The sun., 1908-12-06

10 rIgn EpITon or THA EuN Sri The
letters and the speeehes at the antir
woman suffrage meeting last night "
the Berkeley Lyoeum put forward only
ono argument Of any ostensible validity
the argument that at the present time the
majority Of American women do not want
10 vote. There Is absolutely nothing In
DR.. Abbott's assertion that the right 70
vote would divert women from care OF
their children and their homes. for all men
know that their own exercise OF the bal
lot, which occupies as rule about hfteen
minutesa year. interferes In no way with
their normal business or their recreation.
President Roosevelt, who In his letter pro-
fessed to DO q iukewarm advocate OF
woman suffrage. had at least the oandor
to admit that In his judgment the conoes-
sion Of II would not produce any OF the
evils feared, He spoke without the book
when he added that giving women the
suffrage would not produce any marked
Improvement in the condition OF their
sex. As DR., Aked said at the woman
suffragist meeting held on the same eve-
ming In Carnegie Hall the condition OF
women considered as mothers was inn
proved with startling rapidity after they
obtained the right 10 vote in Colorado,
for in the very next session OF the state
Legislature they secured the passage OF
law making mothers part guardians OF
their children, a condition Of things which
exists In only small minority OF the
States Of the Union.
The President virtually accused woman
as sex Of indifferenoe-the meeting
In Carnegie Hall did not look like it--and
expressed confidence that when, women
az a whole should take any special inter-
est Ia the matter they would get the
suffrage To tho same effect wrote seo-
retary Root. opining that II the women
Of the United States or any very large
majority Of them should really come to
want the right OF suffrage for themselves
they would ultimately obtain 1t. The
implied assumption In both cases is that
the question is not whether the exclusion
of woman from the franchise is abstractly
right or wrong, but that the only test
Of mans duty in the premises is whether
majority of the disqualified rebel or
openly protest against the disqualification,
Can President Roosevelt or Secretary
Root point to any great reform in the
worlds history which was brought about
in Difference TO the concerted and unnnis-
taxable demand Of majority Was
toleration for the Christian religion thus
secured from Constantine2 Could France
in 1902 have been secretly polled and the
voters safeguarded from persecution,
does any one believe that tho monarchy
would have been superseded by republic?
Would Messrs Roosevelt and Root have
opposed Linooln's emancipation procla-
nation on the ground that majority OF
the slaves in the Southern States. could
they have been consulted. would In 1853
have voted TO remain in servitude?
Mrs. Snowden. speaking in the mass
meeting Of suffragists at Carnegie Hall,
did we'll to recall, what John Stuart Mill
demonstrated forty years ago, that the
assumption implied in the letters Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Root. that
majority of women do not want the
suffrage, is no argument against giving
it to them, because majorities never dc
want what Is best for them. and the his
tory Of the worlds progress is the history
OF intelligent minorities. To the same
effect spoke Rabbi Wise. who. replying
to DR.. Abbott's assertion at the Berkeley
Lyceum that women did not want thf
vote. recalled a remark attributed .
Abraham Lincoln when he was told tat
the negroes did not want the vote, tat
IL the negro had sunk 30 low that he huyked
his chains the hour OF his delivehnce
had struck Rabbi Wise also pit his
finger on the absurdity Of denfng. as
Mr.. Roosevelt denies. what moody In
his senses AYERS. namely. tR woman
suffrage will prove a panaoes y DO not
believe said Rabbi Wise. -dat suffrage
is the gateway to heaven; BY do believe
that it is the avenue to trthly oppor-
tunity.' He also showed nat DR.. Abbott
is not so straight a reasder as he might
be. for it is obviously iPgical to say that
women ought to havft vote II they
want it, unless you tean TO imply that
you think they oudt to want it. DR..
Abbott surely did It mean to imply that
thew ought to hay/ omething that would
be bad for thee merely because they
hankered for it
As a matter word fencing and polem-
ics the suffpkists clearly had the best
of it. while respect Of earpestness and
sntbusiasp/ the meeting at Berkeley
Lyoeum 0ald not be compared for mo-
ment wiz the vast assembly in Carnegie
Hail HI.
NEwfoRK. December s.