Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-07


AT thy triumphs every heart rings,
Proudly beating. higher. higher.
wichita, Nov. 6. Isl.
THE QUALITY OF THE VOTE.
Woman Suffrage the Path to az
Ideal Government.
7ofhe Editor Of the Daily Eagle:
SENTIMENT.
With no fear of loss, or hope of gain,
Ny sense of honor goads me on
To do my duty with all my might,
If thing be fair, and just and right.
That which is right will ultimately pre-
vail is a law infexible, interchangeable, uuai
terable, no huzza of the mob, sheer of til,
pessimist, nor determination of the major It,
can change this law.
The world moves toward perfection, So
cial, moral, physical, and psychologist, and
though we may at times feel that we are be-
coming more vicious, vet our system Of ed
ucaiion, legislative enactments, commercial
rules and foreign relations, all disclose a ten
dency toward something better.
II examples are necessary to prove this
look al the Protestant religion for religio u
liberty, to Hampden for political liberty, to
England and America for physical liberty,
to our own government for a unity of this
triumvirate of liberty recognized and guar
anteed by constitutions, both state and Fed
eral, to laws placing woman on an equality
in property, and TO a wise and benifcent
system of legislation tending to amelioraie
the condition OF the poorer ciasses-(that
this legislation in part is deemed unwise,
ehimerical, impolitic in no way blots the
legislative page as a whole.) That the rich
have privileges not yet broken down, and
the poor have disadvantages not removed,
and that some crimes are UNPUBLISHED, and
evil practices not discountensnced by law
are things to be regretted, but the remedy is
in the people, and will in time be applied.
Sooner or later women will vote, not be-
cause few women want the "ballot" but
because the educated, civilized, and enlight-
ened portion Of the people of this United
States, both native and foreign born; will
demand Of woman that she vote to enable
them TO control the government. Woman
voting will come, not because women desire
ii, but because man demands it, unless we
csn check the corruptive influences that over
ride the wish of our intelligence from year
TO wear.
The conglomerate mass Of diversified hui
manity that crowds our polls from New
York to Frisco indicate that qualifications
did Eot trouble the legislative brain in enact
ing laws regulating voting.
Much can be said for and against prop
erty qualification, but no man can formulate
an Argument against qualification based on
intelligence and sobriety. All agree that a
-oter should be intelligent and sober.
Contract. entered into BY intelligent peo-
pie when under the influence of liquor may
be avoided, and it looks reasonable that
vote given by man both drunk and ignor-
ant ought TO be rejected.
IL is a lamentable truth that the balance of
power in our federal state, county and mum
icipal elections is in the hands Of the thugs,
the scum, dregs of all that is mos: vile.
Viciousness, inebriety, and ignorance DOM
mate over the ballot box, and virtue must
wed vice, and 'stoop to conquer" to gain q
foothold in the land that gave the thug his
license..to exist. To insult these vicious
classes is TO be beaten at the polls.
Who doubts but that this state of affairs
is more to be feared than plaques and fam
inc. The pestilence that stalks in gloomy
triumph through some foreign land is not
more dangerous TO the people than is this
excess Of 'thuggery," to our Americanized
political institutions.
King james said she was bold man who
swallowed the first oyster" but he who pro-
poses the Acknowledgement Of any one or all
Of the above enumerated classes will be
much holder. The enfranchisement Of wo
men will be the first real step toward the dis
franchisement Of the clan Thug"
1t is truism that no substantial progress
can be made in the quality of our voters IN
Ill we as people in our sovereign capacity
federal and state) possess the power to die
tate terms to impose conditions on, and de-
nand qualifications Of our voters, which
terms shall be acceded TO, conditions compli-
ed with. and qualifications possessed, all as
conditions precedent to the right of suf-
frage.
There are not in the United States to-day
voters enough possessed of independence
sufficient to demand the political outlawry |
Of any OF the vicious classes, much less all Of
them.
The colored vote was an error, because of |
its ignorance, but it was just fer the reason |
that it would not have been fair (Ameri-
ans are sair) to exclude free black
nan from the polls, when we were permit
ing. yea inviting thousands of ''white mig
.ers" to vote; the .'colored niger" could
Justly plead bis former condition of servi-
.ude in mitigation of his ignorance, the
'white Niger" with honorable exceptions,
had no plea except the inference of heredi-
AIRY viciousness, laziness and pride. Ii is
put fair, in this connection, to state tnat
he "blsck niger" has progressed IN the
asst twenty years nj a pace equal to, II not
more rapid, thsn his white brother, and
hough he has been accused of selling his
gote, no charge has yet been made that he
mas committed the crime Of purchasing
'otes. Inc superior race oi WINE ine' ha'
''er hao ihohopois oi '"'s po"''o"' 'o"
nerce- i,
IL "ouia oe ihsiaiou' W s'a'e WHICH =,
nc moreineh''0nea INDUSTRIOUS '''As'e' ,noo'0
&c nrsl oisirahchisea' "hei 'i,es ea.n nave
ach high claims 70 Poi'''cai dis.'he'ioh' |
ne op'h'oh however y 'en'','ea 'ea' neo,ns
nd ignorance both white and black should be
he first excluded from the polls BY the
.h.nao. ,oo.ss.,v 10 he MAD. IN o,,r consti-
luton. followed DIV lHXS 10 Take eueci III q s