Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-09-27
WHOLE NUMBER 1868.
W. C. T. U. SELECTIONS.
CoNDU CTED BY EMELINE STEWART.
Prof. Bovine ON Suffrage.

AbO ~ nC OA
Prof. Borden P. Bovine, in his
recently published book, "The
Principles of Ethics" which is attract
ing much favorable notice in the pa
pers, says of political rights:
, Minority, imbecility and criminality
justly exclude from political rights.
Whether being a woman likewise con-
stitutes a disqualification is a warmly
debated question. The almost univer-
sal affirmative OF history is to be
historically understood. 1t is not an
outcome of reasons, but product OF
causes. The arguments in favor OF
the disqualification are either forms OF
words only, or they tell against suffrage
in general rather than against woman
suffrage. Of course the sexes have
different functions to perform in life,
but apart from these there is large
field common to men and women,
where they appear simply as moral
persons, and where their rights are
equal; just as men, with all their
differences of ability, occupation, social
standing, etc., meet on common
plane of legal rights. The wise re-
mark often made, that women are to
be the mothers of the race, seems to
be no more decisive as to political
rights than the equally profound OBJ
servation that men are to be the fathers
OF the race. Both propositions are
true, but unfruitful. Over and above
being fathers and mothers, men and
women are moral persons and members
OF the community, whose interests are
committed to them. To maintain the
political disqualification of women, it
will have to be shown either that
women are not moral persons at all,
or that they are mentally and morally,
80 weak as to be a menace to society if
intrusted with any voice in the govern
ment. This would be to the point.
The traditional utterances on this
matter are striking illustrations of the
fact that anything whatever that looks
like argument will pass for a valid
reason in support OF foregone con-
clusion.
Bearing in mind that the right to
vote means simply the right to express
an opinion concerning social arrange
ments and to have it count in their
determination, there is no need to con-
slider the alleged risk of being defiled
thereby. The fancy that in some way
women would be degraded by an in
terest in the laws and share in max.
ing them, should be carefully preserved
in an anthology of human WITNESSES.
Rationally it is quite on level with
Oriental notions of female propriety,
which also have the support OF strong
instructive revulsions," but which un-
happily make poor show in reason
ing. But time and growth put an end
to such notions. The whim that it is
excessively droll or shocking that
women should 60 to college and have
political rights, is fast becoming the
property of persons of slender mental
gifts and of some scattering ecclesi.
astics. OF course. woman suffrage, like
popular suffrage, has fearsome logical
possibilities in it; but 30 long as . com.
munity remains sane, they will not be
realized in either case. If a com.
munity ever became insane, no theory
of government would amount to much
Pending this disaster, we see only in
justice in Withholding political rights
on the sole ground Of sex. Any body
OF men subject to tho same condition.
as women would view itself al
tyrannically oppressed. The legal dis
tinctions between men and men hav,
vanished. The legal distinctions be
tween men and women must vanish
also.