Year: 1870

equal Rights"


INDEPENDENCE, Iowa.,


June 8, 1870. !


MY DEAR SNYDER: - No individual
Is born, under the laws OF nature, to
Especial privilege or special right In
the world. a. The scepter of au-
thority is no ante fatal gift from the
Creator. (2.) True. Kingcraft denies
this proposition, as must all consist
ent opponents Of equal rights, and
just here lies the dividing line be-
tween US. Every individual is born
with an equal right to life and all Its
possibilities with every other. o.
The fact of existence Is involuntary
with the individual soul--something
over which 1t has had no CONTROL
Hence the individual is In no wise
responsible for the distinguishing
circumstances Of sex or surroundings
attending birth and consequently can
not justly be circumscribed I'm rights
or privileges by reason of such cir
cumstances. a. To deny a right or
privilege to an individual because
that individual was born female, is
to take a contemplate, unmaEly and
outrageously unjust advantage of a
condition for which such individual
is in no wise responsible aud for
which no penalty can In decency be
imposed by man. To deny a right or
privilege because the individual was
born poor or i'm obscurity, or with q
dark skin, would be equally an out
rage upon justice. You have doubt.
less preached this latter doctrine time
and again, as defender of Republi-
can principles, and it Is only when
you reach the crime of having been
born female that you deny the ap-
plication of the principle. tS.)


Now let us suppose that your wife
desires to exercise her right to self
government by voting on an exact
equality with yourself. Were she
your brother instead of your wife,
could you claim that this demand
was unreasonable or unjust? Would
you not readily admit that every
right and privilege which you de.
mand for yourself belongs equally to
himP Now If you deny your wife
these rights and privileges, can you
present any reason for IL, excepting
the bare fact that her soul-her real
individuality-is connected with a
female body? Is she not equally
human, as much distinct individu.
ality, as responsible to her Creator,
with as well defined personal aspira-
tions and duties, and as clear right
to self control in every respect as
your brother? Then what reason
but the simple one of sex and her
helplessness in being under foot, can
you offer as an excuse for denying
her what oou would not think of de-
nying your brother. co.


DO you say 1t would harm her p
Has she not as valid right to be d
judge of this as you? You might
think the same of your brother-that
IL would harm him. Tell him so,
and how quickly and indignantly
would he retort, "Who made thee thy
brothers. keeper?" OH! but your
wife is a sconan! There's the rub
the crime Of being a woman!


You say she is already represented.
~ But supposing she thinks diff
ferently and demands the exercise Of
all rights and privileges In the same
way with yourself. Has she not an
equal right with yourself to an opin-
ion in the matter, and can you deny
her demand for any reason but her
scxhood? "Do as you would be done
by" is a golden rule always and
every where and the true basis Of just
government as well as of religion.


Now there are thousands of women
all over the land who think that the
government under which they live.
and which compells their obedience,
would be made better and more effi-
cient in securing its true objects, If
they could have voice In 1t. They
feel that they are not properly rep
resented. They demand the same
voice-no more. no less-and the op-
portunity to exercise 1t I'm the same
manner as yourself. Put yourself In
their place and you would be more or
less than human did you not resent
with bitter sccrn the insulting re-
sponse Of men to your demand for
equal rights-"Your opinions we are
not bound to consider; you have no
rights which men are bound to re-
speet. You have all the attributes OF
humanity as well as ourselves, 1t Is
true. but you ale ,oonadn; we have
you in our power and will do with
you as we like" This Is practically
the answer which you and all other
opponents to woman suffrage make
to the demand for equal rights. Is. ]


I have in this letter treated the
question from the stand point OF the
individual. In my next will con-
slider 1t from the standpoint of soci-
ETY. and government.


Very Cordially Yours,


]. L. LooMIs.


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