The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-03-26
OPPOSING FORCES.

Foes to the Cause Of Woman Suffrage-The
Source From Which the Government De-
rives It's Powers.
At the twentieth annual meeting of
the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage As
ISOLATION, the president, VIM. l. Bow
ditch. spoke as follows:
We have listened to earnest and able
speeches in behalf of woman suffrage
year after year for twenty years or
more.
1t is true, however, that there are
some classes of people whom we have
failed to convince. ~ Those men who
have real respect for women, and had
rather have them in subsection.
The want Of respect for women exhib-
tied by this class of men is commonly
vailed by thin vaneer Of outward cour-
tesy to at least some Of the sex, but the
want of real respect for the sex as
whole is plainly manifest all the same.
Such are the men who say that the So
cial evil must exist as long as the world
shall endure. White slavery in the
Barbary States, as described by Charles
Sumner, has long since ceased to exist.
Must we continue to have a far more
Qdious form Of white slavery in the
United States? This class of our oppo-
nents have no more real respect for
women than the old stakeholder had for
his female slaves, or than the ranchmen
Of to-day have for their cattle.
We say to these men, as the Lady said
TO Comus, you are not fit to hear your
selves convinced. From this class are
recruited the petty despots frequently
found in homes. If they could only be
induced to live In Russia, they might,
perhaps, find out by experience how nice
thing it Is to be governed, taxed and
punished by laws in the making Of
which they have had no hand.
We have not convinced (2) those who
believe in the right Of men to govern
women simply because they have been
born men, i. g., those who believe in an
aristocracy Of birth.
Our Declaration OF Rights tells US that
"the idea of man born a magistrate,
law-giver or judge is absurd and unnat-
ural." In other words, our Governors
and Legislatures admit that it is absurd
and unnatural that the right to be q
magistrate, law-giver or Judge should
depend upon the accident of birth. Is
it not, then, the very height of absurd
ity, and the most unnatural thing in the
world for us to say as we do that ma
jority Of the people can not be either
magistrates, law-givers or judges simply
because they have happened to be born
women?
We have not convinced (3) Plutocrats,
or those who believe merely in the possess
sion Of money and the social position
and power which grows out Of such pos
session.
Such are NE married men who, having
abundance o. money, nevertheless COM
pei their wives (who work for them
without wageQ to beg for every dollar
they need for hei. own personal wants.
When such menemploy laboring women,
they treat themes hands to be worked
as long and as Sheaply as possible, in
stead Of considering them as human be-
ings with souls md minds to be Guilt
waited and hearts I'd be cheered. Milton
tells us that Manmon was the least
erected spirit that fell. The fitting
medallion for this Nlass of opponents,
considered as an orfr of knighthood,
would be the clumsy ilver dollar, with
its lying legend, 'In Cod we trust" be-
cause the coin is really worth in the sill.
yer market far less thanits face value.
Our dollar is coined aid stamped and
made legal tender for onI hundred cents
for the payment Of dets although il
now has only trife pver seventy
three cents worth Of silver in its
composition. In our zNl for this
God in whom we trust We
hunt down and imprison conterfeiters,
and vet it is an actual fact No-day tina,
counterfeiters can make better look
ING coin, with more real silres7 il thar
our standard silver dollar ha, and YET
make money. We have not on7inced
these people. among other reaons. be
cause, like the silver dollar, hey are
worth for all the bene6cient purposes o.
life far less than their face vaue, fol
they are really next Of kin to tn, leas
erected spirit who fell.