The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-03-09
FAIRFAX NOT LOST YET.
SOUND VIEWS ON WOMAN SUFFRAGE
STILL PREVAILS.

SILL PREVAILS.
Ons OF tho Arguments that Oarrted the
Day In tho Fairfax Literary Society
Against the Unsc1lng OF Women By Civ
ing Them the Ballot.
AS was mentioned in a letter from
Hampton, recently published in the
News and Courier, the Fairfax Liter,
ary Society, at a recent meeting, had
a very interesting debate on the Ques
ton OF ''Woman's Suffrage" able
arguments were advanced pro and con
by The unusually intelligent ladies
and gentlemen composing the Society,
and a decision was finally rendered in
the negative by vote of to 80. One
Of the arguments tina helped to obtain
this overwhelming lnajority against
the New Woman heresy was that pre-
sen.ed by Mrs. L. ". Youmans.
Through the kindness Of Mr.. j. G.
Preacer, of Fairfax, we have been
provided with copy of Mrs. You
mans argument, and take pleasure 10
presenting it to cur readers in full.
Mrs. Youmans said:
In order to a proper understanding
OF the question it is necessary to In
qulre what a governnen is2 "a
government is the agent of society for
the accomplishment of its ends" The
chief functions Of government are
to promptly and efficiently secure and
maintain to all who are under it their
rights, and it is a good government
in proportion as it insures the fulfill
ment of these ends These rights, as
laid down in the declaration of Inde-
pendence, cur Magma Charta, are the
right to life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness. To secure to man the
pursuit of happiness the law gives
him two other rights-to property and
reputation. Whatever has right to
be, has righ! to all that is necessary
for its preservation; therefore, the
Government has the right to regulate
the ballot and prescribe the quali6ca-
tions for holding Office. The right to
vote is not a natural right, like life
and liberty, but grows out of mans
relations to society; therefore society
has right to say who shall exercise
that right, and under what conditions;
hence it is the duty of society to con
fer that right with an eye single to its
own well being. cit has seemed right
that those who are to go to war should
determine the question Of war, and
that those who are liable to do militia
ry ana police duty, sit in juries and
work on the highways should vote on
those subjects" In other words, that
the voting should be done by those
who are most capable OF defending
and maintaining the Government.
Men being more capable of these du.
ties than women, society ordained
that the administration OF govern nent
sh ould be carried on, under certain
limitations, by what is called man
hood suffrage" This principle was
carried out still farther by the Kahnds
Of India, wao allowed mo woman,
nor any Kahnd, to hold land who
with his own hand could not defend
it,
Having the grounds on which per.
SONS are called upon to take part in
the Government, namely. the duties
OF defending and maintaining it, We
are ready for the question, should
women have equal suffrage with mena
The right to vote is not natural
right. Wherever men have acquired
the right of suffrage it has been by
conquest. The question is whether
her own elevation AMI best interests
and the ends of society require the
bestoRal of this rigut upon her. The
question has been discussed as if men
and women were two hostile classes.
4 man and his wife are not Of q diff.
ferent class, their interests and those
of their family are identical. IN fact
society depends on men and women
as entering into relation which not
only unites their interests, but makes
each the guardian of the other. The
family is the unit of society. After
the creation the first institution estab.
lished By God was the family. 80
God created man in His own imags,
male and female, created He them,
and placed them in the garden. And
when God brought her 10 the man,
Adam said, Therefore shall man
leave his father and his mother and
shall cleaye unto his wife, and they
shall be cne flesh " Society is COM
bination OF families, not of individ-
uals, because without the family soci
ETY. could not exist It IS both the key
stone and foundation stone Of the So
cial fabric, because as that is will the
social fabric be. When home and
family go out of the world purity and
virtue will go with them. Therefore
the domestic lite Of the family is more
important than the public life OF soci
ETY.. By a natural relation the wife
is the centre of the domestic circle,
and the guardian of her husbands in
terests and rights in all that pertains
to it, while he is the husband, the
provider, protector and the represent
alive OF the interests OF his wife and
children. She is not only the guar
dian of her husband, which is proven
By statistics that out Of a thousand
unmarried men twenty FIVE are crinl
nails, while out Of the same nun Der OF
married men only eighteen are crinni
nails, giving nearly 40 per cent. IN fa.
vor OF marriage as preventive OF
crime, but she is the one who gives
the child his first idea OF government,
his frs! idea OF duty, his first idea OF
lsw, in the years which are the mes!
important. The first FIVE years will
color the rest OF chlld'S life. Taese
years he spends almost entirely under
the control of his mother. 1t is upon
this principle that the demand for The
higher education Of women has been
so great. That oy an enlighted con-
science, an enlightened judgment, she
may be better qualified to train a
higher citizenship.
Recognizing her fitness for this spe-
cisl training, woman has been given