tions that the dignity, justice, and freedom due to woman can be granted and maintained. (Voices: "How dare you come here!")

“A Republic is a mere theory, at constant war with nature, never comprehending liberty, and at best only understanding license"; and in such an institution freedom and justice to woman can never be granted and maintained. (A voice: "Let us refuse to listen!"-Disturbance.)

Here is a picture of the first woman in the largest Christian aristocracy-Queen Victoria, crowned, and seated upon Britain's throne. Look on that picture, then on this—this latter being the public ideal of the "First lady” in the largest democracy on earth-in forty-one States embraced within the Republic of the United States of North America. In the second picture you see all women therein included in the one, at the feet of forty million men— chained to criminals and lunatics, living under that most dangerous, hopeless, exasperating and oppressive of all tyrannies, "the will of the masses." I think you will agree with me that the person who asserts that these republican

States, which class all women publicly with their mental and moral outcasts, have as lofty an ideal of womanhood as an empire of 400,000,000 people—an empire which has a woman for its political, legal, civic, social and religious head-is as irrational as one who would assert that the moon is as radiant as the sun. (A voice: "You are polite, I must say!")

Beyond any question the person who believes that the republics of France, Brazil, Mexicoor any others-grant to womankind the position, influence or esteem granted by any aristocracy of Europe, has no more knowledge of actual conditions than had Balaam's ass of the laws of gravitation. Nor can one read history without perceiving that the republics of antiquity, too, held woman in lower public esteem than did the aristocracies of antiquity. It is always the classes, never the masses, who set up elevated ideals of womanhood; and it is only where the influence of the classes is paramount that woman need look for the highest recognition. The pre-eminent statesmen of every country have argued and granted that genuine republi

canism pre-supposes political equality. And if we examine the lexicographers they too define a citizen as one who possesses the rights of suffrage (or a vote). Bouvier says, "A citizen is a person who, under the constitution and laws of the United States Republic, has a right to vote for public offices." Worcester says, "A citizen is an inhabitant of a Republic who has a right to vote for public offices." Webster says, "In the United States Republic a citizen is a person who has the right of exercising the elective franchise." Richard Grant White says, "A citizen is a person who has political rights, and the word can only be properly used to imply the possession of such rights." The very meaning of a Republican government is clear-it is the right of honest and rational adult members thereof to individual choice of representation. Yet the national government of no Republic protects woman in the right to representation or gives her a voice therein. In consequence of this, confiscation of liberties, rights and privileges of woman-politically, legally, civilly, in trade, and in all and everything concerning her,

occurs again, again and again; and (as in such government non-representation is equivalent to ostracism) her interests are ignored, overlooked and uncared for. Woman, like the fabled Prometheus, lies chained and helpless while the vulture preys on her vitals.

In speaking of woman in democracy I shall speak of her chiefly in the one I belong to, as her position therein is, on the whole, better than in any other. You know, of course, that the vast North American democratic Republic is a collection of many States. In the forty-one States embraced in these United States, every citizen twenty-one years of age has a voice in the government, through individual choice of representation; or has the right to complete selfgovernment through having votes, or the right to make all laws under which he lives-with the following exceptions.*

*The citizen must be twenty-one years of age-a couple of the Southern States insist upon educational qualifications, which are, however, not hard to overcome as a few months' instruction suffices. (The intention is to bar out illiterate negroes.) But the difficulty of sex Once a woman, never a voter.

can never be overcome.

In Alabama all citizens have votes or right to self-government except persons convicted of the crimes of treason, idiots, lunatics, and women.

In Arkansas all citizens have votes or selfgovernment except persons convicted of heinous crimes, the insane, and women.

In California all citizens have votes or selfgovernment except persons convicted of embezzlement of public money, of infamous crimes, idiots, lunatics and women.

In Connecticut all citizens, who can read English have votes or self-government except those convicted of heinous crimes and women.

In Delaware all citizens have self-government or votes except persons convicted of infamous crimes, felons, women, idiots and lunatics.

In Florida all citizens have self-government or votes except lunatics, women, and persons guilty of heinous crimes.

In Georgia all citizens have self-government except persons convicted of perjury, bribery, murder, the insane and women.

In Illinois all citizens have self-government except persons convicted of bribery in elections,