test. Bright women who have lost caste
socially, in any way, have seized upon the
movement to keep them from sinking. II
short, it has seemed impossible to keep il
out of social bad odor. There is reason
for this deeper than what appears, but il
involves broader discussion than we
have space for at present. So, we do moi
meuton it, We have before US private
letter from public man in Wyoming
Territory and as it seems to be written
without prejudice, we reproduce some
passages that are very instructive:
CAS- to the question Of woman suffrage
have no hesitation in saying that expe-
riencc has demonstrated the truthfulnes.
of some Of the arguments OF its friends il
its favor. The women vote In the worst
crowds without any danger of insult L
is neither dcmoralizing to them, nor il
any degree degrading. Most of then
vote as do their husbands, except in case
where candidates are Of VIGOROUSLY baC
character. However, in such cases W,
find the vote of the respectable portion o
the women offset, to some extent, by the
disreputabc classes and when we take
into consideration that women occupy al
TIE various places in the social and NOR
al scale that men do, and that they arr
generally influenced by like considera
tions, VIC are not surprised that expert
ence should establish the fact that tn,
general results of an election are not ma
tcrially changed by woman suffrage. |
also has its evils or burdens, which arr
felt more by that class of women wit
prefer not to enter the political arena,ye
whose services are the most valuable
When the disreputable classes turn out t,
vote on one side, it becomes matter o
necessity on the part Of the better classe
to 20 cut and connteract their votes. s.
thcv are forced to 90 out, much agains
their will, and to their great inconveni
ence' On the whole, therefore. | thinl
that woman Suffrage adds to the burder
of a campaign. without materially affect
ing its results.
"As to the other aspect Of the case
that Of having them on iurics, we trie,
the experiment in 1870 in two counties
but have never since repeated it. Won
q, ia ,ot r,ol.o &C ,ood ;,rors 10 mo,