New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-08
"THE MAJORITY PETITION"
MARTHA r. ALMY. OF JAMESTOWN. DENIES
THE RIGHT OF ANY PERSON TO DE-
NAND Such A TEST


Martha r. Amy OF Jamestown N. T., when
asked her views on the majority petition IN .
manner positive and Arm replied:
From the time when Margaret Brent asked 70
vote in the Maryland Assembly, January q, 1874
TO the present day. the women Of America have
been asking for n voice In government. When all
legitimate arguments against the granting OF their
reasonable requests have failed, they have been
met with the inane apology that when a majority
OF women want vote the suffrage Will Re con.
ferred upon them
Since the right Of petition is the only political
right which disfranchsed class enjoys, the infer.
ence is that the prerequisite to enfranchisement
should be petition signed BY majority OF all the
women OF the State
II deny the right OF any person power TO Dc.
mand such a test a majority petition. The
Declaration OF independence does not say We hold
these truths to be selfevident, that when all men
or majority OF them. shall ask for their inalien.
able rights they shall receive them. It says that
all created equal and endowed by their
Creator with certain alienable rights. and that %
secure these rights governments are instituted.
If this tme-nonored instrument sets forth any
supreme proposition OF which all others bus
coroares it is the statement that governments are
instituted to secure rights
The theory seems TO be growing aIarmingiy
prevalent in these latter days that the Government
should confer rights. and that only when the de.
mand is strong that 1t longer safely
withhold them IL this be true Columbia Is M
better than old King John. In all the pages u
history ancient or modern there Is recorded sa
instance where determinan, majority OF unrecox.
nized persons ever asked for extension OF rights
or privileges
"A volume would not contain the record Of In.
stances In the worlds history where an active AZ.
gressiye minority have demanded an extension OF
rights and privileges and received them The whole
story Of the evolution OF iberty Is but an lllus-
trated sequence Of examples where the few have
asked and the many received. To coniine ourselves
to country. We should never had q
Declaration OF Independence IL IL had been neces-
sary 10 have a majority OF the colonsts declare foP
IL. The majority. ana especially the wealthy peo-
pie Colonial days, thought IL better TO endure the
ills they had than 10 run the risk OF others which
they knew not Of At time during the Revolu-
tionary War there twice many Americans
In against the cause OF Independence there
were In the American Army. The loyalists in thu
country always claimed that they were In the ma
ior!ty In NewYork State originally only free.
holders voted. Did the poor man unanimously %.
tltlon for the franchise? Did the poor black mau
In the State OF New York. In 1876. unanimously or
In any determnant majority. petition Tor the
franchise? Did Abraham Lincoln insist upon Q
majority petition from the slaves before signing
the Emancipation Proclamation? Did the negroes
In the South In the days OF Reconstruction circu.
late a petition to find out how many wanted .
vote7
III majority test Is to be required the logic Of
the situation demands that IL be q majority oe
citizens. both men and women"