St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-11
EQUAL RIGHTS TO WOMEN.
A Hint From One of the Sex That
Women Are an Obstacle in the
Way to Equal Rights.

w aSA NOSSoSAO c$S
Way to Equal Rights.
Written for the Globe.
Tue GLOBE of Nov. 4, in an article
entitled "Would Women Vote?" reports
DR.. Clara Atkinson as saying, ''Put
woman on a level with man politically,
and, as effect follows cause, in time she
will assume his moral level as well. -
My dear fellow citizens of the Woman's
Kingdom, there are several things i'm
piled i'll that statement, some OF which
are of interest to women apart from any
desire that they may have for woman's
sutfrage-of interest 10 them because
of their interest in men. First, it is inn
piled that politics decides the level of
morality, and not morality the level OF
politics. Second it is implied this
statement being made by Dr.. Atkinson
as reason why women should not vote
that the effect of politics is always to
lower the level of morals. If these two
assumptions are correct. then it is time
that the mothers of this land began
training their sons to repndiate the
Declaration Of independence and the
principles of the PuritanS; yes, even
the Magma Charta OF our English an
ceStOrS-time they trained them to feel
that no moral man ought to have any
thing to do with the government of his
country, and that it is disgrace for a
Christian TO cast vote. Ii these as
sumptiOnS are correct, it is time we
cried out for an unlimited mon
archy, that as few men as
possible be morally degraded by having
tie government of the country upon
their hands, and that we have as many
as possible of our sons and brothers dis
enfranchised aud freed from tempta-
ton. 1t these assumptions are correct,
then the only chance that we women
have for male companionship that will
not be subject to continual moral
shrinkage is to go down among the
"disenfranchised Blacks" of whom we
hear so much, and there remain. BY
the way, what a ridiculous thing it was
for good people to hurrah and rejoice
over the freeing Of the slaves when
that act brought all the men of
the black race into the degrading field
of pOlitlcS-Or was expected to do so, at
least.
But are DR.. Atkinson's implications
correct? Is it true the ''foreigners" OF
this country have been degraded morally
by their right to the ballot? Is it true
tiidU tllS vi ~
for any OF the immortality of our men?
Would they have been better men with
out it? Taking the world over, are the
men who have the right of franchise
lower in morals than the men who have
it not? Sc much for the men alone.
Now as to the mutually of the matter.
1t is generally conceded-no, I
may better say universally be-
lieyed-that evil companiOnship
lowers, and that the more intimate the
association the more debaSing the re-
suit. Suppose women did vote, where
would they have their most intimate
associations with men? Would it be at
the polls on election day? Would it
even be at the primary meetings?
Would it not still be in society and the
home? And we endure that degrading
influence at present; have endured it
since the days of Eden, and shall prob
ably endure it as long as the world
stands. Why should we be so afraid OF
lesser evil. why swallow the camel
and strain out the gnat?" Let usall
live i'll nunnerieS and monastarieS
or let us all be anarchists and have no
governments at all; if politics is neceS-
sarily so vile and If the influence upon
women is necessarily so evil. But there
arc some Oh us WHO D6lleVe tndJ the
Lord knew what he did when he put
man and woman in this world together
and told them to subdue it. We remem-
Der that God pronounced woman a
''helpmeet'' OF fit for man-not in any
particular line or lines however. We
look on the world and see that the
best work has been done where men
have had this meet 'help" of women.
We are glad that DR.. Atkinson and
other women have reinforced the male
doctors. We believe it means better
medical work for the world, and we
have no fear that these women doctors
will be morally degraded by having
gone into labor that has been, until
very lately, considered a work peculiar
to the moral level Of men. We ask
that these women who have pushed
through the gate into the field of the
medical profession. that women who
have pushed through the gates and
opened new paths for women in any di-
rection, should in fairness give to the
-Woman's suffragists the same good faith
that the Woman's suffragistS and other
women also are giving to them. If a
woman wants to try helping this world
to better government why should she
not have the same right to do so that
DR.. Atkinson has to try helping it to
better health? What do you think about
1t, fellow citizens of the Woman'S King
dom? AURILI.A FURBER.