ENFRANCHISEMENT OF
THE AMERICAN WOMAN
Arguments Against Woman's
Suffrage Answered by Principles of Good Government.
"The Principles of Government Applied to Women's Enfranchisement" is
the subject of a paper by Mrs. L.
Crozier French, president of the Knox-
ville Equal Suffrage League. Mrs.
French has read widely on the subject
which she treats logically in this paper,
answering the common arguments
against suffrage with arguments that
noted statesmen and orators have used
in pleading for national independence.
The subject is one that is attracting
widespread attention and the following
paper is one that should prove of general interest.
The paper is as follows:
Says Benjamin Franklin: "Liberty
or freedom consists in having an actual share in the appointment of
those who frame the laws, and who
are to be the guardians of every man's
life, property and peace, for the all
of one man is as dear to him as the
all of another." Is not this true of
every woman as well as of every man ? i
Franklin continues:
"The poor man has an equal right,
but more need to have representatives
in the legislature than the rich one."
How great a truth is here set forth.
Those who are powerless through poverty need the protection afforded by
the ballot. Custom has decreed for
centuries that man must have charge
of the finances; hence, women may be
considered poor as a class.
Nature, aided and abetted by custom,
has made woman weak physical -
ly, and for this cause another reason
arises why she should have the pro-
tection of the vote. But some say
women are represented by men, not
making note of the fact that many
women have neither father, husband,
brothers or cousins. But let us hear
Franklin on this sort of representa-
tion: "They who have no voice nor
vote in the electing of representatives
do not enjoy liberty, but are absolutely enslaved to those who have
votes and to their representatives, for
to be enslaved is to have governors
whom other men have set over us, and
be subject, to laws made by the rep-
resentatives of others, without having
had representatives of our own to give
consent in our behalf." i
Distasteful as the statement is to
men that women are politically slaves,
the fact must be acknowledged by
reasonable people. Here is what James
Otis says of the sort of representation
women have had: "No such phrase
as virtual representation was ever
known in law or constitution. It is
altogether a subtlety and illusion,
wholly unfounded and absurd. We
must not be cheated by any such
phantom or other trick of law or poli-
tics." If no man can represent any
other man, how much less can any
man represent a woman? Can any
man represent the feelings of a mother? The most frequent objection
one hears urged against the enfranchisement of women is that politics is too corrupt for good women
to take part in. Could any reason be
more absurd? Women must live under the government conducted by these
bad politicians. If women are the
better, why not let them try to make
some improvement? Why tie their
hands and make them stand idly by
while unworthy men are put in high
places to rule over them?
A violation of the constitution of the
United States that is practiced in all
except four of the states today is the
taxation of the property of women.
Read what James Otis said about taxation, without representation: "The
very act of taxing exercised over those
who are not represented. appears to
me to be depriving them of their most
essential right as freemen, and if
continued, seems to be, in effect, an
entire disfranchisement of every civil
right. For what civil right is worth
a rush, after a man's property is subject to be taken from him at pleasure
without his consent? If a man is not
his own assessor in person or by deputy, his liberty is gone, and he is entirely at the mercy of others." And
this is true, even in a greater degree
of women, because of their impecunious condition and their physical weakness?.
No greater example could be given
Of the necessity of every class and
every individual being represented at
the polls than is here shown of these
great statesmen, Otis and Franklin,
who could point out so clearly these
human rights and yet who did not demand them for women, so far as I
know. When individuals or classes
are fighting for their own rights they
are apt to neglect those of others. So
the laws concerning women have been
always the last to be changed as civilization advanced, because
have not looked after the
themselves. Some have been too poor,
weak and ignorant to do so and
others have been basking in the lap
of luxury, protected and cared for by
male relatives, and have been heedless
and indifferent to the needs of others
except in the way of giving pity and
charity.
Before the close of this twentieth
century I dare to predict that class
slavery will be banished from the
Anglo-Saxon world and women, being
free, there will be seen a new era
about to dawn on earth, and
prophecy contained in the song the
angels sang will begin to be realized
'Peace on earth, good will to men.'
L. CROZIER FRENCH,
President, Equal Suffrage Club.
Women's Suffrage
