St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-05-27
FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE
Justice Wendell Phillips StaffOrd's
Letter 70 the Equal Franchise
League of BURLINGTON

A4CAlG4 W TIC LA1ueAA LLanLnA1C
League of Burlington
I believe in votes for women for
exactly the same reasons that / be-
lieve in votes for men. 1 believe in
the broadcast kind of a democracy.
All who are bound to obey the law
are entitled to an equal voice in say
ing what that law shall be, unless
some good reason can be given
against it. What lawyers know as
the burden of proof is on those who
would deny the suffrage to any class.
Wo do make an exception in the
case of foreigners until they have
been naturaliZed, because they owe
allegiance to some other government
and they ought to prove that they
have come here to remain and are fit
to be citizens. We make an excep-
ton of children because they ought
to wait until their minds have matur-
ed. We make an exception of GER
tain criminals because they have
shown themselves not to be trusted.
We make an exception of illiterates,
because voters ought to have at least
the rudiments of education, and in
this country they have the opportun-
ity to learn. We may make an ex-
ception of those who have no prop
erty, if We decide that no one ought
to vote unless he has a property in
terest in the community, although
venture to doubt the wisdom of such
an exception. But who can say that
sex, in and of itself, has anything
to do with this matter or voting? If
person has every other qualifica-
tion-age, citizenship, character, in
telligence, property-is that person
to be denied an equal voice in saying
what the law shall be, solely because
of sex? Those who assert ii are
bound to show why. They are bound
to show that there is something IN
the mere fact of sex that qualities
or disqualifies. l have been waiting
for 40 years for somebody to show
it, and l expect to have to wait a
good while longer. The fact is that
sex has nothing more to do with
qualification for the suffrage than
| height, weight or color of the hair.
When the Argument has proceeded
to this point the objector is apt to
say, But women don't want to vote. ."
If they really do not want to vote
my own experience with the sex
leads me to think they will not-we
do not need a law to prevent them
from doing what they have no desire
to do. The trouble is that a large
number of women do desire to vote,
and the number is growing larger
all the time. No doubt large num-
Der have no desire to vote. The
same is equally true of men. Some
people do not care to live; but those
of us who do care have not lost our
| right to live because other choose to
throw their lives away. Nearly
| 100000 men refused to go to the
! polls at the last presidential election
! Other men cared enough to travel
| thousands of miles to exercise their
right. Suppose only a part of the
women should choose to exercise
their right, ought the others to be
denied the privilege? Do you really
mean to tell us that one woman shall
not have what belongs to her, be-
cause two other women do not want
what belongs to them?
There are many reasons why
believe in equal suffrage, and as
said in the beginning they are rea-
sons that apply to men and women
alike. The whole theory of democratic
institutions is that the broader the
base the stronger will be the struc-
ture. Nobody questions that an
aristocratic government has some ad-
vantages over a democracy, and so,
in turn, an absolute despotism has
some advantages over both. The
machinery will run more smoothly
under a despotism because there will
be only one hand and one will in
control. An aristocracy will have a
higher grade of education and talent
than an enormous mixed mass of
people. But history has shown that
liberty is not safe under any form
of despotism, and that no aristocracy
can be trusted to legislate for the
great body of the people outside it's
own class. 1t is better to have
government administered in the in
terest of the masses, even though it
is not administered so skillfully as
by a despotism or by an aristocracy.
In a democracy no one can get or
hold Office without at least making
the people believe that he is work
ing for their interest. He cannot
turn his back on the people. The
despot or the aristocracy can, and
they are very apt to do so. A law
made by the whole people may be
less wise or less skillful drawn
but it will have more weight
because it will have the power
of the people behind it. In
ILLS 0CAACC uCIlOC1dCy Is lnC
strongest government in the world.
And, moreover those who exercise
the right of suffrage are constantly
stimulated to a healthful interest in
public affairs. Every political cam
paign is something of school. New
questions are debated; voters read
and consider and decide. The truth
is, the great school-teacher is re-
sponsibility. We can all see how
women have been educated during
the past generation by the new re-
sponsibilities that have been trust
upon them through the changes that
have come about in the social and
the working world. The fact that
such great numbers of women both
in this country and in England, and
indeed all over the world, are calling
for the ballot is largely due to the
economic changes that have made
women a competitor with man in new
and untried fields, and to the wider
and higher education the women of