Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-03-28

\ lady correspondent, who Is no stranger
to our columns, puts Us some questions, to
.sererg onc" OF which she. in private note,
demands an answer They have all, We
think, been repeatedly answered by US, in
previous discussions. but We never, if We can
help it. refuse a woman's request, and We
will try 10 comply with this.
Oar correspondents first question is, II the
question whether they wish to vote has ever
been put to " the women of the State of Yer
mont We do not know that it has, direct
~ 1t has, however, to good many OF
them. When the woman-suArage agitation
was in progress, before our last COnstitu-
tionAl Convention, canvasses were made
in a number Of towns; and so far as We re-
collect not a school district was found in the
State in which q tenth part Of the women
would say that they wanted to vote. But
what if they have not been asked ? They
are able to make known their wishes. and do
so on every subject in which they take much
interest. Our correspondent wants to vote,
and finds no difficulty in making the fact
known. She is one in a community of five
thousand women. If the women Of the State
of Vermont wanted it, as she does, does any
body suppose their wish would MT be
known?
Second question: Are men forced to
vote? They are, as class-that is to say,
the privilege, if it is such, like every other,
carries with it dufy. In accepting the
franchise the voting class must accept the
responsibilities and duties belonging to it,
and these come With force amounting to
moral compulsion. True, individuals, far
too many, neglect these duties or exercise
them ftfully-anl the admission Of women
to the voting class will, We believe, very
largely Increase the number Of the negli-
gent non-yOting voters. But the obligation
remains in full force, nevertheless. In no
Other sense have We intimated that women
would be forced to vote In fact we did
not Use that phrase at all a.; we simply said
that u extend the franchise to them would
be to imp1le duties, cares and response
bi.itie-, from which now, as class, they
wish to be exempt.
Thud, why should women feel to be
forced to VOTE if permitted to do 80? Be
cause, a. We have said, the obligation is
inserarablc from the privilege. Women, as
a class, are quick to recognize the call Of
duty-they could not shake it of in this
matter.
Fourth, Do children, idiots, etc, control
other birthrightsl Not always But if this
is "birthright" which may be withheld as
to cla-se-, then there is nothing of the birth
right Argument, for the bir;hright to vote
wisely Withheld from one class, as from
minors, may also be wisely withheld from
another class, unwilling or untitled by their
tastes, symPathie1 and cares. to exercise the
franchise. Ia point of TACT. in no age or
country has the suffrage been a birthright.
1t has always, everywhere, been franchise,
conferred under fixed limitations, varying in
different States, withheld in California from
Cinnamon in Rhode Island limited by a
property qualification withheld from non
residents, unnaturalized citizens, and minors
everywhere, although, in thousands Of cases
the min1- or foreigner may be better fitted,
by intelligence and principle, to exercise it
than thousands Of voters.
Fam, The voting Of women in Iowa and
Minnesota, is simply On school matters,-a
very limited exercise Of the suffrage, inyoly-
ing very small fraction of the responsible
ity attaching to general political voting and
boiling Of political Office We should be
glad to have the women vote on school
matters everywhere il they will but We
think the nobler Of our sex would not
crowd even that duty Oh them, till they are
willing to accept it,
Nith, Taxation without representation.
Here, We admit, is an argument for woman
suffrage, at least to a certain extent The ex-
isting theory Is that women owning property
are present,d-like minor male heirs-by
some gnaldiin, as a husband, or other pro
tector. la most cl-es, probably, they prefer
to be 50 represented. We can sec no rea-
son why women owning property, and hay
ing no husbands or gnarlians, should not
vote On matters Of taxation ana We should
be glad to have the existing arrangements
50 modified that they could do 80.
Bat il our correspondent and all her sex
should erJiy aud exercise the fullest extern
,Ion ui the franchise, she would still have |
10 pay taxes which seemed to her ,xtortion-
at, ADD would fail to find perfect men and |
women in ofi'e. Wontr suffrage may be
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