his or her
ballot, which shall be a single written ticket, containing the
names of the persons for whom he or she votes." An old citizen of
New Jersey says that "the right was recognized, and very little
said or thought about it in any way." But in 1807 the suffrage
was restricted to white male adult citizens of a certain age,
residence, and property, and in 1844 the property qualification
was abolished. At the hearing before the committee, the other
evening, a gentleman asked whether the change of the
qualification excluding women did not show that their voting was
found to be inconvenient or undesirable. Not at all. It merely
showed that the male property-holders out-voted the female. It
certainly showed nothing as to the right or expediency of the
voting of women. Mr. Douglas, as I said, had a theory that the
white male adult squatters in a territory might decide whether
the colored people in the territory should be enslaved. They
might, indeed, so decide, and with adequate power they might
enforce their decision. But it proved very little as to the
right, the expediency, or the constitutionality of slavery in a
territory. The truth is that men deal with the practical question
of female suffrage to suit their own purposes. About twenty-five
years ago the Canadian government by statute rigorously and in
terms forbade women to vote. But in 1850, to subserve a sectarian
purpose, they were permitted to vote for school trustees. I am
ashamed to argue a point so plain. What public affairs need in
this State is "conscience," and woman is the conscience of the
race. If we in this convention shall make a wise Constitution, if
the Legislatures that follow us in this chamber shall purify the
laws and see that they are honorably executed, it will be just in
the degree that we shall have accustomed ourselves to the
refined, moral, and mental atmosphere in which women habitually
converse.

But would you, seriously, I am asked, would you drag women down
into the mire of politics? No, sir, I would have them lift us out
of it. The duty of this Convention is to devise means for the
improvement of the government of this State. Now, the science of
government is not an ignoble science, and the practice of
politics is not necessarily mean and degrading. I