The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-15
PHYSICAL FORCE.
The Relative Values Of Force and Ideas
tn n Government.

The Relative Values Of Force and Ideas
to . Government.
Would women's actual power be in
creased by the ballot? We have no
doubt that it would. to all practical in
tents and purposes. A vote would be
Of the same value to a woman that it
now is to an elderly or infirm man. a
blind man, a cripple. or any other nom
mbatant 1t would enable her to
have her opinion counted in regard to
questions that concern her, except in
times of general tamult when all law is
broken up. and the weakest goes to the
wall. In civilized countries such Occa-
sions are rare.
Every government needs to have a
certain amount of force nj its COM
manL 1t is factor that can not be
left out of account. But, in our view.
government rests ultimately not upon
force but uron IDEAS Tho prevailing
idea in any country can always rally
the physical force Of that country to its
support In the days when every body
believed in the divine right of kings,
the people obeyed the king. not be-
cause he could have compelled them
by his own physical strength. but be-
cause they supposed monarchy was the
only natural and possible form Of gov
eminent If they ever rebelled. it was
only to change one master for another.
whom they obeyed in like manner
without his being able to compel them.
Soldiers obey their General, not be-
cause he is physically stronger than
all of them put together. but because
the idea of military discipline is uni
versal among them. and makes them
think it right and necessary. So long
rs these ideas prevail. the fighting
force of the nation or of the army is Mt
the command of King or General to
put down any instruction.
Now, in this country, the wide
spread and deep rooted idea is that the
will of the majority should rule. By
the majority. in the popular mind, is
meant the majority of men; but not the
majority of fighting men. for, under
our constitution. non-cOmbatants have
always been freely admitted to suffrage
and no one thinks Of challenging their
right. Hundreds of thousands Of men
in this country are allowed to vote who
are as useless for fighting purposes rs
wOmen-more useless. indeed. than
many women. There is no certainty
at any election that the majority of
voters represents the majority of fight
ing men. When it does not. there is
always the theoretical possibility that
the majority Of fighting men may try
to upset the result by violence; but
the practical danger is very
small. The vast majority of the fight
ing men in this country believe that
an old or feeble man has as good n
right to vote rs young and strong
one. and are ready to uphold him in it.
They are educated up to that point.
When they are educated up to the
point of seeing that a woman has rs
good right to vote As man. they will
be ready to uphold her in 1t the same
way. Women can not get suffrage till
men are willing to give it to them; and
when so given. there is very little dam
ger that their exercise of it will be re-
sisted or rendered nugatory. This has
been shown in Wyoming. There wo-
mems votes have repeatedly turned
the scale at closely contested elections
yet there has never been any effort to
upset the result.-1hs 1oman's Co..
uniIA