New-York tribune., 1909-03-03
WOMEN In REPUBLICS
Their Rights as Compared solth
Those IN .IriSt0crdcieS.

NIs Kate Trimble Uoolsey. Of Kentucky. is a
descendant on botll sides Of her house Of men who
helped 70 found the American Republic but she
thinks tie secession of the colonies from British
rule TIC greatest misfortune that ever hefeI
American -gomcu.' Talking 90 the William Lloyd
Garrison Equal Rights Association at the home Of
Mrs. Henry Willard No--14o West 55th street, yes
tcrday afternoon she described the Republic as
-rIonztrous masculine monopoly a government
Cor men and by men, a pure seNocracY- Inc
exclusion of women from politics Mrs Woolsey
has found be peculiarity Of all republics. but
history VIII not record" she believes. a more
brutal or complete UsurpsIon OF power than the
men Of this land guilty OF.
The women Of America" Mrs Woolsey said.
had struggled worked and suffered that the new
government might be born, They came into the
Republic under The banner which bore the inscrip-
tion Liberty and Equality for An and they eX-
pccted 10 share the rights they helped to win
Abigail Adams, the wife of one President and the
mother of another wrote TO her husband during
tie Continental Congress at Philadelphia. and told
him that the Constitution of the Repubhc Shoutu
set forth specifically The right Of women 10 vote,
and il this were Lot done the time would come
when women would foment a reoeion against me
government. as they were not TO he called on 10
obey Iazs in which they had had no voice IN the
making. Mrs Corliu. "a sister Of TIE noted Revo-
lutionary General Lee. Of Virginia after The nTst
Inauguration Of the Republic refused 10 pay her
taxes until her brother. who had helped form TINS
government. assured her that the Republic oid
grant women the right 10 vote Then Helen Mar
garet Livingston became so indignant Wnen her
state introduced the word male into It's eonstltu-
ton that she left Americas shores never 10 Ie-
turn and am pleased Jeli Yet THAI urder the
British flag every one of her female descendants
IS to-day q fun fedged voter whereas OF her i-iN-
ingston kinsUomen who remained IN the hep1o'o
not one had even municipal suffrage
The fact Of the matter is that the disfrancI1se-
rnent. OF women as women is a democratic novelty.
Place the republics Of the world upon one SIDE anu
the arfs1ocracIes on the other. and YOU VIII note
that in the - justice TO women tie aTlslo0
racies lead and The republics follow far IN the
rear I care no more fo- aristocTacy than ior oe-
rnocracy-nor do1f uIe former care more loI
women than the Iatter. But woman forms an n
dispenssble part of The framework OF arlstocracy,
and she does rot form al indispensable part OF
The framework of democracy
Mrs Woolseys ideas on this subject nesah %
take share she said. when. after Witnessing the
TRANSFORMATION Of a President she saw queen Vic
toria open Parliament and was 'afterWard pre-
scented 20 her
As the Presidents carriage passed me- she
xsfd II roriced that there were no women at MS
s{da hut only men: in the vast procession follow
ing him noticed only men. and when ne nouh'eu
-ba r1a-forrl TO take the oath Of Office no women
we're At his side. hut only men. attendeo d re-
-e,-for a- me White House and disCerned lmrle-
5fafelv that the President was the cynosure OF an
ewes and that his wife i'm no respect was IIesi-
6eDtess. that she had no official rank power OF
.e,7,7f-f7r5 II any character whatsoever at the
hands Of this government noticed the Freslaeht
VS. surrounded on al sides by men Who bore
.f,re=-Seuators Governors. judges. mayors. gen
erals colonels titles .EaloIe-hut n no instance
6i6 ,rez share these titles with the women OF
their families.
shorty after this 7 sailed for England, and
The very first public event that attracted my atten-
r5o- was Queen Victoria passing through the
streets Of I,ondon upon state occasion AS hef
rnasez-y-s carriage passed me noticed there were
v-or,en sr her side when she opened FarilaT11eIit
women we're at her side official attendahls-
s-+en6es reception AT Buckingham Palace theFe
e-oo5 rhe Oueen in crown and robes OF state ana
before her were passing the ANNA ssadors ana rep
,eeer-a-f,-es Of an the governments OF the world
Ana as each man knelJ and kissed her hano ne
nd n ro7oede % himself that she q woman Na-7
the rnizbriest potentate the earth the ruler OF
800 -tar three hundred million souls. And J. lot
the e~s+ time in al ny life lifted my heaa IN
-,-iaa If say discerned that an emperor "lIe
IS an empress. e kings wife a queen, a duke
,~ife duchess marques wife TnaTchloless, an
earl-s wife q countess and sd 70 in>Seli' ms
fs an srfstocracy. j: Is not absolutely monstTous
roascuIfaa regimen.
At see that Mrs Taft and Mrs. Sherman are gong
- accorrnsnv their husbands in the parade Ioi-
1ou-frp the inauguration said a woman in the
a-,5IaDc- Does tlaa mean that the government
sclzrovr1edges their official eEistenceE
-n5ot Al all said Mrs. ENoelsey- 1t Is only a
courtesy