The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-11-24

CONDUCTED ny MRS. NJ. L. HOBBS.
One Of a Hundred.

I
lent to give in this paper the best argt
ments in favor OF giving the ballot I
woman. On this point we are a it'll
bit like a western judge. A case va
called ia court, and the defendant nc
appearing. the judge turned to the dc
iendants counsel and aaid, "What rea
son, sir. have you TO offer for the fsilur
OF your client 10 appear?" Judge,
said the lawyer, IL have fourteen goo,
reasons 10 offer for the absence of M
client this morning" The Judge tol,
told him 10 proceed. In the first place
your honor, my client 10 dead" A
this point the judge interrupted him al,
said, ut will not lie necessary for you I.
give the other thirteen reasons
There are one hundred good reason
we could offer why women should hav.
the ballot, but we feel like the judg.
that after the first one is presented i
will not be necessary 10 give the othel
ninety and nine.
The first reason we have TO present is
that the ballot belongs 10 woman "a an
inherent right, and there is no power on
earth that can withhold it from her ex-
cept by usurpation and tyranny.
The ballot is either the inherent right
OF the citizen, a right conferred on him
by the Almighty when he created all
men equsl, and endow ed them with cer-
tain inslienable rights. or else no on.
has any right TO the ballot whatsoever.
To say that the government can confer
the right upon those that are governed,
is 9 logical absurdity. for the govern
ment is created by the people, aud there
fore IL the people have rights only as
the government confers such rights up
on them. then the creator Ube people)
must receive rights from that which they
have created (the government)
Such theory can be equsled only by
the besotted ignorance Of the heather,
who hold that their gods which they
have carved with their own hands, can
confer blessings, power. rights and pro-
lection ,pon t',m.
Now. then, il the right to the ballot
Dheres in the citizen. il IL be one of those
nsliensble rights with which God has
the people. then il il as much
the right of the woman as the man
There is therefore no possible argument
which can be usid against womsn's
exercise Of the ballot but will apply
with equrl force against the exercise Of
Ihst right b, man.
All the tax we hear in the papers
about giving" the right Of franchise to
he women. or 10 any body else, is pure
nonsense. There is no power on earth
hat can confer tn" right OF franchise.
The very terms themselves show the
hing TO be ridiculous; rights cannot be
conferred; they exist. Privileges can
be conferred by the greater to the less,
but never by the less TO the grcaler.
The people may confer privileges upon
The Legislature, but the legislature can
not confer privileges upon the people.
The exercise off, right may be inter-
fered with, but such interference does
not remove the right itself God has
endowed all his creatures with an in
llienable right TO lie, liberty and the
pursuit Of happiness. The strong arm
lyrsnt may deny TO the people the exer-
.ise OF this right, but be cannot remove
the right. That which is inalienable
cannot be alienated. SO with the ballot
Il is necessarily an inherent and inalien-
able right or IL has no existence what
ever. The right therefore cannot be
or removed. but its exercise
may by brute force be interfered with.
Men having by force acquired the
possession OF the citadel Of the govern
neut, have by brute force prevented
he women from exercising this inalien.
.ble right conferred by God. but the
light has existed ell the time. and the
with the exercise Of the
light has In all times been an outrage.
What is now needed, is not that the
shall "confer" upon the
women the right OF suffrage, for thst
Exists and always has existed, but that
men shall cease from unlawlully and
interfering with her exercise
,f that inaliensble right, with which
God has endowed her
The problem before US IL not, "Shsll
We do the favor 2" but "Shsll we cease
o do the wrong?" Not "Shsll we con.
er the privilege ~ but "Shall we cease
O interfere with the exercise of a
light 2" Not "Shsll we grant liberty? r.
,ut "Shsll we cease TO exercise oppres-
ion ?"
The first OF the one hundred reasons
herefore "Why women should have the
,allot" 10 thst no one hss the right to
prevent her, and this reason 10 ." COM
,lete and 90 sufficient that 1t will not TO
,e worth while for as to occupy our
esders' time by giving the other ninety
md nine.
-
1t Stands Alone.