Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-18

world, 1t has no time for other reading.
Not to be a subscriber to a newspaper, II
al man can read, should exclude him from
the fellowship of his kind; should place
him beyond the pale of domestic happi-
ness; should deny him the smile of
woman, or the laugh of a child in short,
in my opinion, should debar him the right
of citizenship.
And just here, my honored and respect
ed friends, l must confess to sensation
In my heart akin, / fear. to that which
swelled the soul of the spider when he
had successfully entrapped the flies.
Perhaps many of you may not know
that occupy-if do not fifty fill-the re-
sponsible position of president of the
Equal Suffrage League of Alabama"
AS such, 1 feel that would be recreant
to my trust to my sex and to myself
should l fail to appeal to this able body
before me-the leaders and moulders of
public opinion-in behalf of the grand
cause for which with might and main,
high resolve and indomitable energy, the
women of the country are battling. 1
confess to surprise that in a country
claiming to be the "land of the free and
home of the brave" the right of franchise
should be granted to Jews and gentiles,
heretics and infidels and negroes-the
representatives of barbaric Africa-and
yet be denied woman, who from the Gre
alton of the world until today, have been
and will be till the end of time the moth
erS anu InOulQeTS OF men. L KNOW lHdl
ignorance and prejudice in all ages of the
world have stood as the lions in the path
of progress; but cannot impute either to
the men who are the vanguard of the
age, the men of brains-the men of the
mighty pen. If any there be who are will
ing to confess the soft impeachment, we
will be glad to supply leaflets which will
dissipate all objections as surely as the
sun dSpels the morning mists. When
George William Curtis was asked, DO
you wish to drag woman into political
slums?'' he promptly replied, mo, but
wish her to lift men up and out. l am
sure the men of Alabama are not less just
or gallant than he-are unwilling that
there should be taxation without repre-
sentation-are willing that the moral
weight of women should be in the scale
for mans elevat ton and salvation Nor
do you desire, in the language of Mr.
Wise of Virginia, that "ebon-skinned,
kidney-ankled, gizzard-footed negro ten
ants shall be empowered to make laws
to govern the land owned by American
white women, and on which they pay an
nual taxes, though under protest, without
giving them the right of the ballot-the
privilege of franchise"
AS to woman's mental endowments. we
claim no superiority. / am of the opinion
of the old primitive negro preacher who
said: God didn't take Ebe outen Adam
haid to be bove him, nor outen his foot
to be below him, but outen his side to
stand long by him, equal to him, and
able to tote her end of de cut" So. as to
woman's capabilities for great and grand
achievements in any and every field, 1
beg to remind you of how late the uni
versites and seats of learning in Europe
and America have opened their doors to
her for equal educational advantages,
and how ,modestly, and yet successfully,
she has emerged from their portals with
flying colors and emblazoned with distinc-
lions of honor l beg to cite to you a few
instances in ancient and modern history
illustrative of my argument. This paper
was prepared year ago for the "wo-
mans issue" of the Mobile Herald, and
sent as my contribution. l will detain
you but few minutes longer
BE silent that you may hear" and give
me the joy of reading in your criticism
of my article the result of my appeal.
V. c. GLoPToN.