Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-06-11
For the Ellsworth American.I
Some Thoughts about Woman Suffrage.

Some Thoughts about Woman Suffrage.
| have read with much interest the arti-
cles on woman's ballot pro and con which
have appeared from time to time in the
columns Of the AMERICAN. and now with
the editors permission would like to ex-
press few thoughts of my own suggested
by III. W's" article in the issue of May
2lst, though contrary to his prediction
shall not indulge in wrath and curses"
Indeed have observed that the advocates
OF woman suffrage seldom resort to the
use Of such weapons. having an abundant
supply Of more dignifed ones.
And first wish to speak of subject
about which II. w. announces that we say
very little, viz, children. Is he aware that
in only six states of the Union is the
mother considered equal owner with the
father Of her children? And does he know
that in some states the father can will
away child either before or after birth,
or bind him out, as may chance to suit his
caprice? Or did it ever occur to him that
any woman who has the least instinct of
motheriness in her heart must be strong
ly influenced by the knowledge that only
in Wyoming and Kansas, the two states
where women vote, has the age of pro-
lection for girls been raised to eighteen
years, while the legislators of Delaware
regard 8 child Of seven years as capable of
giving intelligent consent to her own ruin.
The best women of Delaware have repeat
edly but vainiy petitioned for the raising
of the age, but II the statute makers were
responsible to a constituency composed
partly of women, 50 disgraceful . law
would be changed at short notice.
II. W does not speak in very compliment
tary terms of women who have desired the
ballot. | would, however, remind him
that those to whom he refers as "derangtrs
OF social doctrine" ana "Amazons" include
such women a. Mrs. Browning whose
welded life was almost ideally perfect,
Mrs. Liycrmore who "mothered' so many
brave soldier boys in the dark days of our
Civil War, Julia Ward Howe, Florence
Nightingale that "womauly woman"
Frances Willard, and "A host Of others
whom all good men and women delight to
honor. II Is moreover fact worthy of
mention that the first American woman
who l. known 70 have advocated woman
suffrage was Mr. Adams. The wife OF one
President of thc United States and the
mother ~ another the only woman ui
our country % honorrd
II W objects 70 woman ballot uu the
ground that It would produce domestic
li>cor,i, claiming that the argument that
men ami women ho.i,u. divers" tArulng
81 ylrw- ltvr happily together N"u.t upt
apply IN political Iirrru,s~ ~ say,
that while the foundations 80 religion are
love AMI union la politics all Is rivalry
and cum.iy Bu' has H, forgotten the
long ,tnry ~ persecution tpr conscience e.
,Sky aui thc bittrr rcl gipu~ wars ~ hl--
tnrya AnI { n.y. ultimate Purr'~e %
those VITO Au.l .if, rrut religious belief.
: to improve the IndI, ,lua, D., not the
purpr~, % every ,ur who Ia, worthy
cuucryuuu Il politics which ny the way
means 'hr -,itucr NJ government ,h,.
rrurr; ~ the >tatr Ia my own city a
very lArg- uumhrr ~ wpmrn hold pnstiral
opinions which Iircr from those ~ their
husbands and y,i a, II would say. |
have not heard Of al application FOR
ii. rcc On the ground IL mc"mpatInuiiy
~ political ryhcf- ID fact many II these.
same men in private conversation freely
admit that their wives are about right
after all and seem L. hope that The belief
If the wife IN some my-teriou, way "sanc-
tlf,~ The husband" Women now have TO
let their fathers husbands and sons vote
as they choose, AMI It j. 8 poor rule that
won't work both ways. Then woman
always feels pleasant after she has freed
her miLd," and vote is certainly the most
telling way in which ones wishes can be
expressed.
II. w. further claims that when women
vote, men will be less chivalrous toward
them, and that in our large cities "thc
scenes around our polling places would be
even more tainted with bribery, intmida-
tion and crime than they are at present" "
But women are ictHaHy rotiHy at all elec-
tions iu Wyoming, at municipal ones in
Kansas, and on school questions in many
states, and the result has been quite the
opposite. In Kansas City at the spring
election all the candidates were so "chiyal-
rou," that they provided carriages to take
the ladies to the polls, but who ever heard
OF voteless women receiving such atten-
tions when circulating petitions for some
needed measure: The leading men Of
Wyoming testify that the presence of wom-
en- at the polls has potent influence for
sobriety and that all parties are compelled
to select their best meu as candidates as
the women will scratch the names of those
whose characters do not pass muster. H.
w. seems to think that women are not
only 10 better than men but somcw hat
the Sin of Eve as being prior to and greater
than that of Adam. As he is so fond Of
the book Of Genesis, would call his atten-
tion to the first part of the 18th verse of
chapter 3rd where God said to the serpent
the perSoniiication of evil, land | will put
enmity between thee and the woman"
Surely woman is fast fulfilling the pro-
phecy, for is she not attacking evil every
where to the great annoyance of the politi-
cal wire pullers? And just here, think,
is the real difficulty, as II. W. goes on to
say, Under the exercising of female
suffrage we may readily suppose that many
measures would be adopted Incompatible
with the wishes Of man. Extreme legisla-
ton would surely follow; stringent pro-
hibition might be put on all the statute
books, as well as laws in regard to to-
bscco" He claims that since woman is
physically weaker than man, she could not
enforce the laws she had made. But if
physical strength, mere brute force, is the
chief requisite in government, men should
be elected to office for their muscles in
stead of their brains, and John Sullivan
ought to have been President of the United
States, Moreover no one proposes that
the right Of suffrage should be taken away
from men and given to women, but that
these two halves of humanity shonld share