The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1915-09-23
HON. ELIHU ROOT ON
WOMAN'S SUFFRAGE

The question of Woman Suffrage is an
issue before the American people
Twelve states have adopted it, four
more states vote upon it this fall and
it is strongly urged that it become a
platform demand Of the national poll
teal parties. 1t is therefore the privi-
lege and duty of every voter to study
carefully this subject. Hon. Elihu Root,
in discussing this question before the
Constitutional Convention of New York,
recently said in part:
81 am opposed to the granting of
suffrage to women, because I believe
that it would be loss to women, to all
women and to every woman; and be-
cause believe it would be an injury to
the State, and to every man and woman
in the State. It would be useless to
argue this if the right Of suffrage were
q natural right. IF ii were a natural
right, then women should have it though
the heavens fall. But if there be any
one thing settled in the long discussion
of this subject, it is that suffrage is
not natural right, but is simply a
means of government, and the sole
question to be discussed is whether
government by the suffrage of men and
women will be better government than
by the suffrage Of men alone.
Into my judgment, sir, there enters
no element of The inferiority of woman.
1t is not that woman is inferior to men,
but it is that woman is different from
man; that in the distribution of powers
Of capacities, Of qualities, our Maker
has created man adapted to the perfor.
nance of certain functions in the econ
omy Of nature and society, and woman
adapted to the performance Of other
functions.
Woman rules today by the sweet and
noble influences of her character. Put
woman in the arena of conflict and She
abandons these great weapons which
control the world, and she takes into
her hands feeble and nerveless fol
!strife, weapons with which she is un
familiar and which she is unable tt
WELD. Woman in strife becomes hard
harsh, unlovable, repusive, as far re
moved from that gentle creature t.
whom we all owe allegiance and tt
whom we confess submission, as tn,
heaven is removed from the earth.
The whole science of government i
the science of protecting life and Ii
herty and the pursuit of happiness. Il
the divine distribution of powers, TIL
duty and the right of protection rest
with the male. 1t is SO Throughout
nature 1t is so with men. and |, flo
one, will never consent to part with tn
divine right Of protecting my wife, M
daughter, the women whom l love, an
the women whom I respect, eXercisin
the birthright of man, and place tina
high duty in the weak and nerveles
hands of those designed by God to b
protected rather than to engage i'll tn
stern warfare of government In m
Judgment, this whole movement arise
from a false conception of the duty an
of the right of both men and women.
The time will never come when tn
line of demarcation between the fun,
lions of the two sexes will be broke
down. I believe it to be false philos,
ply: I believe that it is an attempt
turn backward upon the line Of soci;
development, and that if the step eve
be taken, we go centuries backward o
the march towards a higher, a noble
and purer civilization. which must b
found not in the confusion, but in til
higher differentiation of the sexes.'