Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-12-18

VINO snall nave Deen resident OF the state, etc,
shall have the qualifications Of an elect0r, and be
entitled to vote at all elections / admit that
this clause excludes every white female citizen,
etc, having all the other qualifications Of an
electOr from voting at any election. 2. assert
that nothing more and nothing less does the
clause accomplish, or was intended to aCcomp-
lish by the trainers Of the instrument What,
then, is an eleCtiOny IL is the choice by the ball
lots Of majority Of the male electors, at time
and place, and in the manner designated by law
Of all the male officers named in the COnstitu-
tion, who were to put IL into operation, and who
were to enact laws under its provisions, and to
administer the same for the promotion Of "the
happiness and safety Of the people," At such
an election cOncede that female can not ex-
ercise the right Of suffrage BY the use Of ballot,
nor do / claim in this argument that she can be
an officer to execute the laws.
But at this boundary line Of exclusion Of wo-
man from the use Of the ballot, stop, and mark
ing this line by the light Of reason, / assert that
outside Of that boundary line woman under the
Constitution Of Ohio has as much right to cast
her ballot on any other question except banking
powers, whether on the levy Of a school, turn
pike, or railroad tax the adoption or enfOrce-
ment Of any anti-liquOr law, that may be submit
ted for the approval Of the people by majority
vote as man has, provided the General Assem-
bly, in such law so submitted, simply provides
such act as in duty it is bound to do, and as it
did in the free turnpike law Of the State that her
voice by petition and ballot shall have as much
effect as that Of man. If the above assertion be
not sound constitutional law why not let us ex
anime it? By the first clause Of the l4th amend
ment Of the Constitution Of the United States it
Is provided: "All persons born or naturalized
in the United States, and subject to jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens Of the United States and Of
the State wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall abridge
the privileges or immunities OF any citizen Of
the United States"
BY the first paragraph Of this clause, in effect
it is declared that any native born or natural
f7aIV nTp1n ID ar a
citizen Of the State Of Ohio as any native born or
naturaliZed man being a person is, but under
the Constitution Of Ohio adopted before the l4th
and 18th amendments she is not citizen U0teT,
that is she is not person entitled to vote at the
polls by casting her ballot at an election for Off
GERS because neither Of fthOse amendments struck
out the word male: but in every other respect
the sexes are equal in all the ''priviliges and
immunities' of citizen before the Constitution
Of the State and Of the United States.
In the second paragraph Of the clause the
trainers Of the amendment in strong 'vetO" Lam
guage declare that ''nO State shall make or en-
force any Law which shall abridge the privileges
or immunities OF any citizen OF the United
States" What then are ''the privileges" Of
citizen Of the United States, being also a resi-
dent citizen Of the State of Ohio? By the bill Of
rights Of Ohio, such citizen being one Of the
peOple," is entitled t'to equal participation and
benefits under the government, but to claim that
no special privileges or immunities shall ever be
granted that may not be altered, revoked, or re-
pealed by the General Assembly"
Now, then, has woman, being citizen, one
of the 'peOple," equal protection and benefit
under the government" when by law you deny
to her ,haYing all the qualifications Of citizen
voter save she can not vote at elections for oth-
GERS or on banking power the exercise OF her
constitutional privilege, by petition or ballot,
to have her voice heard and counted" on what
she calls 'home protection from liquor salOOns?"
And are not her 'priTileges abridged" and
Especial privileges granted against her in
. L.
as one Of ''the people'') when by law you exclude
her from approving or disappearing the pro-
visions and enforcement of law made for her
protection and that Of her family and friends
from the evils resulting from the sale Of intOXi-
eating liquors. A drunkard, much less jurist,
will answer at once that the exercise of her right
of voice by petition or ballot is "a privilege"
and that the denial Of the exercise Of such right
is an abridgment Of such privilege, springlng
alone from mans lawless will, WHAT'S the dIt-
ference (If any there be, let some one say be-
tween WOmau's constitutional rights to have
her voice counted in the enforcement OF local
option liquor law, and her constitutional rights
to have her voice counted in the construction of
free turnpikes? The principle is identically
the same, and the Supreme Court of the State
having decided that in the matter Of the con-
struCtiOn of free turnpikes her voice as free
holder should be counted its equal to mans in
the same condition. l rest content that the con-
of the question is settled by such
and will add that | know one very i'm
pOrtant free turnpike was constructed by the
signatures made up OF the names of
five widow freeholders. 50 l prOphesy that
many important saloons will be demolished by
the voice Of countless widows, though they be
not freeholders. II my reasoning be correct, it
follows, first, that local option liquor law, with
clause allowing the voice Of woman to be equal
10 that of man as to its adoption and enforce
nent is constitutional and eXpedient, and that
my such law without such privilege, and with
he privilege of taxation, is unconstitutiOnally
-oid; and, second that by such reasoning the
lOor is thrown wide open, through the portals of
he Constitution, to the halls of legislation for
nan and woman, having the like qualifications
# age and wisdom, as equal citizens to pass
through, and by their common joint petition, for
heir common benefit demand the enactment Of
a wise local option liquor law.
The whole volume OF confused opposing ideas
o the exercise of so plain right on the part of
woman is founded on the false predicate that
he sexes are by nature jealous enemies to each
ther, and in their several orbits Of duty, power
md right, also defined by nature, there is con-
tant danger of collision that would wreck all
ociety. The experience and observation of any
person directly contradict this pFedi-
ate, For all such persons will agree that wo-
nan in the last half century has only been ad-
anced to her many positions Of place and office
nd in the expansion ef her rights and duties by
he free common consent Of and for the mutual
dvantage of both sexes, and to-day neither
arty desires to take any backward steps toward
he usages of barbarism; therefore, in the light
I the past, l maintain that woman, in the eX-
reise of the rights Of the ballot or position for
he suppression OF the traffic in intoxicating Ii
uOrs as beverage, in which she ismore inter-
5ted than in any other question Of public affairs,
rould display her usual discreet conduct, and
hat no such eommotion in the exercise of that
light would spring up in the bosom Of society
s is foFebOded by many excellent citizens, but
n the contrary, if the law fixes any other day
ut an election day, which should be done, say
1me day in May, 1880 for the receipt and count
the ballots or the names Of the petitioners as
light be fixed by law, venture to say such day
i'll peaceably pass "as a sehOOlbOy's tale-the
onder Of an hour" II, on the careful exam
lation of this letter, the position and grounds
lerein advocated are thought by the friends Of
importance TO be practicable expedient for the
lVancement of the cause of temperance, then
lggest that we hold convention to be COM
1sed Of male and female delegates from all par
es, societies, and orders of temperance advo-
ties and workers in the State, at Columbus on
me early day (the lst Of January, A. D., 1880,
not too early, then and there 10 agree upon
Id frame such local option liquor law as may
thought best to be presented to the next Cen
al Assembly for enactment, and in the mean
me, let petitions be circulated for the enact
ent of such laws as that convention may re-
mmend. JAMES H. THOMPSON.
The way to make money is to save
a,J tba NOV to ao,yo If ie tN purahagn ..