The herald., 1896-03-03


communications. but does not assume re
sponsibility for the sentiments expressedl
Susan B. Anthony's Attack on tho State
Constitution
EDITOR HERALD: l see by Associated
Press reports that the venerable female
suffragist, Susan B. Anthony, left Roches-
ter, N. Y, Friday evening for California
with the avowed intention of expurgating
the word ''male" from our state constitu'
ton.
Isn't this going long way from home to
meddle with what is none of her business
the home, domestic. political and public
affairs of strangers?
Wouldn't it be more to the true interests
Of the female population of the whole
United States for each state to personally
attend to its own domestic concerns and
hen house, hatch out and take care OF
her own political chickens?
When woman or class of women falls
dismally in the effort to manage their own
roosters, and change old colonial rules gov
erning their own public barn yard and
official hen house, ism it a rather ridiculous
performance for them, in the face OF
their own home domestic defeat and polt-
ical discontinue, to rush across the conti-
nent with full brass band at their heels
to make a noisy effort to manage the
roosters on the Pacific coast and turn
things topsy turvy in the political poultry
yard of California?
Within my recollection we had great
war, a refusal of individual states to obey
the laws of the United States, and recog-
nize constitutional authority.
This was called estate rights''-the right
of state to sovereign independent powers
of self autonomy; this rebellious attempt to
dissolve the union of states and break
the national constitutional unity and CEN
trail power of administrative government,
was crushed. The rebelious states were
compelled to not only recognize the
national laws as emanating from the con-
stitution. but to obey them.
Susan B. Anthony Is the president of the
National Woman's Suffrage association
and member of the New York state or
0anization was defeated in 1894, in her
attempt to eliminate the words 'male per-
SON. from her own state constitution.
Well why?
Because in the decision of United States
Judge Hunt in the case of "Susan B. An
thony vs. State of New York, for the dis
trict of New York, 1877" The court held,
that as the national constitution was
framed and adopted by the states in the
masculine gender, only "MALE PERsoNs'
were qualified electors. Women were also
citizens under the text of the fourteenth
amendment, but were disqualified by the
masculine pronoun to perform the elective
or appointive duties of federal office.
When the National Woman's Suffrage
association failed in 1876, through this at
tempt of Susan B. Anthony to force way
into the national executive office and leg
islative halls of congress by the front-the
eastern bronze doors of the capito! at
Washington, then they turned all their
efforts to making a sneak through the barn.
yard gates, and kitchen doors Of the north
western states of the continent,
where the peasant-born, totally uneducated
scouchination female labor element rules,
and influences the voting, legislative. adj
ministrative machinery of all the new
states.
We thrashed the southern slave owning
states, and most vigorously kicked out Of
them dogma of estate rights" or claim to
Independent sovereign power to say who
should, or should not be citizens, free
laborers.in the industrial world who should.
or should not be self-governed persons of
their respective states; and we hauled the
whole colored race, by the all-powerful
hand of tho national government fastened
into his wool right straight through tine
front bronzs eastern doors of the national
capitol, and all naked as 1t was, jammed
the niger down into national well as
stale legislative chairs in both houses of
congress. At one stroke of the speakers
gavel, we made of The colored race both
But, this cannot be done for the female
race, by any state constitution or law, for
under the decision rendered by Judge San
born May, 1898, for the District of Minne-
sofa in the case of "the city of Minneapolis
VS.. Frederick Reum," all persons must first
become citizens of the United States, COM
ply wi h all the requirements of the ma
tional laws of naturalization, sections 2165,
2167, 2172, and take out their final
papers before they can be either national
or a state citizen, qualified to vote at any
election in the United States.
Under this decision of Federal Judge San
born a state constitution or law has no
power to confer the franchise on either
man or woman. 1t is only the national
government and laws can do that. There
fore just so long as the federal government
does not concede to the woman population
of the United States supreme rights, or
publicly recognize her as citizen, entitled
TO all the rights and privileges of national
citizenship, what earthly good will it do
Miss Susan B. Anthony to rush across the
continent in a mad attempt to break her
dear old head against the ''male'-bewn
blocks of stone in our state constitution?
But there is another way to work through
this male wall of constitutional adamant, a
wedge which can be utilized by the wives
and mothers of the Stale suffrage associa.
ton of California III the coming presden.
doors of the state capital, and while it will
not eliminate the word 'maie7 from the
constitution and compel the woman popu
laiion to go sneaking through the back
doors of state official life under cover of g
state masculine petticoat, bloomers, di
vided skirts, doube-breas'ed frock coat
and soft derby hat, 1t will allow any
woman who is the proud possessor of t
husband, a ''male" escort, and marriage
certificate, to walk side by side with him
displaying her matrimonial badge ct tbs
registers office, up TO The ballot box anC
! deposit her vote.
Half a loaf is better than no politica
bread at all for hungry women.
Therefore we will not ourselves nor ALLOW
Miss Anthony to NEEDLE with the Gtatt
constitution, or cast one single stone at OH
"maie" constitutional citizen contingent
| for 1t is TO our citizenship interests not onl!
| to conciliate our male friends, but to retaii
this wcrd "male" in the state constitution
1t is not generally known to or allowed tt
become public by the prominent womeI
| connected with and who have so long con
tro.led the National Woman Suffrage asso
citation. that all women married to citizens
| OF the United States were and are mad,
citizens by the Democratic law of 1915
Section 1894: ANY woman vino is Eow o
may hereafter be married to a citizen o
the United States, and who might hersel
become lawfully naturalized, shall b.
deemed citzen.'
| The decision of Deadly in 1888, for th'
District OF Oregon, in the case OF Leonard
vs. Grout, sett.ed this question ef WON
ans citizenship rights, under this law o
1853, by holding that the word 'deemed'
constituted certificate of naturalization
f<,rS. k<~