The sun., 1891-06-12

mOuest unu ulRntHeu mhVrOns W cnko&o IA
unseemly strife;" but at last perslstency In
the outrage compels them to speak out.
| So far from being dissatisfied with the
government OF men. say the remonstrants,
they have "no real or just cause OF public
grievance" In the State OF Illinois "the
rights Of women, In regard to such interests
as those OF property and the guardianship
Of children, are already equal to those OF
men," Men have done better for women
than women could have done for themselves.
This Is true beyond q question. The legis-
lation Of Illinois, and OF the States generally,
by which the rights OF women are 30 fully
protected, was enacted because Of mems
watchfulness over their interests. and not
under the pressure Of any women's rights
movement. It expressed the desire Of men
to guard the interests OF their wives
and daughters, themselves incapable
OF understanding what their interests
are. While the women's rights agitators
were dealing In generalltics, the men legis-
lators addressed themselves to the task OF
providing particular and practicable safe-
guards for women, Of which only the sagacity
and foresight OF men could see the value
and Importance. From first to last, all the
legislation OF real and substantial advantage
to women has been OF masculine suggestion
only; and 1t would have been framed II there
had been no women's rights agltators.
The remonstrants also denounce the agi-
tators for urging "our young women to
turn their backs upon the home and its
pursuits, and to become wage earners In
public fields Of labor. in order that they
may become Independent Of marriage and
lead lives which seem to us full OF
peril. both physical and moral" The
soundcr ground for this opposition is
that In such fields Of labor women must
always compete with men and be beaten in
the competition. That is. they must work
for less. and hence the introduction OF
their labor tends to lower the earning ca
pacity Of masculine labor. The quality OF
women's labor, though inferior, may be
good enough to drive out great num-
bers OF men fnom some employments.
with the consequence that the ability
Of men to support women Is dimin-
ished by so much. That, Of course.
is unfavorable to marriage, the true condi-
ton for q woman, and the state to which
she looks forward with most hopefulness.
Women do not want to make themselves in
dependent Of marriage, whether they are
wage earners or not. They want to be mar
ried, and their complaint is that men are
not so generally OF that disposition.
These remonstrants, accordingly, have q
strong argument on their side in the actual
situation Of society, and in the sentiment OF
the great mass OF women. They can gain
hundred feminine allies while the woman
sufrragists are getting one. They represent
womanhood in general, and the Others no
other women than themselves. Hence they
are the most dangerous organized enemies
the suffraglsts have ever encountered.
The opposition to womens voting does
not come from men. So far as men are con-
cerned. women can have the ballot whenever
they ask for 1t. The opposition is feminine,
and resistless. since it Is almost unanimous.
Accordingly. the Illinois Legislature has
again rejected the woman suffrage meas
ure. which comes up at every session and IL
always defeated.