New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-01
Votes for Women.


Against the extension of suffrage to wom-
en- there has been urged no argument no
protest, no warning that has not served
its time on every occasion on which 1t has
been proposed TO extend the right to vote
since man began his long struggle for
equality.
From the very beginning, each time
there has been a proposal to bestow upon
a new fraction of mankind q share in the
making of laws, in the choosing Of public
servants. in the determination Of govern
mental policies. earnest and honest men
and selfish and narrow-minded men have
uttered prophetic and ponderous words
forecasting the ruin of city and of state.
Sometimes it has taken years, genera
tions, centuries. 10 take a forward step
but always the step has been taken There
has been no rest. no pause, until equal
rights are now the portion Of men Of every
rank and condition Of life in most coun-
tries which call themselves modern and
civilized.
Nothing was more logical, more inevita-
Ult. Aiidil tidN OilOI OH iiiNAA PNT0N'SNN VIZ
ballot there should be agitation and de-
mand that it be extended to all women.
if the ballot were thing of privilege, II
only a class or several classes Of men
could vote then there was sound reason
for excluding not all women, but certain
classes. all classes but the favored. But
to-day nothing is more generally conceded
than that the ballot is right, not a priv
ilege, and an inherent, not an acquired
right of citizens conforming to the law.
On what ground. then. can it be denied
10 women? Does any man pretend that
every man is better qualified to vote than
certain women known to him? This is
absurd. because it is patent how large
number of the men who do vote are cor
lupt. ignorant vicious. Yet no one pre-
tends in this day to exclude the ignorant
o. can hit upon a method to exclude all
the corrupt.
The fact is that the right to vote belongs
to women as a right if it belongs TO men.
If it is a right at all, it is absolutely i'm
possible to limit or circumscribe the right.
ne tllbi " w NliiS III NiN NcSN VI i'N' ''N'"
broken down. The whole course of gov
ornamental experience all over the world
in recent years has been toward universal
suffrage. But on what basis of right can
one sex exclude the other, it now being
agreed that no class can as such exclude
others?
Ii is not a question of whether all wom-
en- want to vote. It is enough that some
of them do. 1t is not question of what
women will do with the vote after they
get il. No one will pretend they would
abuse it as some men do. The whole
question comes down to a question of natu-
raj right. By what right may men JUS
tify their exclusion Of the women from
the polls save only by that right which ii
might?
IL has all been tried over and over again
You can find in history nothing but
repetition of the struggles Of few +
prevent their fellows from sharing Il
government, power, wealth. All through
our modern history the thing goes on. Al
ways it is for the good of the state tina
the few oppose the many, the rich, tn
poor. the titled, the common people Al
WAYS the same fear for the consequence
10 the beneficaries impels the HAYES u
withhold from the Have Nots. 1t wa
not good for the slaves TO have liberty
every STAKEHOLDER was certain of it. TIL
peasants of France were not fit for lii
erty; the nobility knew it,
But always the end has been the SAINT
That which belonged Of right to all me
has in the end been acquired by all mer
Privilege has been broken down, eXclusiv
power has been abolished and still nation
have lived, men have not destroyed then
selves or their countries.
II will not be different in this cas-
Three years ago the fight for equal SUI
frage was a joke. Men laughed at tn
thought who will vote for it tomorrow
All il is necessary TO do is TO read tn
frantic documents of the opponents {
suffrage TO see how little Of a joke II
thing now seems to them. 1t has passe
the stage where men laugh; it will b
presently past the stage where they argu
against II.
And il all comes back 10 the single poin
No one in democracy is entitled to pri'
ileges not within the reach of all. II on
human being has right TO vote all hav
under equal conditions. We have mad
rank. color, wealth. a thousand othe
things the test of eligibility 70 vote-an
we have discarded them. There remain
only the disqualification Of sex-and tina
too, will be abolished.
II is of little real Importance whethe
the women win this year or next. tn
essential fact TO recognize is that they wi
win. They will win precisely as ever