St. Landry democrat., 1885-03-14
.RemOnstrants Against Female
Suffrage.

ION papers d Ctlu SI&nCO Wy SACL Ey uCut
lawyers, doctors, editors and most OF
The distinguished men in the city, op-
posing woman suffrage. Later I" A Re
nonstrant" has explained the reasons
for that publication in the following
language:
1. We have no abstract nor sentimen-
tai objections to urge why women
should not be given the suffrage on the
same terms with men.
Q. We should be quite willing to
make women eligible to any Office in
the State. From the nature of things
only a small proportion of women
would ever be found in Office; but the
community ought not to debar itself
from the services of any valuable citi-
zen. In some of the country towns the
ability is largely on the side of the
women, who would frequently make
admirable selectmen and Overseers of
the poor, as they are now excellent
members of school boards.
3. We do not wish to be understood
as demonstrating against any action OF
the Legislature which aims to discover,
as, for example, by popular vote,
whether women wish to vote. We do
not say that we are unwilling for Wo-
men to vote. We are unwilling for
minority of women to compel the
majority who, we suspect, do not want
TO vote.
4. We think the suffrage to be not so
much privilege as duty or function.
The question is not whether women
shall be given new right, but whether
they shall be required to assume new
duty.
S. The only reason that we can con-
ceive why good woman should care
to cast vote is for the sake OF the pub
lie good. We must utterly deny that
between men and women that women
need the franchise, like the freedmen,
to protect their rights. The supposed
anOlogy frequently drawn between an
oppressed class or caste and our moth
ers, sisters and wives in the State of
Massachusetts, is laughable. All in
terests of women, and specially their
property, are as truly represented and
protected as mems interests are.
6. A new duty, which involves dOub-
ling the number of votes and consider
ably increasing the friction of the ma
chinery OF caucuses and elections, be-
side some small personal and domestic
inconvenience, ought to promise COM
measurate advantage in better govern
ment that we get now.
IL
as q panacea of political evils. Instead
of being a means of administration
and government, it has become for the
most part, and except in the towns,
very rude Though perhaps the best
DOssible) makeshift, whereby commit
tees are selected who administer for us.
Committees as wise might be chosen by
lot. Neither does any large amount of
general political education come by
casting a vote into a box once or twice
a year for men whom the voter ouly
knows as the choice of a party caucus
or convention. If, in each year, one
man out of ten were designated to vote,
the political education of the whole
people would still go on, and the nine
men of each ten would have practically
the same influence which they have
now. Women are not deprived of their
political influence because they do not
vote. y
8. We wait, therefore, to be shown
how doubling the already enormous
numbers of voters will ensue in increase
of wisdom, or, in other words, in secur-
ing better committees to govern for us
and to spend our money.
o.. We suspect that it may have been
a mistake, and contrary to the best in
terest of the whole people, not to have
limited the suffrage by certain reason
able amount of education, as for eX
ample, the equivalent of grammar
achOol course. We are burdened by a
large ignorant and vicious vote. While
We do not dread the vote of women,
we dread any addition to the votes of
ignorance.
10. The fact of sex must always make
|some difference between the duties
most appropriate to men and to women.
It entities women, IN the thought OF all
right minded or chiyalrous men, TO GER
tain exemptions, as for example, from
military duty we should add, from the
duty of jurors; we are inclined to add,
from the duty of voting IL we see no
harm which would come from their
voting. we see no special good. We
prefer not to make them unnecessary
trouGie. !.
IL. The most serious problem in poll
tics is the honest administration OF
cities, which we have not learned how
to protect from rings" OF unscrupu-
ious men controlling negligent or igno-
rant maiprities. We apprehend that
woman suffrage would lend an increased
of power to the ward poll
ticians. If woman suffrage is an ex-
the towns, and not the cities,
Are the point at which to begin to try it.
We protest against the Legislature
making Il law for the cities, which if
proper anywhere, is equally proper and
iess objectionable for the whole State.
1s. We protest, in such serious mat
ter, affecting all the Inhabitants of the
State. and demanding no immediate
haste, against the decision by a maiori-
ty of the Legislature of that which
ought only to he determined by the
people.