The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-23
HOUSEHOLD SUFFRAGE"

HOUSEHOLD SUFFRAGE"
By the courtesy of some friend un-
known to US, we haze received a copy
of a paper containing an address before
the Winnebago County (N. y Agri-
cultural Society by Hon. James R. Doo-
little, in the course of which the honor
able gentleman attempts to ''do much"
to establish the justice and expediency
of household suffrage. This he defines
as a ''plan to give householders and
heads of families who have lived with
and supported their families during a
period Of one, two, or three years, two
votes, one to represent their manhood
in common with all other men, and one
to represent the household, including
women and children"
Truly, the assumption of superiority
which men frequently display is only
less ridiculous than astounding. When
we take into consideration the fact that
men do not and cannot represent women
nearly so well as one man can represent
another, the proposition is unjust.
When we view the fact that women are
endowed with minds capable of under
standing political and social questions
equally as well as men, the proposition
is presumption itself. When we con-
template the transparent fraud by which
advocates of this peculiar branch of suf
frage expect to gain two votes while
they continue to deprive women of one,
the proposition is amusing.
The very first count in the plan ad-
mits what Woman Suffragists have al
ways claimed, 4. G., that man by his
vote only represents himself. This is
admitted when another vote is asked
for him so that he can by double use of
the franchise represent his wife. OF
course his second vote would be dupli-
cate of the first. Suppose now that
the wife should wish to control the vote
that is to represent her? This would
surely be fair, and, indeed, to represent
her, it must be cast in accordance with
her views and opinions. Now, if these
views led her to desire the election of
the other man, would not she have a
sorry time in a majority of instances in
getting that ballot deposited? 1t seems
that it is about time that men had
learned that women are not the plastic
creatures they would have them, but
instead, responsible individuals, en-
dowed by the Creator with reasoning
powers similar to their own. What
woman in this State, whose husband in
the last Legislature voted against
Woman Suffrage, would have cared to
have had his narrOwness of mind fur
ther cramped and her own humiliation
intensified by a double vote, One-half of
which misrepresented her grossly, while
the other half as grossly insulted her?
The shallow reasOner above quoted
weakens while he attempts to establish
his absurd proposition, by sophistry
like the following:
The man without family by his vote gives
the consent of only one-his own consent;
whereas, the head OF a family consents not
only for himself, but for the household which
he governs. Therefore, unless the head Of the
family have a greater voice than the man
without family, the consent of the household
the consent of all the women and children of
the country-gOes for nothing at all in making
up the consent Of the governed.
This is too shallow to talk about.
CHASING the women with the children,
and allowing men by special dispensa-
tion to give "their consent" to certain
measures! Surely one would think that
a man who could seriously make such a
proposition believed all women to be
deaf and dumb, as well as idiotic
Should such a humiliating condition of
things as this ever take place-an idea
however, too visionary and absurd to
fear-the future historian of woman,
though "divine, might weep"
Bad enough, in all conscience, to be
taxed without representation, governed
without consent, denied trial by jury of
her peers, catalogued with idiots and
criminals, and treated in every way as
minors and imbeciles, except for viola
tion of law, without going through a
farce of representation which is so pitt
full a farce as scarcely to provoke con-
tempt. No, thank you. No "House-
hold Suffrage" for US.
"FIGS OF THISTLBS."
a communication uDder the abOve