The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-27
AGAINST TIE VOTE FOR
TIE WOMAN.
Professor Prince Of Dickinson College
Replies 70 Mr.. Condit.

.
! Albert X. Condit. who argues In THE
SrN Of April "a in favor of the vote
for woman. falls into the errors com
mon to all champions OF that cause.
He takes his stand on the doctrine
! that all governments derive their
/ Just powers from the consent Of the
! governed" which he finds explicitly
stated in the writings Of Thomas
Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Neither
the source OF principle nor the
character OF It's advocates has any
, bearing on the truth or applicability
OF the principle itself. The value Of
J Mr.. Paine's treatise on Tho Rights
Of Man" Ia debatable anyhow. but
whether the author meant to include
women within the scope Of his gem
Civilizations or not ne never argued
for female suffrage.
Nor has the doctrine any more va
lidlty because Incorporated in the Dec
| laration Of Independence. Govern
mcnts have no Just" powers. They
have necessary powers, but these are
usurped. and in no exact sense do
they rest upon or derive their force
from the acquiescence Of those who
| own, ever was or ever can he admin
istered on any such basis of fog and
moonshine as tho voluntary consent
Of the governed. 1t IL discredited
axiom Of political speculation.
Mr.. Condit informs us that There
! is only one question to be asked to
decide this matter OF woman suffrage.
and that II: rs there anywhere in the
theory Of our Government n right ex-
! listing IN It's favor?" on the contrary.
II IL not theoretical question at all.
| Suffrage IL not an inherent right" II
is a privilege to he granted or with
held by the State at it's option.
II Mr.. Condit. who Is a lawyer, will
turn N 81 N. r. Rep. GA Und.) hc
win find in Cougar w. Timberlake a
correct exposition by the Supreme
Court Of the theory OF suffrage.
There may he nothing an the theory
Of our Government" to exclude women
from the franchise: neither II there
anything in It's theory to exclude chill
dren. paupers. criminals and a1!ena
The question IL practical one;
namely. What good will Il DO? Some
light may he thrown on this question
|
namely. What rood has II done? His
tory and contemporary politics bear
abundant testimony to the conse-
/ quences OF female emancipation"
Juvenal with terrific satire lashes the
| Roman matrons whose independence
/ led them to cast aside the wholesome
restraints Of nature and custom and
| to ape the employments and vices OF
men. In modern times the plots and
! intrigues OF politically inclined women
have found their way into cabinets
and chancelleries and have more than
once redrawn the map Of Europe. II
took revolution OF unprecedented
( sangulnary horrors 10 clean house in
France after two centuries OF female
rule. In Finland the acknowledgements
NJ women has already destroyed do
| nestle concord and bids fair TO disrupt
the State II II now almost half a
century since woman suffrage scored
: IT, first decisive triumph IN the West
hut II has not made Wyoming a more
desirable hah.ta.ion than Pennsyl-
| vania, where women do not even vote
for school directors. Utah Is polyga
nous. Colorado IL a paradise Of muck
rnkers and the rest OF the suffrage
States are laboratories for sociology
cal germ culture and all manner II
freak experiments in legislation.
Since the principal causes OF pol!ti-
cal immortality are ambition and the
lust for power, personal and partisan
r,valrics and hatreds. Il is hardly likely
that IN the improbable event OF their
attaining real political leadership
women could escape these haneful In
I NuenCes. SO far from demonstrat-
ing the possession 4 superior inner
ont morality. history clearly Indicates
that women are as sex cons''tu-
tionally Incapable Of resisting tho al
lurcments OF power.
Woman suffrage Is essentially the
single wumanS movement. But OK
aCtiy what reforms does the suffrage
party expect - accomplish through
political agency for the unmarr 'd
woman? The opening ~ additional.
avenues Of employment? They are al
ready SO numerous and so free as -
constitute a virtual monopoly in GER
tain departments. Would a Iegis-
lIture or Congress composed 81
women raise the scale of female wages
IN industry? Wages are not regulated
by statute they are regulated hy the
laws Of the market or decree "cqul,
pay for equal work? The work it.
self IS not equal, that Is Just TIE
point. TIE reason why women %
not receive equal pay with men Is ho-
cause they do not earn II and cannot
earn y. The gift OF the ballot would
not increase economic efficiency. and
without increased efficiency tho work
INK woman could not demand and
should not receive higher pay.
But tho conclusive argument against
woman suffrage is the radical a priorl
objection that Il denes the basic
principle of all government. nancy,
that the electorate must possess tho
Inherent power TO execute It's sovcr-
e.gn viii expressed in legislation. The
g!ft OF the ballot would fail 70 Clothe
woman with any real political author
!ty for the obvious reason that there
would he nothing back Of tho ballot
Law ts the expression OF sovereignty
and sovereignty rests ultimately upon
physical force and upon nothing else
Not that might makes right" but
might uuQucstlonably makes sover-
eighty This Is n simple automatic
truth Of political philosophy. the basis
and support OF all government. civil
i2ed and savage, which society can
never outgrow by any process a. in
tcilcctual development or refinement