e have two modern
instances. A woman is now on the throne of Spain, and a woman
sits upon the throne of the mightiest empire in the world. A
woman is the high admiral of the most powerful fleet that rests
upon the seas. Princes and nobles bow to her, not in the mere
homage of gallantry, but as the representative of a sovereignty
which has descended to her from a long line of sovereigns, some
of the most illustrious of them of her own sex. And shall we say
that a woman may properly command an army, and yet can not vote
for a Common Councilman in the city of Washington? I know very
well this discussion is idle and of no effect, and I am not going
to pursue it. I should not have introduced this question, but as
it has been introduced, and I intend to vote for the amendment, I
desire to declare here that I shall vote for it in all
seriousness, because I think it is right. The discussion of this
subject is not confined to visionary enthusiasts. It is now
attracting the attention of some of the best thinkers in the
world, both in this country and in Europe, and one of the very
best of them all, John Stuart Mill, in a most elaborate and able
paper, has declared his conviction of the right and justice of
female suffrage. The time has not come for it, but the time is
coming. It is coming with the progress of civilization and the
general amelioration of the race, and the triumph of truth and
justice and equal rights.

Mr. WILLIAMS: Mr. President, to extend the right of suffrage to
the negroes in this country I think is necessary for their
protection; but to extend the right of suffrage to women, in my
judgment, is not necessary for their protection. For that reason,
as well as for others, I shall vote against the amendment
proposed by the Senator from Pennsylvania, and for the amendment
as it was originally introduced by the Senator from Ohio [Mr.
Wade]. Negroes in the United States have been enslaved since the
formation of the Government. Degradation and ignorance have been
their portion; intelligence has been denied to them; they have
been proscribed on account of their color; there is a bitter and
cruel prejudice against them everywhere, and a large minority of
the people of this country to-day, if they had the power, would
deprive them of all