The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-14
WHEN a WOMAN IS PRESIDENT.
Such q Possibility Does Not Open Up Ave
nues For Wild Alarm.

The state referred to by this Roman
Catholic magazine is of course our own
republic, for women have often been at
the head of monarchical states, and at
this very time Victoria is the nominal
ruler OF Great Britain; but, as it saws, in
such states "the advent of woman to
the kingly or imperial throne was the
result of dynastic exigelicy. In the
case of lady president of the American
republic it would be the outcome of
constitutional revolution"
Moreover, the queens and expresses.
Zenobia, Catherine, Maria Theresa and
the rest, had only men for counselors.
GA lady president with feminine cabi-
net is the possibility here, if the polit-
ical rule is transferred to the feminine
majority, which already exists in the
older states. and which, before woman
suffrage is granted, will probably exist
in the Union generally. If women vote,
they will be eligible to. all political Of
fees, elective or appointive.
If woman ever becomes president of
the United States, there Will be nothing
to prevent her from having feminine
cabinet, and it is reasonable to suppose
nay, it is inevitable-that she will have
women in her cabinet and will appoint
women to other offices-as ambassadors
abroad, as judges and in all the depart
ments of the civil service. If the mill
tary service is allowed to continue I'M
der feminine rule, she may reserve its
harsh duties for men only, though per
haps there are places on the staff for
which she would regard women as fitted
Of course if we had woman president
we should be sure to have women in con-
gress.
1t is on this account that Professor
Goodwin Smith opposes woman suffrage
III England. He says that it would i'm
ply the substitution of Il feminine for
masculine policy, and such a change he
regards rs perilous to the welfare of the
state. Women. being in the majority in
England, would hold the whip hand po-
litically. They could do us they pleased
if they had the suffrage. They could
rule the state in their own way, and as
majorities have always insisted on exer-
cising the supreme power whenever it
has been within their reach Professor
Goodwin Smith assumes that the fem
mime majority in England would be no
exception to the rule. Having the op-l
portunlty to govern, they would i'm
prove it by governing after their own
pleasure. They would introduce a dis
tinctively feminine policy as distin-
guished from the masculine policy of the
past, fears and forecasts this serious pro-
fessor. He is afraid to be put at the
mercy of women
Such possibility in this republic does
not brighten us, and apparently it does
not brighten The Catholic World. Sim
liar evil representations were made as
to the consequence to society of the en-
largement of the sphere" of women.
The enlargement has come, but the
dreaded result has not followed. Won
ell are not "unsexed." They still WELD
the most gracious and wholesome and
elevating power in society, and if the
time comes, or when the time comes
that they are allowed to bring their in
huence to bear directly on the state by!
means of the suffrage, we have no fear
that they will misuse that influence
As The Catholic World says, 1.-The
world is made up of men ana women.
and whatever is best for the common in
terest of both is the one great and per-
petual principle of human polity."
Women are no more the enemi IS of men
than are men of women. One of the
women who discuss the subject in de-
partnent which that magazine has
opened for its treatment by Catholic
feminine writers adds to this the sound
philosophy that there are no 'distinct-
ly feminine as apart from human in
terests to be agitatcd for" For that
reason she does not want the suffrage,
but for the same reason woman suffrage
cannot produce or promote conflict Of
interest between men and women, be-
cause by, the law of nature their in
terests are identical. The management
OF the affairs of the state will remain
with those fittest to exercise the powers
and discharge the functions of govern
ment, whether they be men or women.
New York Sun