The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-11-08

United States citizen are insisted on.
A recent decision in tho Supreme Court
Of Georgia claims by implication that.
as United States citizen. the colored
man under the Federal Constitution
has the right to vote for all Federal Of
ficers. wholly independent OF State
authority. That principle must be
equally true in the case Of women. The
word male" in the State Constitutions
can only restrict them in voting for
State officers. while as United States
citizens they are at liberty to vote for
all United States officials This recent
Supreme Court decision. stated in full
by Francis Minor. Esq., in pamphlet
entitled. THE Law OF Federal SUI
frage." opens a new and broad field for
the discussion OF womens claims as a
United States citizen. When Susan B.
Anthony voted for o member OF Con-
gress she had a legal right to do so. as
a United States citizen. under the Fed
eral Constitution. Yet she was arrest.
ed and tried-though in the United
States District Court-as citizen OF
New York. and under the State Consti-
tuition declared guilty of illegal voting
and fined accordingly.
In deciding that the United States
citizen has rights independent OF the
State. and may vote for members OF
Congress under the Federal Constitu-
ton, the courts have at last conceded
the principle which women themselves
have been pressing on the considers
ton of our statesmen ever since the
passage of the Fourteenth Amendment
to the Constitution. Those who think
our progress in this movement has
been too slow to indicate any deep or
widespread interest among women
themselves in its success, do not appre-
ciate the nature OF the conflict
In the history OF the race there has
been no other struggle for liberty like
this Whenever the interest OF the
ruling classes has induced them to con-
fer new rights on subject class. it has
been done with no effort on the part OF
the latter Neither the American
slave nor the English laborer demand
ed the right of suffrage. 1t was given
in both cases TO strengthen the liberal
party. The philanthropy of the few
may have entered into those reforms,
but political expediency carried both
measures Women, on the contrary,
have fought their own battles; and in
their rebellion against existing condi-
lions, have inaugurated the most fun
damental revolution the world has ever
Witnessed. The magnitude and multi
plicity Of the dangers involved make
the obstacles in the way Of success seem
almost insurmountable.
The narrow self-interest OF the ruling
classes is opposed to the sovereignty OF
| woman. The rulers in the State are
not willing to share their power with q
class. equal if not superior to them
selves, over which they could never
hope for absolute control. and whose
methods Of government might in many
respects differ. from their own. The
anointed leaders in the church are
equally hostile to freedom for a sex
supposed for wise purposes to have
been subordinated by divine decree.
The capitalist in the world Of work
holds the key to the trades and profess
sions, and undermines the power OF
labor unions in their struggles for
shorter hours and fairer wages. by sub
shutting the cheap labor of a disfran-
chised class, that can not organize it's
forces. thus making wife and sister ri.
walls of husband and brother in the in
dustries, to the detriment of both
classes. OF the autocrat in the home.
John Stuart Mill has we'll said: mo
ordinary man is willing to find at his
own freside an equal in the person he
calls wife" Thus society is based on
this fourfold bondage of woman. max
ing liberty and equality for her antag-
onistic to every organized institution.
Where, then, can we rest the lever
with which to lift one-half of humanity
from those depths Of degradation
but on that columbiad of our political
life-the ballot-which makes every
citizen who holds it full-armed Moni-
tor?"