Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-05-18

poor cobblers and pitiful mechanics,
who have neither house nor land
strutting and making no mean figure
as their elections. Nov, the merchants
and mechanics have the ballot and it
IS only women against WHOM the sanse
old objection is brought upf
II. " Women do not rant to pots."
now no" can you tell, till you give them
'he opportunity? We give the ballot
10 the freedmen because we. knew
'ney needed IT. whether they knew it
or not. The more INTELLIGENT AMONG
them knew it, at any rate; and so tho
more intelligent women = the l.adino
authoresses and phfanthropists for
instance-know and say that thew
need the right of Suffrage, wn.tsssr
the thoughtless and frivolous mavs.T
Is. at acill lead to danoerou, in.
timacy bet'oeen the ,eres" In an orr
entail country, physician can only
prescribe for woman by feeling the
pulse in an arm thrust from behind a
curtain. But as no political intimacy
would exceed that which already ex-
lists or may exist in this country be.
tween the physician and his patients,
the clergyman and his parishioners,
the school superintendent and his
teachers, the merchant and his book
keepers, the mill owner and his opera
tlves,-the objection is idle. If you
honestly prefer Turkish institutions, 90
and live where they prevail; but if the
American system is the best, let it be-
made consistent with itself.
l6. Women cannot fight, so thev
should not vote" Formerly women
were refused permission to hold real
estate, on the same ground. when
hefs implied military SERVICE" wrote
DR.. johnson, in 1916, sit is easily
discerned why females could not inherit
them. but the reason is at an end. A.
make laws, manners likewise
repeal them. The same reasoning
applies now to voting.
Besides. the objection proves too
much. 1t appears by the published
record of United States Military
Statistics that out of men examined
for military duty during the Rebellion,
more than quarter were found unfit;
but that this varied with different
professions. Of journalists 74O In
every 1000 were disqualified, of
preachers 974, of physicians go, of
lawyers 544. The majority of all
classes are as useless for warlike pur-
poses as women; far more useless than
the lighting woven of Dahomey. Are
these classes therefore to be disfran-
chised, like women? On the other
hand, of all enskilled yaborers only
$40 in 1000 are disqualified; of tan
ners 216. Of iron workers 1S9. Is
the voting power to be taken away
from lawyers and journalists, and to
be concentrated on iron WORKERS and
tanners? We should do that to Be-
In the Prussian army, the most
powerful IN the world, General Nc
Clellan tells US that all men are enroll
I'd, and those unfit for field. service
are employed as military taiIors or
purses. Once apply this principle to
women and you may draft them for
Military duty as much as you please.
The amount of it ali is, that women
must be eBfranchised- tt 10 mers
question of time. She must be slave
r an equal; there is no middle ground
Admit, in the slightest degree, her
light to property or education, and
he must have the ballot to protect tho
ne and use the other. And there
re no objections to this, except such
8 would equally hold against the
Whole theory of republican, govern
eent.