Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1890-10-04
Demand the Ballot At Once.

Demand the Ballot At Once.
Editor of Womans Chronicle
No one who has noted the antagonism that has
attended the progress Of women, can doubt the
truth of the statement contained in your reply to
the Memphis Sunday Times that her advancement
is "not the result of accident but of the SER
vices and sacrifices of ga few noble women" 1t
is to such as Mrs. Stanton and Miss Anthony that
woman is indebted for the partial recognition she
has received, and the constantly increasing light
that is now rapidly dspeling the msts that for
ages have ehveloped her in obscurity and con-
demned her to a condition of abject slavery. If
we calmly sswato for the tide of events to remove
our shackes we may wait until every hair in our
head is white, and grim death finally knocks at the
door, and the solemn summons must be obeyed
with the amentable conviction that for us the day.
star of liberty has shone in vain, and we must
leave our daughters to be the wretched slaves that
we have been. Let us encourage the women who
are in the van and do our own humble part the
best we can, and the very least that any woman
can do, is to demand the ballot at once. The
futility of prayers petitions, hattery and strategy
has been shown, and it only remains to demand
suffrage as a natural right, based upon the self
evident declaration that, governments derive
their just powers from the consent OF the gov
erned.'' We are repeatedly told that woman, as
voter, would be "out of her sphere" but what
of the women and girls that are daily taking the
places of men In the field of labor? What of the
$4,000 women in New York City (and perhaps
like proportion in other places, who are support
ing their husbands? What of the army of girls
who must have Spartan souls, to resist life of
degradation as the only alternative from beggary or
starvation? Very little is said about such as these
being out of their proper sphere. But it is not
only for the sake of our oppressed, half-paid and
helpless sisters that we desire representation in the
halls of legislation, but for the elevation of hui
manity as a whole "for none of woman born can
choose but drain the bitter dregs of woe, which
ever from the oppressed to the oppressor flow"
Again, we have been accused by noted Sena-
tor of being "emotonal," and therefore unfit to
exercise the right of suffrage. If we grant, for
the sake of argument, that woman represents the
sympathetic side of humanity, and man the intel
lectual side of humanity, then great is the need OF
concerted action, for it is the blending of the quail
tiles of head and heart that constitutes perfection
But while woman's nature is replete with the
sssweet mercy, that the prince of poet tells us is
'nobility's true badge" it has also been demon
strated to the satisfaction of all reasonable minds
that she is no Ounce, either in or out OF school.
The himsy excuses5t that our opponents have form
ulated have one by one been swept away, and now
they can only family calculate "wait.' But the
scomng woman" aurel-crowned, and the
acknowledged peer of her brother, man, cannot
longer be held in the background.
FANNIE G. JACKSON.