The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-01-25
THE WOMAN QUESTION.

In the HERALD OF yesterday Mr..
"Ben Nevis" kindly noticed my COM
munication upon the Woman Queg-
ton, and was go much affected by the
subject that be concluded his COM
munication with a shuGder and the
expressive ejaculation, "Ughl" One
thing l have noticed in a number oil
the oppOgers Of the Womsn's DISABLE
tiles Bill now lying on the table Of
the House, and tina; Ii, that they take
the matter very deeply to heart, as II
it was 8 very fearful thing. Some oil
them work themselves up into down
right anger and mental agony, a sort
OF frenzy, over it, somewhat to the ss-
constituent of cooler and oslmer peo-
pie. Indeed, it is almost ludicrous t.
see the pitiful way some men take on
about this question. l feel rather
sorry for them, and would assure them
that l do not wish TO hurt their feel.
ings in the least degree in
anything 1 say upon the sub
ject. As for my own condition
of mind in this connection, l believe
l feel quits serene aud comfortable,
thank you. Yes, l may say I feel az
cheerful as 8 lark at midday. Per.
sonally l don't care s cent whether
the bill passes or not. Meantime is
it not rather curious doctrine, this,
that we wont aud can't do without
the ladies, except in Office, any sort
of Office, but that there We don't
ntthem and wont have them, their
room being infinitely preferable to
their company
Ben Nevis appears to think that,
if the bill should pass, the course of
nature would be changed and the
world would be turned upside down.
Upon my life. MessEs. Editors, | can
not see that danger. l hardly think
such fact would follow az q sequence.
I epprehend that The number Of Wo-
men who would get into Office would
be very limited, and certainly no VIC
man could get in unless other people
chose to put her there. II Ben Nevis
did not want his wife to go into Office,
she need not go there. She could
decline a possible nomination and
positively refuse an election or an az
pointment. So that the charm of
his domestic circle could remain in
tat, unimpsired.
Ben Nevis thinks if women we're
eligible for Office, men would not be
so ungallaut as to refuse to elect
them. l don't know about that.
Many man are ungallant enough to
refuse to let the women have 3 chance
to be elected, and it is hardly likely
that the passage of the Woman's Dis
abilities Bill would convert those IN
gsllRnts into gallants.
Ben Nevis gives a number of rea-
cons Why be would not like to have
woman in Office. But when we boil
those reasons down little, We find
that they all resolve themselves into
this one potent resson-"l don't
want woman in Office, and I wont
have her there if l can prevent it.
This is something like the trite old
reason:
I do not like thee, DR.. Fell;
The reason why, l cannot tell;
But this l know, and know full well,
do not like thee, DR.. Fell.
Dislike is a powerful argument with
many people who use 1t. whether trat
dislike arises from prejudice, tradi
ton, or some indeinab!e and occult
cause. But the argument is not
very sound one, nor is it very con-
vincing to others.
Do you know, Mesars. Editors, that
the bill does not put woman into
Office, nor propose to put her there? Do
you know that am not advocating
the putting Of woman into Office? Do
you know that l am rot anxious to
put her into Office? Nevertheless, l
DO believe that some women in Office
would do better, and serve the public
better, than some men do in Office,
and upon this point believe there
need be no controversy. TIE bill pre-
poses not 10 put woman into Office,
1ut to remove the restrictions which
prevent the people from putting her
here if they desire to do so. That is
he point at issue. The matter OF
putting her into Office, or
keeping her out, would still remain
ior the people to determine at the
coils at every election. The present
aW says, woman shall not be put
nto Office" The upholders OF the
present law say, "We will not put
woman into Office, neither shall
else put h,r there"
Do you not see that this
5 the spirit of intolerance, the very
essence of intolerance the world over?
mas Two sides-a positive
and a negative side. Positive-"I
sill do 90 and so, and you shall do
o and so too. / will have my way,
Ind you shall conform to my way. l /
will do my will, and you shall do my
will too" Negative-'I will not do
o and so, neither shall you do SO snd
o. l will not have your way will
lot do your will, neither ~shaifyou do
our will" WHAT'S any kind oil,
intolerance, tyranny, or
espotiem more than this ? Yet this
the spirit of the present law upon
1e subject in question, the spirit Of
le oppossrs Of the bill in question.
The advocate of the bill takes diff
rent ground. He says. 'I do not
ish 10 thrust woman into Office,
either does Ben Nevis. But Ben :
.acdhui (Nho is a taller gentleman
an even Ben NeYis), Ben CruachRn,
Cd Ledi, Ben Arthur, Ben Barrow, s
% Wy7is, Ben Venu, Ben Werlich, /
ID divers other Bens and many other
ople might want TO do otherwise.
icy nigh desire to put woman into
ice, and 1 am perfectly willing for II
sm to have the liberty to do 1t, il 81
y wish to do it. Why should | q