National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-17
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE.
History OF the Movcment-The Case OF the Female
Sufrragists Ably PrCscntcd-The Senate
Urged to Submit the Question
TO the Various States.


The Select Committee on Woman Suffrage, TO
whom was referred Senate resolution No. GO.
proposing an amendment TO the Constitution Of
the United states TO secure the right of suffrage
TO all citizens without regard To sex. having con-
sidcrcd the same, respectfully report;
The gravity and importance OF thc proposed
amendment must be obvious to ali who have given
she subject the cons Iteration 1t demands,
Avery brief history OF the origin of this move.
ynent in the United States and Of the progress
made in the cause " female suffrage Will not be
out Of place at this lime.
worlds anu.sayo,y convention was held in
London Oh the l2,h OF june, 1910, TO which dele
Eaes from all the organized societies were invited.
several OF the American societies sent women us
delegate. Their credentials were presented, and
an aUle and exhaustive discussion was had 10y
many of the leading men of America and Great
Britain W on the question Of their being admitted
tosCnls In the convention. They were allowed no
part in the discussion. They were denied seals
rs delegates and, by rca on of that denial II was
determined TO hold conventions nfer their return
aud advocating their rights MS Citizens aud es-
pecinly the right Cfsuiirn.c
Prior to this and MS carly MS the year 1856 pro.
y sal had been made in the legislature OF the
Flute Of New York TO- confer upon married women
their separate rights of property. The subject
was under cunsidcrnt. on and agitation during the
eventual po:i, which preceded he constitutional
convention Of New York in the year 1916, AID the
radical chang, made in the fundamental law II
that year lii 1915 the tiRtnct "tur the mo e Of.
feCtunl protection Of the pr petty OF married
women" was las cd by the legislature of New.
York and became u law 1t pas ell by vote of
g3 TO in the assembly and % to III the senate.
II was subsequently amended SO MS TO authorize
women tD engage in business on their own nc.
amt ana TO receive their own earnings.
TUT legislation was tue Gu & owtn OF n hill pre-.
pared several Yeas leiotc under the direction
of the Hon, John savage, chief jultiCG Of the SUI
prelne court, and OF the Hon. John G. spencer,
one of the uDlest lawyers in the state one OF the
revisCrs Of the Statutes of New Nuik, and utter.
ward Cabinet OiiCgr.
Laws giant,ng separate rights OF property, nud
the iieht to ugn@et business similar to those
adopted III New Gs'k, have btcn enacted IN many,
ii not III NOT OF the states, and may nov be re.
Earded as the settled policy Of American legisln-
ton on the subject.
Ailer the enactment Of the first law in New York,
as before stated, ana in the month of July, 1873,
The first Convention demanding suffrage ior women
was hCld ut Seneca Fails i'll said Sttte. The same
perons who had been excluded from the Words
Convention In London were prominent and i'll
stiumcnttl III calling the meeting aud in flaming
the declaration OF sentiments adopted by it,,
which, after rcciting the unjust Limitations and
wrongs to which women are subjected, closed in
these words
"Now in view of thscn tire Acknowledgement If
one hail OF the people of this country aud their
Docial and religious degradation; III view of the
unjust laws above mentioned, und because women
doiecl thcmselvesuggteved oppressed, aud fruu I'D
uenily deprived Of their most sacred rights, we
Insist that they have immediate admission 10 all
the rights aud privileges which belong " them rs
citizens of the United States.
:" In entering u o Il c great work before us, we
anticipate no small amount ofmis conception, mi
rpr senlation, and rdcuc; but We shall use every
instrumentality within our power to effect our OF
icct. We shall employ agents. circulate tracts,
petition the State and National Legislatures, and
endeavor TO enlist the pulpit aud the pen in our
behalf. We hope this convention will be followed
by series Of conventions embracing every part Of
The country"
The meeting also adopted series of resolutions,
one Of which i'll was III the following words:
"RcSOitcd, That tits the duty of the women of
This country to secure to themselves their sacred
hight to the elective francse."
This declaration was signed by seventy of the
women of Western New ork, among whom was
one or more of those who addressed your commit
lee on the subject of the pending amendment,
and there were present, participating in, and APP.
proving of the movement, large number of
prominent men, among whom were Elisha Foot,
lawyer Of distinctlom aud since that time Com
missiOne! ipatCnts, and the Hon. Jacob Chamber
lain, who GtcrworI represent. his district III the
From the movement thus inaugurated conven-
tons have lecn held from that time to the present
In the principal villages, cities, and capitals of the
various States, rs well us the Capital Of the Ma
ton
The first national convention upon the subject
was held at Worcester, Mass., in October, 1850 and
had the support and encouragement of many
leading men Of The Republic, amopig whom We
Giddings Ralph Waldo Emerson, John G. Whit.
tier, A. bronson Alcott, Samuel ]. May, Theodore
Parker, William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips,
Foster, Horace Greeley, Oliver johnson, Henry
Ward Hcecher, Horace Mann.
The fourth national convention was held at the
city of Cleveland, in Ohio, in october, 1853 The
Rev. Asa Mahan, president Of OOeTlin College, and
Hon Joshua drH K Giddlngs were there Horace
letters TO the convention The letter OF Mr.. Chan
ming stated the proposition TO be that the
Right Of suffrage be granted to the people uni
versaly without distinction of sex, and that the
age for attaining legal and political majority be
made the same for women as for men,
In 1857 Hon. salmon L. Chase, Chief Justice OF
the Supreme Court Of the United States, then gov
ernor Of Ohio, recommended TO the legislature a
constitutional amendment on the subject, and Il
select committee of the senate made IN elaborate
report concluding with resolution In the follow
ing words; ,,,-,-. -....,..--,
Btrucled to report TO the senate bill to submit to
the qualified electors at the next general election
for Senators and REPRESENTATIVES., nm amendment
shall be extended to the citizens Of OHIO without
distinction of SEX"
in the legislature of Wisconsin. From the report
OIL that subject we quote the following:
ave believe that political equality will, by
leading the thoughts and purposes Of the sexes to
u Just degree into the same channel more com.
pletely carry out the designs of nature. Woman
compliments will be exchanged for well. grounded
respect, when we see her nobly dischargipg her
part in the great intellectual and moral struggle
of the age that wait their solution by direct ap-
peal TO the ballot box. Woman's power is ut
present poetical and unsubstanlal; let 1t be prNc.
ucal anas real. There is no reality in any puwet
that CaIiIot be coined into votes"
The effect OF these discussions and efforts has
been the gradual advnnccmeht of public senti.
ment toward conceding the right of suffrage wi h.
out distinction Vt sex. III tho Territories OF Wy
omng aud Utah, full suffrage has already been
given, In regard TO the exercise of the right I'm
that Territory dion. john W. IioyO in an address
delivered i'll Philadelphia, on the Sd Of April OF
the present year in answer to question as 10 the
operation OF the law, snid
"Flrst of all, the experience of Wyoming has
own that the OILY actual trial of woman suffrage
hitherto made--a trial made in u new country
wheo the conditions would not happen to have
been exceptionally Avomble-has produced none
but the most desirable results. And surely noIiG
will deny that in such matter u single ounce OF
eNpereacei' worth a ton Of conjecture.
g iut since il may be claimed that The sole OK
peliment Of wyoming docs not uiiurd II sufficient
guaranty Of general e%pcdiency, let ussee whether
reason will not furnish n like answer The great
majority Of women IN this country already pos
scsS sufficient intelligence to cnube them to vote
iudiCiOutly ON nearly all questions Of local
nature. / think this viii be conceded. Secondly,
with their superior qi, kucss Of perception, it Is
fair 10 assume that When stimulated by demund
Tor knowledge OF political piinCip,ts-suCh u
demand rs II sense Of the responsibility of the
voter would CrCutc-thyy would not be slow In
rising To at least the rather low level ut present.
occupied by The average masculine voter, So that,
viewing the SUBJ ct from an Intellectual standpoint
mer ~, such fears rs nt first spring up drop away
one by one, and disappear.
But II must not be forgotten that q very large
proportion # questions 20 be settled by the ballot
bJh those of principle and suGh gs refer u candi
date nave ~ lhem moral element which u
vial And here We are safer with tic ballot II
the hands OF woman, for her keencr Insight Gnt
trncr mona. sense Will more certainly guide he
Hright, aud not her. alone, but also, 10y reflex nc
ton, n whose minds are open TO the influence o
her example. The weight Of this answer cal
hiTdly be over imattd. In my judgment thu
m0rul consideration far more than OFF cts all thu
objection, hat can DO baspd on any assumed lHCl
o, an 3u.cIrttUa uppfcri ton OF the few quet'
tom uILl ~ wholly e mime, ciGl aud economical
" Lrs. ofull, minority OF questions 10 be ynieC
on tIUCh TIC Interests Of woman 10 they do thoj,
OF man, II ID up II her finer possibilities, Ia.
purCr Instincts, ald her maternal nature That I'M
re.9iS OF iAm"I2l! ana wee Ia every loln inl
with m' Tc Cru'Elug weight
A criticism hus been made upon the exercise q
Ills night by Nc women Of Utah that tho plgn'