New-York tribune., 1899-01-15
WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
THEN WHAT ABOUT THE JUSTICE OF
EQUAL TAxATTON7
DOES THE PUBLIC GOOD SUFFER- FROM THE
POLITICAL EXISTENCE OF HALF THE
CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLic1


POLITICAL NON N-nxIsTFNcE OF HALF THE
CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLc7
In the December issue OF THE Political Equality
Series" Elizabeth Burrl Curtis has paper en-
titled Are Women Represented In our Govern
ment7' The paper reads thus:
Taxation w!thort representation IL tyranny
was one OF tho slogans Of liberty In this country
one hundred and twenty years since Have We out
lived this principle? II so. how or why? II not
whv ia IL supposed to have application 20
women? That a century ago the latter were not
thought OF having any rights under this motto
Is not surprising So few women then held prop
erty In their right that they were not con-
sdered as n class apart. and the injustice done
them was no apparent But the situation Is chan nged
now and the right OF women 10 be considered as
individuals is everywhere acknowledged save IN
this one particular. Why IA this? The question
which was asked above. Have we outllVed this
prlncple7' will surely be answered by every
thoughtful person in the negative. Even those VINO
feel that the granting Of (practically) universal
male suffrage was n mistake, and that the right
70 self-sovernment should be proved by some test.
educational or otherwise-even these do not assert
that II would be anything but gross injustice 10
tax men without allowing them voice In the dis
posal OF their money.
But possibly It will be maintained that women
are represented IN government by men who are
made by many and. among others. by women who
do not desire the suffrage But In what possDie
way can n woman be represented by her husnan"'
son or brother II she has no voice in the matter.
and can neither choose nor refrain rom chooslhs
Representation implies freedom OF choice.
And how many women are there In America
who do not sympathize with their relatives or VINO
have none near enough to be said by any stretch
OF tho Imagination. TO even virtually represent
them? Take one family type Of many more.
The mother and unmarried daughter I'VE together
and pay taxes on their property. The only son Is
married and lives In n distant city. BY whom are
those women represented? Their only near maze
reIa,,ve lives far away, not even In the same
State and he has a wife OF his own whom ne must
represent IL he represents any woman Inc ohIy
available representatives for the mother ana p""b"-
tor are their coachman and gardener. anu 'hose
women. II questioned would reply that they 10 nov
conslder themselves represented IN any way eil'' s
.virtuay' or directly. by those exceent men "'''
though most sasSs0ry ,n be said to share the
nolitical views Of their employers IN any way """'
ever; .,,, =, ,,,s state Of things would seem
apparent 10 all far-minded persons bu' tnerT III '
s another side to ,hs Woman is unfairly treated
but the public good neva1y suIrrS n,Sans 1sot " the
pcnuhiic There are but two things possible: eith.r
women are Interested In politics or ,neg s,rd ,or
o,b,ng Is more fatal to good government than me
intermeddng OF a large body OF people VINO nay oiy
nnrns, ,s personal one II. on the other hani
omen are not Interested in politics. what Is the
onation ., that country half Of whose ci,a'nr T n,
coz .ore whether Il he well III governed lnat
nov ocn ,nnuence men is never denied. even by me
most strenuous opponents OF woman sunraR", ~, -
y, ,n'o o, the contrary most violently asserted Dy
~, o verv neopIe: but OF what value IS that IN
,ercst II the woman whom the man tskes ,s 81 ~, no
helpmcet is utterly gnorant OF one oi "'e " "
nortan, duties OF his life? -, -, -,
The women need the ballot ssiI W., ,na; nm,
.,ah,,, woman before the last CONSTITUTIONAL
rtnnnen,,on in the State OF New-York and me
or, naads the womans vote Truer woths nav
stare heeus hrs said THE advancement Of women can
no longer be stayed II has been said ina, tne b
~ ,ne 80 was IN teaching women the alphhnet. pue @
ms, ~. hean done and the successive afterstsps
cannot now be retraced on "ns hsne ne sne erbI,ra
e0ou u,.a,ted from serving the commonw"al, anu
nn M the other hand thinking and pstror,S ,hem
Crying NJ ntn.ss for self government What sha"
Prov ' rs.uit OF this double demand'