The Portland daily press., 1895-01-23
WOMAN'S SUFFRAGE.
Some Reflections by Women who Do Not
Believe in It.-Reyiew of Common Sense
Applied to Woman Suffrage" by Mary
Putnam-Tacabi.
I'm the Critic for Sept. 8, 1894. T

I'm the Critic for Sept.s, 1894.
The first impression made upon the
reader by this work is the extreme Bit
terness of feeling displayed toward men,
aud the assumption that they must al
ways wish to keep women in a condition
of su bjecrion and disability. The Fiji
tenth Amendment is repeatedly referred
to, as if granting the suffrage to the
negro had been sort of covert insult to
the female sex, instead of grave
political necessity reluctantly assumed
under severe pressure; the fact that
women have now, in the State of New
York, more legal rights and more free
dom from legal restrictions than men,
does not seem to weigh against the fact
of their continued exclusion from the
franchise, and it does not seem to occur
to the author that taxation without
representation is not more unfair than
representation without responsibility.
The statement is made that SIN
France, if anywhere, is the personal
influence of women over men, both licit
and illicit, most extensive, most openly
acknowledged, most often disastrous.
The restrictions imposed upon women by
law often read like half despairing at
tempt on the part of men to collectively
revenge this influence, which they find
themselves unable, individually, to re-
sist." Sweeping assertions unsupported
by evidence tend to discredit the judg-
ment of writer, and the testimony of
those who are qualified to speak has al
ways affirmed that nowhere is the sane
tity of family life, and the respect for
good women more deeply felt than in
France. The reasons for giving the
suffrage to women may be briefly
summed up under three heads: i. They
should have it, because men have: 2.
They will do good if they vote; 8. They
will do no harm il they do not. That
all women do not accept the frst premise
is proved by the protest against changing
the State Constitution, which WAS also
addressed to the Convention, and by
several able essays which have appeared
during the discussion. as for instance,
the pamphlet by Mrs. Schuyler Van Rens.
selaer, who is herself qualified to speak
from the standpoint of a professional
writer whose work commands attention,
and is worth money, and who, therefore,
is competitor with men, and a mem Der
of the class. which is sad to suffer most
from existing conditions. When DR.. Put
u
Eforced open the doors of medical colleges,
they asserted the right of women to have
physicians OF their own sex, but. curl
ously enough, this important question
of sex has been ignored or evaded by
the advocates of woman suffrage. The
right to vote is said to be an especial
necessity for women who must earn their
own living, but, without going into physi-
ology, the fact that they are not men
must continue profoundly to affect their
business relations. Any merchant who
employs male clerks does not hesitate to
call on them to do extra work or keep
late hours, if necessary, but he is averse
to making the same demand on the
female mum bers of his staff, and it is
we'll known that exaction of this kind is
chiefly practised, as in the case of dress
makers, when women are the task-mis-
tress of other women. Mrs. Van Rens-
selaer speaks with force of the grave dam
ger involved in any real antagOnism be-
tween the sexes, which would most GER
tainIy end in subjecting woman to SER
v1tude worse than she has yet known.
If it were possible to give a vote only
to women of character, ability and dis
erection, the question would he compare
lively simple, but men, who must con-
stantly face the problems already pre-
sented by universal suffrage in a city
like New York, may well pause before
complicating them still further. Two
vital questions now compel the atten-
proper police administration, with due
regard to the principles of both morality
and common sense; the second, of nation
al Importance, is that of religion and the
public schools. With regard to the first
it is conceded that there are in the city
of New York at least so, 0o0 women of
loose life. and, although it is urged that
4 ~ fcfa hat Dor,
for granted that the liquor interest,
which could count upon their solid
votes, would find some way around the
difficulty. AS to the second, any relig
ious tension is deprecated by the better
class of Catholics and Protestants alike,
and the efforts of far-seeing men, the
present Pope, for example, are directed
towards its relief. But there is strong
party in the older church which would
fain carry matters with q high hand,
and the priests who should side with it
could undoubtedly control the votes of
the women servants. who outnum Der
their mistresses three to one. This side
of the question forms part OF DR..
Rylance's argument against the move
ment. He points out, at the same time,
that like result might be expected
from the extreme wings of the Protes-
tant churches. 1t would be strange, in
deed. and yet it is quite within the posi-
bilities of the near future, if the separa-
ton of Church and State, and freedom
of conscience. for which men have
fought, not voted, for centuries, should
be imperiIIed by the voices of their
womankind. DR.. Rylance's moderate and
thoughtful essay touches other sides OF
the question than this one, and refers
passim to sex in mind and intellect, the
result of heredity and training. The
men who upheld the seekers for the stuff
h. ;xyiI Id ,,fn hoe yha
where women are concerned, what may
be termed professional sentimentalists,
and another large class who do not
really believe that the attempt would
be successful, but who are willing to
give it their support in order to stand
we'll with certain women whom they
like and respect. Mr.. Hewitt summed
.laIo oof nh In