Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-11-21
One Dollar Per Year.

But these women, with their protests
in hand, are as helpless against the in
coming tide as was Damo Darlington.
with her broom. against the waves OF
the sea. The spirit OF the age Is against
them.
Bills are pending now in the House
OF Commons, Congress, and every State
Legislature demanding the political
rights of women. In the adjustment
OF the status OF the colored voter oil the
Southern States. every Supreme Court
decision effects equally the status oil
woman. To protect him against the
tyranny OF the State, his rights as a
United States citizen are insisted on.
A recent decision in the Supreme Court
OF Georgia claims by implication that,
as q United States citizen. the colorcd
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 Tor
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 n pamphlet
entitled, THE Law of Federal SUI.
frage" opens new and broad field LOT
the discussion of women claims as
United States citizen. When Susan Is.
Anthony voted for n member OF Con
gress she had Il legal right to do SO, as
q United States citizen, under the Fed
eral Constitution. Yet she was arrest.
ed and tried-though in tho United
States District Court-as citizen oil
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 oil
Congress under the Federal COnstitu-
ton, the courts have at last conceded
the principle which women themselves
have been pressing on the considera-
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 dcop 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 "a 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 10 strengthen the liberal
party. The philanthropy OF the few
may have entered into those reforms,
but political expediency carried both
measures. Women, on tho contrary,
have fought their own battles; and in
their rebellion against existing condi-
tions. have inaugurated the most fun
damental revolution the world has ever
witnessed. The magnitude and multi
plicity OF the dangers involved mako
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. Tho rulers in the State are
not willing to share their power with a
class. equal II 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 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 probes
sions, and undermnes the power o
labor-unions in their struggles fol
shorter hours and fairer wages, by sub
stituting the cheap labor of disfran
} chised class. that Gun not organize IT.
: forces, thus making wife and sister ri
: walls OF husband and brother in the in
: dustries, TO the detriment OF botl
classes. OF the autocrat in the home
, John Stuart Mill has we'll said; "Nt
ordinary man is willing TO find at hi
) own flreside an equal in the person h
calls wife" Thus society is based OF
4 this fourfold bondage of woman, max
ing liberty and equality for her antag
$ onistic to every organized institution
Where, then. can We rest the ieve
S with which to lift one-half of humanitt,
l from those depths Of degradation
but on 'rhat columbiad OF our politica
4 life--the ballot-which makes ever,
citizen who holds it full-armed Mont
Q tort"