the following by a
distinguished commentator upon American institutions: "In the
free States, except criminals and paupers, _there is no class of
persons_ who do not exercise the elective franchise." It seems
women are not even a class of persons. They are fairly dropped
from the human race, and very naturally, since we have grown
accustomed to recognize as _universal_ suffrage, that which
excludes by constitutional taboo one-half of the people. To
declare that a voice in the government is the right of _all_, and
then give it only to a _part_--and that the part to which the
claimant himself belongs--is to renounce even the appearance of
principle. As ought to have been foreseen, the class of persons
thus cut off from the means of self-protection, have become
victims of unequal and oppressive legislation, which runs through
our whole code. We first bind the hands, by the organic law, and
then proceed with deliberate safety, by the statute, to spoil the
goods of the victim. Whatever palliation for the past hoary
custom, false theology, and narrow prejudice may furnish, it is
certainly time now to remedy those evils, and reduce to practice
our favorite theory of government.

The citizens thus robbed of a natural right complain of the
injustice. They protest against taxation without representation.
They claim that all _just_ government must derive its power from
the consent of the governed. A forcible female writer says: "Even
this so-called free government of the united States, as at
present administered, is nothing but a political, hereditary
despotism to woman; she has no instrumentality whatever in making
the laws by which she is governed, while her property is taxed
_without_ representation."

But this feeling, it is claimed, is entertained but by few women;
on the contrary, they generally disown such claim when made in
their behalf. Supposing the fact to be true to the fullest extent
ever asserted, if it proves that American women ought to remain
as they are, it proves exactly the same with respect to Asiatic
women; for they, too, instead of murmuring at their seclusion and
at the restraint imposed upon them, pride themselves on it, and
are astonished at the effrontery of women who receive visits from
male acquaintances, and are seen in the streets unveiled. Habits
of submission make women, as well as men, servile-minded. The
vast population of Asia do not desire or value--probably would
not accept--political lib