The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-11-18
@attbmam 4 Sumrnal.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1s, 1896.
Municipal Suffrage,

which "has been before the legislature in
some form or other for a generation" be Sc
lected as the one to be submitted to the
psople2 II no action ought to be taken on
any important subject till 1T has been sub
mitted to the popular vote, why have we
any law.making body2 The legislature
passes laws concerning fish and fowl, bees
and trees, and multtudes Of other subjects
and does not wait till it has had special in
struction concerning each one There is no
doubt that the women who have had the
old and weighty responsibility of paying
taxes will be able to meet " the new and
weighty responsibility with which the
municipal suffrage law would invest them
Those who do not want the responsibility
can exercise the right not to vote which
men exercise freely in spite of their long
possession of the franchise. AS well say
no measure shall be determined by the
legislature till it has been made an issue
in the campaign as to say it Of municipal
suffrage for women. This legislature can
save time and expense in the future by
passing the bill and thus giving the people
a chance TO see its working so that, If in 1900
1t should be made IAN ISSUE" the people
could vote from knowledge of the working
Of the law. A law may be repealed at any
time II it is found to be doing harm
Hon. John ID. Long of Massachusetts has
wisely said on this subject: " Are you
aware how easy it would be to settle this
question by putting it to the test9 Let me
II
jury from proffering suffrage to women to
the extent already given? 1 think it wise to
take only one step at time, and to move
now for nothing more than municipal suf-
frage. The members of the legislature will
still be elected by men, and these came men
will not thereby be influenced by the vote
OF women. AT any moment when woman
suffrage shows itself failure, then the
legislature of men elected by the votes of
men can repeal the vote giving to women
municipal suffrage. do not see how an
experiment can be tried with greater safety"
A VOTER.
We fear that some of our correspond
ents interrogations and suggestions are
somewhat querulous. He may have
heard of the man $50 wondrous wise "
who, having jumped into a bramble
bush and scratched out his eyes, re.
peated the act "to scratch them in
again" That man does not furnish
wise example for lawmakers. Enact
ing laws to see how they will work."
with the view of repeating if they do
not "work" well, is not good legisla-
tive policy. This was the delusive
theory of our populist fellow. citizens in
respect of free silver coinage. Recent
business experience and the late refer
ence of the subject to the people shows
how unwise it would have been for
congress to have legislated affirma-
lively upon this simple and apparently
innocent policy.
The suffrage is the greatest and most
weighty responsibility of citizenship.
1t somewhat transcends in importance
questions pertaining to "fish and fowl,
bees and trees, and multitudes of other
subjects that do not wait for reference
to the people" Excepting full suffrage
for women, the proposed extension of
the privilege of voting is the most radi-
cal change in the states political sys-
tenn that could be contemplated. 1t is
therefore clear that, while the legisla-
ture might enact law protecting the
fish in the extinct Clover pond, for ex-
ample, or pass an act restraining
"Voter's" fowls from roaming at large,
without taking consensus of public
opinion, in matter that lies at the
very root of republican government it
would be proper-and, indeed, obliga.
tory-for the legislature to get an ex-
preston of public opinion before act
ing.
This view of the matter in question
is further enforced by the circum-
stance that full suffrage for women is
within the purview of the act now pro.
posed. Massachusetts recently re-
ferred this question to the voters, in.
Guiding the women entitled to vote I'M
der the laws of that state, with the re-
suit that, Notwithstanding the advo-
cacy of Ex-Governor Long, the proposed
extension of the suffrage was decided
to be inadvisable by popular major
ity of about 100000, to which the
women voters contributed directly by
their votes, or indirectly, but with
more significant emphasis, by their
concerted absence from the polls. For
forty years, at every annual session of
the legislature, this question had been
before that body, and the reference to
the people was made to ascertain pub
lie opinion, including the opinion of the
women voters, for the instruction and
guidance of future legislatures. New
York is taking the public judgment on
this question, and we repeat that we
deem it to be the part of wisdom for
the legislature of Vermont to refer the
whole subject to the people for the
guidance and instruction of coming
legislatures, to the end that the curtain
may descend on the legislative farce
that has been enacted in the state for a
generation. The suggestion is made in
no partisan spirit, but to secure dis
position of the question in way that
should strongly commend itself to
friend or onnOnnnt IF aithar full or lin