The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-29

Southern women lived happy lives amid the
sunny bowers OF their own Southland. They
hsd leisure to cultivate the social amenities
OF life, leisure for self improvement aud for
the gentle charities. They had time to exer-
cise q queenly hospitality. to rear their fami-
lies, to minister to the sick, and to look after
their household. Why should they wish to
find another fate? What gain could they
promise themselves, in the way OF happiness.
IL the forum. in the crowded marts OF trade.
or in the lostlipg ranks of professional life?
Il have died ten deaths" said a Southern
lady OF culture aud refinement. lin going
through the New York press" She was cour
age Gus and resolute; she sought the literary
work and procured il, bat this sensitive
woman died fen desths." nevertheless. in
eli coupterIpg the surroundings of the news
psper 6ffice.
The Southern man did not force the South
ern woman into the position she occupied.
1t was IN the natural order OF things that
she should find this position, and it was in
the natural order of things that she should
keep it. When q new order arose her posi
ton changed: and that she had made no
preparation 10 meet the change was not her
fault; nor that OF any one else. She will
learn a lesson, perhaps. from the past; aud
every Southern girl will learn some special
branch by which she can maintain herself
when the necessity aries.
The Southern o al OF the past was by
no means q nonentity; neither is the South
ern woman OF the present. 1t was a SOUTH
ern woman, Anna Pamela Cunningham, of
South Carolina, who started the undertak-
ing, and who was chiefly instrumental in
carrying it out, to preserve to the country
the home of Washington. Although an in
valid, she wrote appeals aud sent thsrN over
tie country, and by her eloquence succeeded
In interesting such men as Edward Everett
in her undertaking. 1t is the women, not
the men of South Carolina, who have raised
the money to erect q monument to Mr.. Cal.
houn, and which is now being sculptured in
Rome. The women of that State have raised
several monuments to the Confederate oead,
and the women of other SouthernS States have
carried out the same work.
: In literature the Southern woman is not
by any means unknown. The three most
popular female novelists, whose works sell
the best, gre S0uther women-Mrs. South
worth, Mrs. Wilson Miss Evans. and Mar
ian Harland. Another Southern woman,
Miss Fisher ("Christian Reid, ~ has achieved
popularity by her novels. With the ex-
ception OF Alice Cary, who will ever remain
1.-THE Queen of American Song" Mrs. Welby,
q Southern women, takes frat rank as a poet
Then there is Mrs. Margaret j. Preston, OF
Lexington, Va. There are several Southern
women on magazines and newspapers in
New York city, one of whom has edited two
different publications there quite acceptsbly.
The Southern woman has shown herself
fully eqsal TO meet the emergencies of her
changed position. Throwing herself into the
great conflict work, she has come of con-
queror, by her ambition to excel, force of
will and patient industry. When there was
no necessity for her to be q money-getter she
was content with her home duties, her social
life and her works of charity but when the
necessity arose she did not shrink from it;
and il not prepared to put on all the armor
Of work and to handle all the weapons of
warfare, she has succeeded pretty well in
fighting the enemy poverty.
"They who would be free themselves must
strike the blow )" and the women who ASPIRE
to fill positions of trust and honor mus. make
themselves capable before they ask mans
Suffrage and sufferance.
Governor Pierce's Veto Message.
Executive Ofice, Bismarck, d. T., March
13.-To the Speaker of the Hou,e of Repre-.
sentatives: / herewith return House bill No.
Il with my objections to its becoming a law.
A measure of this kind demands careful and
Car did consideration, both because OF its i'm
portance and because OF the acknowledged
sincerity and high character of those who IA
vor it. There are certain reasons, however,
why / can not approve such q measure at
this time, and other reasons why can not
approve this particular bill. II is desirable,
in my judgment, that We act so far as possi.
bic as If IL we were governed, restrained, and
guided by a constitution adopted by our
selves. If we had a constitution modelled
after the State an extraordinary proposition
lii e this would be submitted to the people.
IL Congress thinks woman suffrage wise 1t
has the power to establish it. 1t is unfair ID
to shift the responsibility on the territories
and then hold them responsible for alleged
imprudent legislation. l am assured the
enactment OF this law will delay our claims
to statehood, and at so critical a period 1t is
better that no pretext whatever be given
for such postponcment. 1t is doubted
by many II a majority OF the
chise. The point is made, aud a very good
one, that the fact that one woman does
not want q right is not q justiiable reason
for refusing it to another who does. Yet it
must not be forgotten that the e~nfranchise.
ment of women confers not only a privilege,
but a grave burden and responsibility. We
condemn the man who neglects to vote as
recreant to his duty. II women are enfran-
chised the right conferred becomes an obi
CATION as lmperious to them rs to men; as
binding on those who oppose as these who
favor this act. tbink the women OF Dakota
hould have a voice in determining whether
they ehould assume this burden or not. So
much for the general proposition. There are
two other features of this bill which / can
scarcely think satisfactory to the advocates
of woman suffrage themselves. l am salts
fed that they should appear in q measure
claiming to advance the rights OF women. Ii
the vote OF women is needed anywhere it is
in our cities. In many existing city char
tiers q distinct clause appears providing that
males alone shall possess the qualific stions
of electors. In this bill the word male is
only stricken out of one chapter of the code,
leaving the disability still standing against
hundreds OF women equally entitled to rec
ognitioD. The women of Sioux Falls. the
women Of Mitchell, the women of Brook
ipgs, the women of Chamberlain, of Water.
town. and a great many OF the most import.
ant cities in Southern Dakota would be
disqualified from voting under these
special e~nactments even though this
bill became q law. Al this very sss-
sion charters have been created with that
provision retained, and they would make
this bill aboyativs and largely imperative.
A still more Objectionable feature, and one
deliberately inserted, is the clause debarring
women from the right to hold office. II the