St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-10
A BRUTAL EDITORIAL
Sharply Rebuked by an InteIIi-
gent Woman.

Sharply Rebuked by an InteIIi-
gent Woman.
Tothe Editor of the Globe.
am somewhat bewildered and great
ly astonislied over an editorial in last
Sundays Pioneer Press--"Woman's
Suffrage in Colorado" Astonished that
IN these enlightened days any news
paper man would be SO blind to the
signs OF the times as the writer of that
article seems to be.
When reading tile silly screed strung
on bent wire of thought there rose up
wildly before my mind's eye scene
and conversation which took place in
private parlor at the St. Nicholas
hotel in New York city in the sum-
Snper Of 1S55-a long and earnest
talk over the political situation and
the presidential campaign then in
progress, and the present as well as fut-
uFe status of the negro race. Finally
Stephen A. Douglas arose from his
chair, and. walking the length of the
room, turned and said to my father, in
his earnest. forcible manner:
9 81 tell you, MIR. S-,itis impossible:
he cannot understand or appreciate
freedom; as race they have no intel
jlectuai powers or capacity for self-gov-
ernment. They never will be free."i
" You are wrong, senator, T" was
my fathers reply. IL shall live not
only to see them free people, but citi-
Zens of these United States"
My fathers words were prophetic.
He did live to see them free, and also
citizens of the United States.
Ali the actors in that social-political
discussion but myself have long been
restingin the silent cities of the dead.
This editorial brought back TO me
long-forgotten incident of my happy
young girlhood. What was then
thought and said about the negro race
Is now being written and said about
women, the female race.
The negro race has demonstrated Its
powers of intellectual strength, its ca
pacIty for self-goyernment. and ability
10 enjoy, as we'll as appreciate personal
freedom. The race has had hard road
TO travel, but it has pressed steadily on
ward and upward the hill of discourage
ment, bigOtry and intolerance and has
tolerance, as well as respectful treat
ment as citizens of the United States.
in every state of the Union.
Ii the negro race of male slaves has
been able to clearly demonstrate and
practically prove its fitness to be
granted and endowed with all the im!nu-
mites and privileges of citizenship,
why cannot the female race also be
conceded to have the same moral intel
llgence and mental capacity for self
government?
Ii the low grade of Italian immi-
grants, the veriest scum of all Northern
European nations Of the male race,
have moral Intelligence and mental ca
paclIy enough 10 be granted and ell
bowed with the franchise, and ac-
cepted without protest as citizens of
the state, WHY cannot the natlve-born
American woman of Revolutionary
colonial antecedents, we'll read, we'll
bred, and thoroughly educated as she
necessarily must be, be looked upon
and considered the moral, intellectual
equal of the illiterate and vicious
foreign element. and to have some in
telllgence, intellectual, moral, mental
capaclty-enOugh to enable her also to
oeladmltted into the political house
hold as citizen of the United States.
endowed with the franchise, and en-
titled TO all the privileges and immuni-
ties of citizenship?
Isn't it statutes based upon senti-
ment" which open wide political arms,
and unDar state doors and locked gates
to cordially welcome a"political murder
Grand fugitive from Justice" endow him
with the franchise and inducts him into
the sacred privacy of the United States
tn mil
-'tioD as to his qualifications all the privi-
leges and immunities of citizenship,
without any reference to the stipula-
tons OF the federal law OF naturaliZa-
tons, section 2165. section 2167, section
2170?
Ii our editorial censor in the Pioneer
Press, VINO is so horri6ed over the mere
idea OF the female race being considered
Intelligent enough.Or mentally qualified
to exercise the rights Of citizenship in
the state of Colorado. will calmly look at
the condition of affairs close at home
lying across the Republican threshold
OF his own political lawmaking house
hold, he Will, Pm afraid, find some SEN
timental lawmaking and constitutional
tlnkerlng in his own state, enough TO
wake him up out of his Rip Van Win
kleian sleep. his dreams on paper re-
gardlpg woman suffrage IN general: for,
il am not very much mistaken, there is
a clause i'll the state constitution which
endows any European vagabond or
fugitive from Justice who has "been in
the state of Minnesota four months, in
the United States one year. to vote at
any election within the state''?
1.-The Pioneer Press disbeIleves in
woman suffrage for reasons that are
fundamental"
Undoubtedly because she is woman,
one Of the female race.
because it does recognize that she
differs from man, and that no law OF
custom or sentiment can transform that
difference into Identity" I'll
For centuries it was the customs In
India to burn widows with the bodies of
their dead husbands. Would the Pho
neer continue that custom?
Our censorious friend on the Pioneer
must have met. associated with and
been brought into daily, hourly associa-
ton with very singular class and
grade of the female1ace to have arrived
at this stupendOuS conclusion of the in
eradlcable difference of sex which con-
stituteS a wOman'S mental inferiOrity to
the male immigrant-the Italian, the
Hungarian, the Polack, for instance
for he goes on to say: mo amount
of progress, and no amplest recogni-
ton of the equality of the sexes in
dignity, and the superiority Of women
in many of the highest traits of human
nature, will ever alter the fact that the
physical difference of sex is the sign and
basis of mental difference, difference
meaning not inferiority, but only unlike.
ness of function, and a difference in
their assigned places in social and po-
iitical Development
rhe mountain labored dhe gigantic
editorial brain moved). and 10, there is
brought forth mouse.
1t is true there is difference betwee
man and and woman; a difference of
physical construction and social assign