National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-01-24
SUFFRAGE.

the elective system itself IL can come from neither
good Republicans norgood Democrats IN the proper
sense OF these words but Il the argument of arts
toCrats who do not believe I'm popular rights at all
and We hold that IL any deserve TO be DISTINGUISHED
IL should not be- first, the poor who need most OF
and dignity 1t Coutcrs, but rather those
who have proved traitors to the American idea OF
government for the people and by the people
and have thus placed themselves in position
similar 10 Tint occupied by the criminal Glasses
that OF enemies Of the people.
RCsO.tCd ~, That we call upon the people TO mark
the course OF their representatives in Congress upon
this question, to MD US In the struggle for our lib
critics, gnd not 70 permit under any preleIiL inc
70 be tramplcd under foot ut the Capital Of the Ma
ton.
After the adoption Of the resolutions Mrs.
Lockwood asked leave to offer rs an amend
ment that the word "citizcn" used should
mean both male aud female. Upon vote
being taken tho amendment was agreed to.
Colonel Robert c. Ingcrsol was tho next
| speaker, and was received with great enthusi-
asm.
COLONEL ISGERsoLL's ADDRESS.
ITo said believe the people to be tho
only rightlul source Of political power and
that any community, no matter where, in
| which any citizen is not allowed to have
his voice in the making Of the laws he must
obey, that community is tyranny. 1t is
matter of establishment to me that q meeting
| like this Is necessary in the Capital of the
United States. 1.-THE citizens of the District
| Of Columbia are not permitted to vote, If thoy
| are not allowed to govern themselves, and If
| there is no sound reason why they arc not
| allowed to govern themselves, then the Amer
lean idea Of government is q failure. do not
| believe that only the rich should vote or that
| only the whites should vote, or that only the
| blacks should vote | do not believe that right
depends upon wealth, upon education or upon
| color. Ii depends absolutely upon humanity.
| have the right to vote because | am man,
because | am an American citizen, and that
right l should and am willing to share
equally with every human being. There has
been q great deal said in this country of late
in regard to giving the right oC suffrage to
woman. So far as am concerned | am will
ing that every woman i'll the Nation who de-
sires that privilege aud honor shall vote Ii
any woman wants to vote | am too much of a
gentleman to say she shall not. She gets her
right If she has it from precisely the same
source that | get mine, and there are many
questions upon which | would deem it desira-
bic that
WOMEN SHOULD VOTE,
especially upon the question of peace or war.
If woman has a child TO be offered upon
the altar of that MOloch a husband liable to be
drafted aud vino loves heart that can be
entered by the iron arrow Of DEATH she surely
has as much right TO vote for peace rs some
thrice -besottod sot who reels to the bal
lOt.boX aud deposits vote for war
believe, aud always have, that there is
only one objection to a woman voting and
that is the men arc not sufficiently civilized
for her to associate with them, and for several
years have been doing what little | can t.
civilze them. The only question before thi:
meeting, us | understand IL, is, Shall the peO
pie of this District manage their own affairs
whether they shall vote their own taxes and
select their own officers who are to execute
the laws they make; and, for one, l say there
is no human being with ingenuity enough t.
! frame an argument against this question. II
is all very well to say that Congress will dc
, this, but Congress has a great deal to do be
sides. There is enough before that body com
ing from all the States aud Territories of the
| Union aud the numberlcss questions arising
: in tho conduct of the General Government
am opposed to government where the
Il few govern the many. | am opposed to gov
! ernment that depends upon suppers and upor
:. fiattery; upon crOoking the hinges Of the knee
~. upon favors and upon subtorfuges. We wan
u to be manly men in this District. We mus
8 direct and control Cur own affairs, and If W,
are not capable of doing 1t, there is no part o
the Union where they are capable. l
n Is said there is vast amount of Ignorance
here. That is true; but that is also true o
l. every section of the United States. There i
It too much ignorance, and there will continue
@ to be until the people become great enough
- generous enough and splendid enough to SCI
" that no child shall grow up in their mids
: without good common-school education
o The people of this District are capable of man
:; aging their educational affairs if they are al
lowed to do so. The fact is, mar
e now living in the District lives unde
If perpetual flag Of truce. lie is nc
4 body. lie counts for nothing He is not no
! ticed except as a suppliant. Nothing as cit
" zen. That day should pass away. 1t will b
a perpetual education for this people to COVER
themselves and until they do they cannot b
manly men. They say, though, that there
, a vast rabble here. Very we'll. Make you
&c election laws so as to exclude the vast rabblt
n Let il be understood that no man shall vot
r who has not lived here at least one year. 1t
your registration laws prohibit any man froi
voting unless he has been registered at lea
y six months. We do not want to be governe
If by people who have no abode here-who al
i political Bedouins of tho desert We want
u be governed by people who live with us-wh
D. live somewhere among us and whOl
v somebody knows and If law is prol
II erly framed there will be no trOub
about selfgovernment in tho District
/ Columbia. Let the experiment be tried hel
'r Of perfect
q COMPLETE AND HONEST REGISTRATION,
# and every man, no matter who he is or whel
he comes FROM vote only by strict compl
- ance with a good registry law. We can haN
a fair election, and wherever there is a ia
election there will be good government. a.
plausol Our government depends for its ST.
!, bility upon honest elections. The great pril
v ciple underlying our system Of government
eS that the people have the virtue and the patriO
Mt ism to govern themselves. That is tho found
,v ton stone, the corner and the base
., our edifce, and upon it our goyernmel
III Is ON trial to-day. Aud until man is col
at sidered infamous who casts an illegal vot
b. our government will not be safe. Whoev,
casts an illegal vote knowingly is a traitor
" tho principle upon which our government
IL founded. Aud whoever depriyes a citizen
IL his right to vote s also u traitor to our GO
90, ernment Applause When these thin
," are understood; when the finger of publ
at scorn shall De pointed TO every man who vOt
lie illegally, or unlawfully prevents an hone
~ vote, then you will have a splendid COVER
" ment. 1t is humiliatng for 10000 people
te depend simply upon the right of petition, II
81 few will disregard the petition of the man
IA | have not one word to say against the OF
=, GERS of the District. Not a word. But let the
W do as we'll Us they can; that is no justification
to 1t Is no justification Of q monarchy that II
w King Is good man it Ia no justification Of
- tyranny that a despot does justice, The
'n' NAV come another who will do injustice, Al
to a free people like ours should not be satisf
he TO be governed by strangers They had bett
4 e tI,air OH MT hot IN, ha