Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-08

| iect to their husbands is often appealed
to, to justify Withholding their rights
from women; but it as equally appealed
to, to justify the perpetuation OF Amerl-
can slavery. Nonsense. If authorita-
tive in the one case, it must be equally SO
| in the other.
Paul was speaking to people with the
environment of his time, and there is no
evidence that he had a Divine commission
even to speak to and for them, much less
for us. There has not been a wrong
righted during the whole progress of the
worlds enlightenment that the worlds
reformers did not find its chief buttress
some pretended or assumed authority of
the Bible If the Bible were as bad as
many of its self-constituted champions
and expounders pretend and really sus-
tanned all the injustice, superstition and
tyranny which they proclaim, should say,
let justice stand, even if the book has to
90, for justice is an attribute of the
Almighty.
| QO) The obstinate opponents of the
enfranchisement of women, when driven
from every outpost of objection, are sure
to fall back into the main works and rally
under banner inscribed Women should
not vote, because they cannot fight as
soldiers. - They forget the Deborahs and
Joans of Arc of history But l confess l
have little respect for and patience with
this assumption, sometimes miscalled
an argument.
If it were enforced without regard to
sex, it would disfranchise more than half
the voting men of the nation All men
over As years of age, all invalids, Congress
men, color blind ongsighted, short
sighted men and clergymen are exempt
from military duty. Besides, fighting in
the ranks is not the only service required
of citizens in time of war. Women can
more than fill mems places as cooks and
nurses in the field. Then the productive
industries of the country must be kept up
and women do their part of this and the
patriotic ardor and enthusiasm of the peo
pie must not be allowed to die out, and
woman, with her high moral qualities,
attachment to home and love of country
contributes her full share to this, and is
| never the first to surrender. And do they
not bear and rear soldiers? Lucy Stone
says on this point: 'Some woman perils
her life for her country every time
| soldier is born. Day and night she does
picket duty by his cradle. For years she
is his quartermaster and gathers his
rations, and then when he becomes man
and voter, shall he say to his mother,
If you want to vote you must kill some
body" Voting requires intelligence,
conscience, patriotism, with which women
are abundantly endowed, not muscle.
GD If the acknowledgements of men is
a natural or acquired right, no less is the
enfranchisement of women. There is no
argument in favor of the one that is not
equally strong for the other
In demanding equal suffrage for women
we stand squarely on the Declaration of
Independence and appeal to its inspired
words tor our justification. Govern
ments derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed. " Are not
women governed? Taxation without repre-
sontation is tyranny. Arc not woman
taxed?
The women of Massachusetts alone pay
more than s., 600, 600 of taxes annually.
Women property holders all over the
country submit year after year to what
ever tax-levy for general municipal, county
and state expenses, or special improve
ments, men may vote for, themselves
powerlcss to record their opinion on the
question although the vote to increase the
burden may have been carried by their
own stable man and men servants. 1t
was no more fragrant injustice than this
that inspired the Declaration of Indcpend-
encc and drove the patriots of 1916 into
rebellion against Great Britain. "Poli-
tical power inheres in the people" Are
not women people? Indeed they are half
Of all the people in our State, and in some
states more than half and the better half
too.
In the earlier days the epgram that the
friends of the cause were confined to two
classes, long haired men and short haired
Continued on page s.