The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-22
SUFFRAGE A NATURAL RIGHT.



that the ground taken by the one who wrote
was that man is the governing SEX ant
woman the subordinate. We are SO accustome'
| to define government as brute force-and then
because the male sex furnishes the soldiers. tn
police the various prison officials, Pinkertol
detectives, who, up to date, do not seem to b
smenable to laws against murder. conspiracy
and train wrecking-take it for granted that tn
principle OF government must be arbitraril.
defined and bounded and limited to masculin,
dictation and operation.
Unfortunately for those who cherish THU
assumption the facts of history are agains
them. Cleopatra, Elizabeth and Victoria o
England, and numerous other queens provee
themselves to be powerful and efficient rulers
The facts of history are against them.
The truth is, government In its interior and
enduring sensc-and the only sense from which
it can be philosophically considered and dis
eussed-lneans great deal more than knock ine
down and dragging out. and killing and ''boss
ing on the part of those who are clothed with
so-called authority" Every decade is putting
this species of government farther and still far
ther in the background and bringing more to the
front that kind whose essential elements are
friendly diplomacy and consideration In
national councils, and love, persuasiveness and
appeals to a sense of justice in the family,
among individuals and in ecclesiastical affairs.
The priest who would now attempt to chastise
his members with rawhide-as was frequently
the case in this country fifty years ago-would
himself be thrashed by his flock and lose his
parish besides. The school teacher who will
cruelty fog small children in school is very
likely to be ''bouncea" by the school board, ii
not legally dealt with for assault. The parents
who use the ''rod" with vigorous frequency on
their little ones are regarded as brutes and de-
spised by other parents, and if they 60 to ex-
tremes are sometimes deprived OF the guardian
ship of their own children.
1t did not used to be so. In any really civil
lied community the idea Of investing either
sex with the governing prerogative is I'M
natural, inhuman and sbsurd-simply q relic Of
barbarism.
In any well ordered family the mother-other
things being equal-has more to do with the do
nestle government than the father, because the
chlldren-from their first copception-are far
more subject to her moulding and directing in
fuence than to that of the father.
Every intelligent and candid man will admit
this. And this is why every honorable and
sensitive man will sooner resent slight or an
insult upon his mother than he will the same
slight or insult to his father This il also why
the blood of any high-minded and honest male
biped will fairly boil with indignation when,
in case of separation, a court of Law steals and
tears young child from its mothers arms and
awards the custody of it to the father. The
governing quality belongs to the one who
governs most wisely and effectively, and no
human law can permanently abrogate or mod
ify this fundamental law of nature
The governing instinct is composed of quail
ties and virtues which are the common inherit
ance of human nature without regard to sex.
And the whole tendency of the age is to give
these qualities and virtues their free and
untrammeled expression, no matter whether
they inhere most in some particular
man or woman. To war against this
tendency and trend, and attempt to set up
che" and "she" sign-boards, such as sThis is a
man." or "This is woman" or "Keep of the
grass" is to wage war against the genius of hui
man progress.
The family may be the "unit of society" and
man the illegal head" of the family, but nature
has instituted a dual head with which sex has
nothing whatever to do, unless it may be in
favor of the mother as regards the real govern
ing and directing influence. This antsdiluvian
nonsense that a widow-instead Of remaining
the legal "hesd" of family of children, with
whose governing and destiny she very likely
had far more to do than the husbands only
the "relict' of dead man, and that Q maiden
lady who never happened to get merged into
some creature less capable and worthy than her
self, is "no good" because she has not climbed
the lofty ladder leading to the family "unit"
summit OF existence, is fast getting into disre-
pute."
When 1t disappears altogether we shall
see women-as fast as they furnish
credentials based on merit and ca
pability, rather than the "he" or "she"
distinction-preaching, lecturing, healing and
engaging in any calling into which her tastes
and talents may cali her, including voting and
governing.
And why not?
When it is assumed that woman should no.
vote because "voting is not a natural but
conferred right" we say, in substance, that q
woman has no right to form and hold an opinion
touching matters that effect her in common
with man.
Certainly an opinion can have no vitality
when denied an expression.
II in government OF, for, and by the people
the right to vote is not natural but is only q
conferred right, will some wise person please in
form us who it was that first conferred 1t upon
Americans of the masculine gender?
Was it the king or parliament of England, or
was it the American congress?
In either case let us ask who first conferred 1t
upon either of these, and IL the original
''pateut has not expired?
Perhaps it came directly down from heaven
in fiery chariot drawn by celestial stations
driven by angelic Jehus, who in turn placed
the lines in the hands of few men who were
loafng around for q job.
calcmined fact is, tbat-like the "divine right
of knight is simply an assumed right, and
nothing else And being an assumed right,
those who "got in first" and presumed to crowd
Others out at their sweet will and pleasure are
now, by virtue OF first possession" brute
strength aud human ''cheek"-and not by virtue
of reason and extraordinarily Withholding
1t from Others, including one-hau of the adult
members of society who are equal partners In all
that goes to make up human veal and woe
And this is about the size, shape, smell and
taste of this whole question, and no amount Of
sophistry can make it appear otherwise.
II is true that woman's attitude before the law
has been greatly enhanced through legislation
during the past quarter of acentury. But il has
only been accomplished In response to constan.
and persistent prodding and pleading on the
part OF women who are called .eceeptric,'
sgitators, and who are not supposed to know
what is good for the mass OF their sisters who
are frequently more interested in bustles than
ballots.
The fact that "woman is not the same" az man
has no more to do with her place in the snbere
of law making than the fact that man is ..not
the same as womsn. Coffee and tea ara not
the same, yet a rule they go well mixed.
Possibly politics-which cannot be much
worse than at present-may be improved through
the blending of the two sexes
The only state where the compound has had
anything like fair trial is Wyoming, where it
has, to my certain knowledge, worked admirably.
The question is very simple one, and only
requires straightforward, candid treatment
from the standpoint OF naked justice and yerac.
tv
Let US be honest. Honesty-like labor-savinp
maehinery-may be q little expensive at frSt
but we will soon adjust ourselves to il. and IL
viii pay in the end, for it will save US from an
increasing tendency to complication and suhte-.
fuge such as every fundamental lie-no matter
how plsusble-is compelled to take on as a .ub-