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

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petitioners say: eve object to having
the onerous responsibility of suffrage
thrust upon us by the Legislature with
out the consent of those most vitality
affected We appeal to your honorable
body to defer action until opportunity mas
been given to all the women in the state
to express in some manner their views on
the question. We regard suffrage as
duty involving certain obligations which
we have no wish TO assume, believing
their full exercise by the majority OF
women to be incompatible with the proper
fultillment of equally important duties,
which none but ourselves can perform.
We regard female suffrage as a reform
against nature. We believe that our IN
terests are safe in the hands OF our fathers,
brothers, husbands and sons. Therefore
we earnestly demonstrate against any act
of the Legislature imposing upon us the
unwelcome duty Of suffrage.
The names signed to this remonstrance
speak more forcibly and eloquently than
can any words of mine. | am willing to
admit all that the gentleman from ELS
worth has said about woman's ability ana
abstract justice. | admit all that the
gentleman from Dexter has said about
serfdom or the Declaration of lndepend-
ence or the Civil War. l am willing to
admit all that the gentleman from Bruins
wick has said about Napoleon and
Stanley. But when you go further ana
say that for 5000 or 5000 you should put
an unwelcome burden and responsibility
upon 1875, 600 or 1870, 900, when you say
you should put unnecessary burdens and
duties and responsibilities upon 80 per
cent. for the sake of per cent, you advo-
cate philosophy in which / never be
lieved. Is this chivalry? Is it magnani-
nifty? Is it reasonable? Is it expedient?
say briefly and in conclusion, No. ZAP
plause.)
Mr. kecgan of Van Buren, said: Is
there man in this body who is not per
fectly willing that women should vote If
they wish to? But when after raking and
scraping this entire State for years and
years, in order to create a sentiment
among the women of Maine in favor of
this measure. they are able to present
them selves here with total of 5000 ladies'
against solid body of not less than $780,,
that this be not forced upon them, then /
say the time has not come. (Applause.)
The speakers in favor of this resolve
proceed upon the superstition that the
ladies of Maine and the men of Maine are
enemies to each other and pitted against
each other, and that these good women of
Maine need to be protected against the
outragos that may be pcrpetrated upon
them by the representatives of Maine
regularly chosen from the different COM
munitites. There is not a woman but
has either husband or father or brother
or a connection of some kind who would
stand up and defend her through he
should abandon all else in the world be
side. Then where is the need of this pro
lection? There is no demand, there is no
necessity for any law like this. Some say
they would all vote for prohibition. So
does everybody else and it amounts to
nothing. What other laws do you want
that the ladies would make? What law
can they enforce which you can not? There
is another objection to this proposed
measure. The very homes in which those
great men and good women have been
raised in the State of Maine demand your
protection. | am told that there is nearly
one divorce to every eight marriages in
Maine. If you bring this political element
into the home circle, l predict that it
will not be long before you have one in
four one in two, and finally such a thing
as the marriage tie will have ceased to
exist If you tell me that a man, interested
as he is in political affairs, when he goes
to the polling place with his wife and the
moment he deposits his ballot knows that
she deposits one to offset that, and that
he can feel good naturcd about it, l
simply say that | don't believe it, 1t is
not natural, it is contrary to the expert
ence of men generally. While women are
incomparably above us in a thousand
ways, there are certain things to which
we are better adapted than they. Let
them be allowed to retain their place in
the home circle and the future of your
State will be SECURE. believe there is no
better friend in The world to women than
the man. / believe she has trusted him
so far, / believe she can trust him and will
trust him to the end (Applausc.)
Mr. Patten of Bath said that it had not
been his intention to enter into an ex
tended discussion of this measure, and
| shall not do so now. ! now offer as my
excuse for taking any of the time of the
House the fact that remonstrance has
been presented here coming from my own
city That brings me to point which is
the one to which shall confine my few
remarkstHiz., the characteristics of those
women who petitioncd for this legislation
and those women who demonstrated
against it. 1t is commonly held that the
women who ask for this legislation are
not womanly women. 1t is commonly
held on the other hand that the women
who are the womanly women, the women
who are the best housekeepers, who are
the best wives, mothers, daughters and
sisters are women who do not want this
legislation. Gentlemen, that has not been
my experience and the women who have
signed that petition from my own city
corroborates this point of view. | say that
the women who ask for this legislation on
the contrary make the best mothers,
daughters, wives and sisters. In the case
of this remonstrance, / know they are
most estimable women who have signed
it. On the other hand, l know that the
leaders who have circulated this renon-
STRANGE are women who spend the most of
their time in what may no called utlaSi-