Year: 1870

'AwaIke, Master Barmardine! 20.


Can any one give respectable rea-
son why woman, Of equal capacity,
moral and intellectual, with a man,
should not have an equal right with him
to take share in politics and govern
ment! Can any one give us a respectable
reason why woman of equal legisla-
tive and political knowledge with a
man cannot with safety be permitted to
sharp equally with him the RESPONSE
bilities Of legislative and political life
Can any one give us a respectable rea-
son why woman who is no more ig-
noraDt, no more vicious than a. man,
should be excluded from public life,
while the man is admitted!


This is the thousandth time of asking.
There is and can be no satisfactory an
Swer. The only attempt at an answer
is that which maintains that inasmuch
as the majority of men are better versed
in government and politics than the
majority of women, therefore it is for
the general welfare that the male
monopolists should continue to keep
power in their own hands and deprive
all women Of an opportunity TO com.
pete for its responsibilities and honors,
But it is too late in the United States to
raise this objection. We have decided
that no class of men shall under the
general-w elfare plea deny the right
of suffrage or the right to hold Office to
any other class of men. Property and
educational qualifications have been
abolished, substantially, throughout the
Union. We say to the men, Do you
propose to restore them? Ii YOU do,
very well women will read the Con-
stitution in the English language and
write their names; or women will &C.
quire property as basis for the suf-
frage. you do not, if you stand by
the pr esent tendency, then answer ouI
first question, and give us your reasons,
Jack, your reasons!"


You know very well that it is out o.
the question to expect that men OF
women, even when they are reached by
the conclusions oflogic, will at once ACT
upon them. The self-evident truths OF
the Declaration of Independence, for
gotten by Jefferson himself, and ap-
parently for forty years lost sight of by
nearly all the American people, were
revived about the year 1880, and it wa,
thirty years later still before they found
lodgment in the minds of a majority
Of the people, We know perfectly well
the resources of sophistry, the stub
bornness of prejudice, the tenacity ol
wrongfully held power, But we know
also that this question of the right Of
woman to equality of civil and political
rights with man is to go through nc
such period of the "dark ages" as that
through which the anti slavery idea
passed. We are to have no 17S7-183O
in this cause We follow close upon
the triumphant march of abolition. We
seize upon the minds who have beheld
that great work wrought out, aud who
have taken note of the blockhead soph-
istries, the stupid prejudices, the cruel
abuses, which have been broken up
and piled OH one side, at what infinite
cost to the people of time and treasure
and blood. The men and women who
have seen these things are not 60
ing to submit to auy long period OF pro-
baton. They have stated their case
and they have waited in vain for an
objection. They look to the legisla-
lures for an answer TO their petitions.
Not word in report or speech until
the yeas and nays are called, and the
majority votes No. They look to the
press, the daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly. Not a word of reply, but
only sneer or a laugh or a fallacy.
They look to the pulpit, but it raises
no objection Dogged inertia is the
only barrier. Well, it Is something /;
it is a good deal to contend against;
but it has got to give way, and in no
long time The Interrogation point is
not to be baffied in any such way as
this. 1t will be answered. And logic
will be invincible without any such de-
lays as were inevitable before we had
the last thirty years of tuition in logic.
This ancient pretense that there is any
right of sex to rule in this country has
got to be executed, and good rid
dance to it. We say to itas the Clown
said to Barnardiue, "Master Barnar-
dine! you must rise and be hanged,
Master Barnardine!" And when Mas
ter Barnardine replies, "Away, you
rogue, away. / am sleepy" We reply,
"Pray, Master Barnardine, aOate I'LL you
are Srecutctl, and sleep afterwards p The