The herald., 1894-05-20
THE OPPOSITION.
Movement Organized by Brooklyn Women
to Defeat Woman Suffrage.


Movement Organized by Brooklyn Women
to Defeat Woman Suffrage.
A movement has been organized
among women of Brooklyn to protest
against woman suffrage, for reasons ex-
planned in an address to the constitu-
tional convention, for which signatures
will be soughs by wide circulation.
These reasons are summed up in the
statement that as the suffrage is duty
rather than a privilege, and as it in
wolves logically the holding of office, it
would impose on women burden which
they ought not to be asked to bear, and
which they cannot bear without neglect
ing other duties more important to So
ciety.
This is unquestionably reasonable
objection, and without doubt it has
been made and still is made by many of
the women of the state. Until within
very short time it has been the prevail
ing feminine sentiment, the women ex-
pressing any desire for the suffrage hav
ing been only small number whose
long agitation for political equality with
men was regarded by the rest with aver
sion or total indifference. Only since
the election of the constitutional con-
vention has the subject received the ia
vorable attention Of any considerable
body of women who can be said to rep
resent any general and conservative fem
mime sentiment. Before there was no
justification for thinking seriously of
the innovation, but now the petitions
for the suffrage which will come before
the constitutional convention will ex-
press the wishes of SO great number of
the intelligent women of the state that
they will cause the question to be de-
bated in that body with gravity and
thoroughness-
Such protest as that made by those
Brooklyn women will also carry great
weight, for it is foun led Oil tho reasons
for which women are debarred from the
suffrage in the constitution as it is, and
of course the burden of proving that
they are unsound and unnecessary rests
on the other side. Opposition to the pro-
posed change, therefore, will in the ma
ture of things be more effective than its
advocacy, if it comes from women suf-
ficiently numerous to indicate that they
express wide feminine sentiment
1t will be much easier to defeat WON
an suffrage in the convention than to
induce the delegates to vote for an in
novation so radical that it amounts to
political revolution. Feminine opposi-
ton is accordingly the danger of which
the woman sufragists have reason to be
most afraid If they cannot show to the
convention that the preponderance of
the most representative feminine senti-
nent is with them, and If they cannot
overcome the enmity of women, they
will not succeed. If they can present
united front, they will find compare
lively little hostility among men.
The suffrage imposes duty on the
citizen. 1t makes him partner in the
business Of tho state, and if he fails to
exercise it no is false to tho trust and the
obligation laid on him. There is no
question about that II women say that
the weight of their domestic obliga-
tions is too great to permit them to
carry the additional load of pokticM
duties, SO that perferce they must neg.
lect the performance OF these latter,
eliCiA PhouCps 10 bttpCA Oi BLOudQo WIlCA
are important 1t is true that the an
swer might be made that the suffrage is
not conferred for the advantage of the
individual citizen, but for the advan-
tage Of the state, and that private con-
venience and even desire must be subor-
dinated to the public interests. If it ia
for the welfare of the state that the duty
of the franchise should be imposed on
women, they ought of course to share 1t
with men, but if their aversion to the
duty is SO far unconquerable that they
are not likely to perform it the public
good requires that they shall remain
DISTINGUISHED until they are of a differ
emit disposition.
If, then, this Brooklyn movement
shall extend and become large, it will
be the most serious obstacle to woman
suffrage which has yet risen. That in
novation and that political revolution
can be prevented only by the opposition
of women themselves. If women are
willing to undertake and to discharge
the duty of voting they can have it at
the hands of men, but IL in great mum.
bers they resent its imposition as an un-
just hardship men will not compel them
to submit to it.-New York Sun.