Asheville daily citizen., 1894-12-22
:. Z. wHIrLoCK A PRIZEwINNER.
His Essay ON Woman's suffrage Was
Adiudged the Best.

His Essay on Woman's suffrage Was
Adjudged the Best.
The competition for the So prize offered !
Tor the best essay il favor of woman's
suffrage has closed aud the award made
The four best essays were submitted by
Victor L. Whitlock, Frank Plunkett.
Louise Beverly Northrup and Cornelia
Dabney Ramseur. All of these have
been pronounced excellent by competent
critics. but Mr.. Whitlock is victor in a
double sense. his essay being adjudged
the most forcibe and finished in express
sion.
Perhaps the most forcible passages in
Mr.. Whitlock's essay, all of which are
highly creditable to one Of his years, are
the flowing;
The Interests of women in this coun.
try are sufficiently important to justify
their repr, sentation in the powers OF
government, Principals should not be
compellyd d 70 act through agents when
they are themselves able to act and
ready to do so. 1t is contrary to our
inherited Auglo-Saxon genius for por-
tion of the population to be denied
fair aud equitable representation, and
history has proven the soundness of the
proposition that the very basis of good
government is founded upon the fact
that taxation aud representation are
properly corelative.
The general intelligence of the women
&c ANA . ,,,I, ,aI. 4
that of the opposite sex; and there l.
every evidence that they are sufficiently
educated to enable them them to form
an intelligent and discriminating opin
ion upon social and political questions.
The recent election in Colorado, where
the issues were purely political. is strong
proof of this. la that State they were
not slow TO rcpudiate the unsound doc
triats of one Of the political parties. and
the overW helming victory TOR the oppo-
site party towing, admittedly, to the
woman vote) showed them to be fully
apahe ot appreciating the principles OF
good government. Another noticeable
result OF this election was that the pro-.
portion Of iguoraat and venal voters
was not il creased, as The anti.sutfragists 5
predicted.
That most sacred of all the rights OF
| a c,t!z,n under a free aud democratic
| governneut-th right to vote-is eX.
trciscd by the tramp, the pauper, the
! ignorant negro. the immigrant unable
/ to fairly appreciate our institutions
These are some of the persons who NAV
( share the sovereignty of the State. But
your wives, your mothers, your daugh.
lers, your sisters, these women who are
American cltlzcns, YOUR equals in every
way aud fully capable of exercising the
iauchist-th,y are denied it. Surely nc
man who has at heart the welfare OF his
country, vino believes in dong justice tC
all mankind, can give his approval tC
such state Of affairs
"Byv,rtuc OF their natural disposition
women are possessed of certain qualitit.
that will serve to make them very useiu
i'll public affairs. Their ideas and habit.
are conservative; thew seem to have al
innate love OF economy and horror o
Wastcttlness in any form; and with thei
natural simplicity OF Judgment besides
the logical tendency where women ART
permitted to- vote would be toward de
mauding officials OF the highest integrity
and to ensure a careful and economical
administration of government"
The influence OF women in every
sphere OF life is clevatiug and denno bling il
its power, What reason is there for be
litving that it will be less so in politics ?
" here would he a marked effect upol
the llliterate vote of both sexes. 1ntelli
gent women will properly guide thei
''nnrant sisters. and their influence upo
III lie voters would be very appreciable.
AT present women are aliens in thei
own land; Just when they have ATTAINED
their greatest social capacity, they ar
subject to the greatest political inferior
'ty. Such an 1namulv should not exis
IN this enlightened age"