The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-23
a SERIOUS SUBJECT.

The ladies who are engaged in the
movement to regain the elective fran
chise for their sex in Utah, will, no
doubt, receive great encouragement, if
not enlightenment, from the Republican
paper in this city which neither afirlms
nor denies" the rightfulness of their
position. But it chatters away in a.
manner evidently intended to throw
cold water on their work without COM
ing out in square opposition to their
efforts. Here is a specimen sentence TO
Illustrate its meaning and its style:
If the ladies want a, part in that or
II they want to take control, that is, if
they want 1T in dead earnest and viii
all combine for it, the thought in men S
minds, in some minds at least, might
be that they ought not to have it, but
that nothing in the world would stop
them if they wanted it, because while a
man has courage enough to combat
with his feliow-mOrtals, he is not going
10 refuse a demand made by the united
voice Of the. women Of the country, even
If in his heart he believes that they are
all wrong.
Was there ever a COB of mud that
was clearer than that chunk OF literary
lucidity?. The force of the argument
when you find out what it means-ts
equal to the beauty of the composition.
The ladies ought to have it framed and
present a copy TO each member of the
constitutional convention, if the Repub-
leans permit us to have such a body.
We believe the lack of interest in
woman suffrage by women generally is
a great obstacle in the way of the
women who want it. But this ought
not to be a question of demand and
supply but of right or wrong. The
elective franchise has been decided
judicially to be a privilege, not an in
herent right. But if there is any right
in ii to man. no good reason has yet
been advanced why it does not also
inhere in woman. If suffrage should go
with citizenship, as many calm. women
should exercise it equally with man be-
cause she is as much a citizen as he is.
If it is right to bestow the franchise
on women. it ought to be granted
whether it is demanded or not. If it is
wrong, then st ought not to be given if
all the women demand it. The talk
about women getting what they want
may be intended for wit, but it is
puerility when offered as argument.
And there is nothing more offensive,
to patriotic women, because II IS
| trifing with a grave public question.
than the treatment Of the potent rea-
sons they offer in support of woman
suffrage, by responding with airy
persifiage and cheap jocularity. 1t
bears the stamp Of evasion and carries
the favor of frivolity.
The Herald believes that when the
constitutional convention meets. the
question will come up for fuL considera-
ton and that it will be treated with the
care and fairness which its public i'm
portance demands Also that it will
find a majority of the members on the
side Of its restoration. It has gained
the support Of gentlemen of ability who,
at one time, opposed it, and we look for
its establishment in the State of Utah,
not because the majority Of our women
citizens demand it, but because it is a
| measure of justice and because its de-
| NAL is incompatible with PRINCIPLES on
which this republic is founded.
''Taxation without representation, is
tyranny yet women are taxed Just
as men are if they own property, but
have no vote as to the levy or the dis
tribution Of taxes. This is said to be ga
government Of the people," yet half the
people have no voice in it. 'All govern
ments derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed" yet the
women citizens of this country are
governed without their consent. These
axioms, taken with these facts, Offer
reasons why women should have the
elective franchise too conclusive to be
laughed away, and too serious to be
met with stale sarcasm or giggling
leYity.