The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-11-07
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
The NEW GE.ERATIoN.

ne NE"
Tho Ecvoiution in tho Principle. Of Gov
crnsnrnf Iscing brought About BY
Women Of tho bay.
Could an American statesman of q
century ago c,me back to life. the
thing that would amaze him most
would not be- suspect. says writer
in Harper's Baza-, the existence Of
Q ectric Lights and Of monographs, for
these would lie outside OF the sphere OF
public lif,, which would be our supposed
Rip Van Wrinkle chief concern. Nor
would it even be. within his own do
main, the Australian ballot law, or
civil service reform. or the efforts OF .
great nation to get rid OF its surplus
money. 1t would be the spectacle Of .
Strange alteration in the vey basis Of
government; it would be the fact that
in organizing five new States, each OF
vast area and unknown resources, q
large part OF the time Of the organic ng
body has been devoted 70 1eciding
whether men alone. or women also.
shoull become voters In these new
born commonwealth. Nay. his chief
wonder would lie in the fact that tile
final debate in each case did not turn
on the question whether" bu. rather
on the question show far;' since all
five States have finally made women
voters about something. Idaho has
given them school suffrage by its con-
stitution; SO have North and South
Dakota: while in Montana those women
who pay taxes will vote on all ques-
tions submitted to tho vote OF taxpay-
ers. Moreover, in two OF these States
washington and South Dakota) the
question OF giving women full suffrage
is hereafter to be put to vote. and on
this question women already qualified
as voters for any purpose can also vote
We hercabouts take all these things
very quietly. because we have come To
them BY degrees. But were some Rip
Van Win1le OF q deceased statesman
to open his eyes upon them suddenly,
he would justly pronounce them to in
vo've more deeply rooted change than
my Australian ballot law. while the
longest train Of electric cars could not
be SO much us named in comparison.
He could only end in accepting Vic
tor Hugo's high-soundiny phrase that
this is rightly or wrongly the wom-
ans century. All the traditions about
the sphere OF the two sexes. rs being
something Interchangeable and eternal.
must fail before this simple fact.
A local experiment, as in Massachu
setts. or Kansas, or Wyoming, proves
very little. 1t may bc urged. But the
founding Of five new States by popular
action. communities d avn togethe,
from nil quarters OF the glol e. is no,
only an extraordinary demonstration in
sclf-government. but offers. rs it were.
4 cross section of current American
thought on government principles.
That in five different Constitutional
Conventions. acting not merely indie
pendcntiy. but with an almost jealOu.
degree OF mutual independence the uni
form outcome should be some form o
woman suffrage. brings with it irresis
tible infercnces- For good or for evil
it is an advance along the whole line
it is one Of those revolutions which dt
not turn blc.s. It is also revolution
based. like most American steps, no
me ely on facts, but on principles X
some extent it 10 a step in the dark
that is. we do not know in detail wha
the result will be. whether on womel
or on men; it is the result OF an uncon
scious evolution which has brough
these masses Of mon SO far. It is no
usually very easy to extend tho sui
frage. because this calls on a privileges
class 10 give up power. Yet in each o
these fivo prospective Commonwealth
the hitherto governing class has 4
some exicnt-no matter 10 what extent
done just that thing. No matter. again
what WIS the motive whether impuls
or logic. or pcrsuasion-thc concessio:
has been made. That this has becl
done in every ono Of tho live d.ffc on
States virtually settle the prevailing
curse Of all our future natural de
velopmcnt
That the result is to be OF immediate
invariablc. and unmixed good. l do not
for one, believe. Ii it were. it woul
be unli q the result Of all previous ex
tensions 81 the suffrage Every newl.
enfranchiscd class needs to learn it
work. to get control OF its weapons
and this usually involves some cut fin
gers. Women are not SO unlisc me
Us to be lreo f.om al the perils an
wca ,ncsscs of men. and they mas evel
have some Of their own. Men have. il
MARY years OF voting. partially attaine
to what the once famous jurist. The
oph.lus Parsons. called an .'acquirc
intelligence on many practical ma,
iers. which women. rs class. have We
10 gain. Men haze also learned no,
to get on with ono another politically
even under apparent differences. and I
nccuiesce with amazing euuanimity i
the results Of election day. They are.
suspect. u little mere patient Of publ
evils than women. and i little less ar
cient in expectation. On the othe
hand. this very bi. of moderatio
has its dangers. and there arc man
households which would go to piece
had not the vito more decision. 1T ieas
in ordering the chickens out Of tn
doory;trd, than her easy -goin. husband
This strong quality again has its dar
gers. and the chickons sometimes yield
not So much to persuasive and angeli
qualities rs to certain shrillne,s (
voice which docs not mako the in-dcO
hearth very tempting 10 others tha
chickens. What with the fear tha
women will provo too weak. and tn
yet moro anxious fear lest thy tur
on, too strong. thero are doubles
many persons though the writer is nt
among thcm--who will look with di.
may ON Tho action of these five common
wc:l.ths.
! But the main thing to be considere
l. that. whatever We may think abo,