Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-10-30
Anti-Suffrage

Opinion on the Women Suffrage question by one who is con
coded to be the most profound American statesman Of this period.
Address Of Hon. Ehhu Root before the New York State Convention,
Aug. 18th, 1894:
am opposed to the granting of suffrage to women, because I
believe that it would be a loss to women, to all women and to
every woman; and because I belle We it would be an injury to the
State and to every man and woman in the state 1t would pc use.
less to argue this if the right Of suffrage were a natural night. II
it werea natural right, then women should have it though the heav-
ems fall. But if there be any one thing settled in the long discus
sion of this subject, it is that suffrage is not a natural right, but IS
simply a means of government; and the sole question to De DIS
cussed is whether governmet by the suffrage OF men and women
will be better government than by the suffrage OF men alone. The
question is, therefore, a question Of expedieacy and the question OF
expediency upon this subject is not a question OF tyranny, as the
gentleman from Cattaraugus has said, but a question OF liberty, a
question Of the preservation OF free constitutional government, OF
law, order, peace and prosperity. Into my judgment, Sir, there en-
trs no element of the inferiorty Of woman. There could not sir,
for I rejoice in the tradition and in the memory and the posses
sion Of a home where woman reigns with acknowledged superiority
in all the nobler and the higher attributes that by common, by uni
versal consent, determine rank among the highest OF the children
Of God. No, sir. 1t is not that woman is inferior to man, but it is
that woman is different from man; that in the distribution OF pow
ers, Of capacities, Of qualities, our Maker has created man adapted
to the performance Of certain functions in the economy Of nature
and society, and women adapted to the performance of other func-
lions. One question to be determined i'll the discussion OF this sub
ject is whether the nature Of woma an is such that her taking upon
her the performance of the functions implied in suffrage will leave
her in possession and the exercise of her higher powers or will be
an abandonment of those powers and on entering upon, a field in
which, because Of her differences from man, she is distinctly in
ferior: Mr.. President, I have said that J. thought suffrage would
be a loss for women. 1 think sobecause suffrage implies not
merely the casting Of the ballot, the gentle and peaceful fall Of
the snowflake, but suffrage, if it means anything, means enter
ing upon the field Of political life, and politics is modified wal.
In politics there is struggle, strife, contention, bitterness, heart
burning, excitement, agitation, everything which is adverse to
true character Of women. Woman rules today by the sweet and
noble influences Of her character. Put woman into the arena of
conflict and she abandons these great weapons which control the
world, and she takes into her hands, feeble and nerveless for
strife, weapons with which she is unfamiliar and which she is IN
able to WELD. Woman in strife becomes hard, harsh, unlovable,. re
ill sa owe allegiance III i, s sndsso i whom VI wes con sd ssSbnis i Z a. the Il
heaven is removed from the earth. Government, Mr.. President,
protecting life and liberty and the pursuit Of happiness, Of protect
ing our person, our property, our homes, our wives and our chill
mobs and riots rearing their fearful heads within this peaceful land
during the very sessions of this Convention: Against crime and dis
eminent is the method Of protectio on, protection Of US all. The trou-
BILE, MI. President, is not in the principles which underlie govern
them, honor and truth and justice and liberty; the difficulty is to
find out how to protect them. The difficulty is to frame the meas
ure, to direct the battle, to tell where and how the blows are to be
struck NIX: and F%i %hsn til the ; det sf1ins a ar ssd t. Ss sr sf sar.rs. the duty and
= S;v; i . S;td !, men s5st: and !: T 5s : S sss, wi . ssys; so rs 1. to part TSo WITH ! ,s 52s
sa the 5's Women sa e sse% 7 rs @p s's sx %s ases' sSe BIZ s%th %s%ta Of sn man. !' sas
Ss.'s Cod Il e e $ protected rot t :! sss ss = ss = t. =, sssass n N : ;ss : ss ss5ess warfare ssss' .
false conception Of the duty and Of the right Of me- and women both.
3 %s ~ !. Il ths Is is: ST. , sss VI; @s s ssst do, vi Rs s all =. %'s sn,, We 'sn a. Is g.; share as" sS Seo fs =
s s9Fs,s Of 3tRsss, o to 'ss' ne our DO s's ssems sou sd 1 e Ssty m nns t, t9 snssss in @ snsss
ses:p Ss !. Sa.s H. H. n LITTLE INNS ;sst f 25. our s ss9 INES xo i is ; n great N. mis-
t5ss' e sa ss Is that i ,s's sho 'f fanaaon ss' q 'nsss are see: superior re tn theirs @' and s sesR
: %:'' !: ; IN he a nous III s? ?ss s;s / # I exercise + IF g ta%sy I, that aas ~s sss
and there today woman is supreme and woman rules the world. Mr.
President, the time will never. come when this line of demarcaion be-
tween the functions Of the two sexes will be broken down. l beieveSit
no be- false philosophy; i believe that it is an attempt to turn backward
upon the line Of social development and that if the step ever be taken.
a purer civilization, which must be found not in the confusion, but in, the
higher differentiation of the sexes. But, Mr.. President" why do we dis
cuss this subrdt? The convention has already acted upon it. A com
mMtee, as fairly constituted as ever was committee, has acted upon it, a
committee which had among its members four who weres selected by the
women who lead this movement, which had a smaller number of gen
tlemen who were known to he opposed to it, the great body of which
was composed Of men whose ideas and feelings upon the subject were
utterly unknown, has acted upon it, and reported to the convention. The
convention has, by a unanimous vote, decided that it will not strike the
ton that instead Of performing the duty which W came here to perform,
instead Of exercising the warrant given to us 10y the people to revise and
amend the Constitution constitution we shall have a Iecsn in a veal and shutting
they charged u y to make in this convention. We are asked to do It.
Why? To q 1T from good nature, to do it because my friend from New
York, Mr.. Lauterbach, is a good fellow; to do it because it will please
this lady VI that lady, who have been importuning members about this
hall for months, to do it, heaven knows for how many reasons. but all
reasons Of good nature, of kindness, Of compaisance, opposed to the
simple performance Of the duty which we came here to discharge under
the sanction Of our aths. Mr. President ! hope that this convention
will discharge the duty of determining who shall vote; discharge it with
manliness and decision Of character, which, after ALL the women of Amer
ic.L God bless them. admire and respect more than anYthinp else N this