fro THE EDITOR Or THE “SPEOTKIOR.1 Six,—Your timely article on
female suffrage in the Spectator of March 16th shows admirably the danger that would follow from the extension of the suffrage to women. Your con- clusions would be strengthened by considering the preliminary question, What is a political vote ? If advocates of female suffrage would weigh well what is meant by that, it might lead them to think again before seeking to give the vote to women. A political vote is not merely an expression of opinion, it is a pledge to enforce that opinion, and without that the vote amounts to nothing. A voter who gives hie vote without being ready to enforce it, to fight for it, to die for it if need be, is not a true citizen. If we vote with the minority, we do not think of enforcing our vote, because we accept the principle that the majority must rule, and, if it came to a question of enforcing, the majority would be stronger than the minority. But when we are in the majority we expect that the minority will give way to us, not only because we represent the opinion of the greater number, but also the greater power of enforcing that opinion. If, when a Government were defeated at the polls, they believed that the hostile majority represented merely a body of pious opinion, without the determination or power to enforce it, they would not feel the necessity of resigning. They might say "Though the expression of opinion is against us, we can judge what is for the good of the country better than the voters, and we have the command of the police and of the Army." But they know that to take any such position would be to rouse the manhood of the nation to a display of physical force that would compel them to yield. More than Once in the history of our nation effect has been given to the vote in Parliament by the exercise of physical force on the part of the people. So was it in the Great Rebellion of 1642, when the men of England rose in arms and dethroned the King because he would not yield to their opinion expressed through Parlia- ment. It is well known that displays of physical force greatly helped the Reform Bills of 1832 and 1867. The great American Civil War was caused by the determination of American citizens to enforce the vote which they had given through their representatives, and which the minority refused to accept. It may be said that there is little danger of such things happening now ; but if the sanction that is behind the vote of the majority be removed or rendered doubtful, there is no guarantee that they will not be repeated. How this applies to female suffrage is very obvious. Women are quite as capable of expressing an opinion on political questions as men are, but they are not capable of enforcing it; they are physi- cally disqualified. If the suffrage were extended to them, there would then be two classes of voters: one who could be relied on for enforcing their vote, and one who could not. We can see what danger might arise therefrom to stable govern- ment if any crisis should occur.—I am, Sir, &c.,
SKEET.
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