“Yes, God bless them,” sez he, “they are as pure, and good, and high minded as angels; and to think of these lofty-souled, spiritual creatures being under the rule of these beasts of burden.”
(Thinkses I, no thanks to him if they are good and pure, the mean, miserable snipe.)
But I sez, “If these wimmen are so good and noble, of course you wouldn’t be afraid to trust ’em. Why not let ’em vote, why not have a educated, moral vote, that would take the power out of the hands of the low and vile, black and white, and place it in the hands of the educated and moral, and whether in this country or another” (sez I, as I thought to myself of Victor’s plan), “whether in this Republic or a new colony, it would be a right way, a safe way.”
“I don’t believe in women voting,” sez Col. Seybert, with a strong, witherin’ emphasis. “I don’t believe in it—and they don’t; you couldn’t get our women to vote.”
“How do you know they wouldn’t? You say they are high-minded and pure as angels. Now, an angel, if she see that the best good of the greatest number depended on her votin’, she would jest lift her wings right up and sail off to the pole and vote. I believe it as much as I believe I am alive.
“If the wimmen of the South are as lofty principled as you say they are, and they wuz convinced that they could rescue their beloved land from danger by sacrificin’ their own feelin’s if necessary, to keep the balance of power in the educated classes, why, they would walk up and vote. I believe it jest as much as I believe I am standin’ here.
“The same bravery that met the terrible reverses of the War with a smile hidin’ a breakin’ heart, that endured privation, and almost starvation, for their love to the cause, that same spirit hain’t a goin’ to falter now. Let them know that they can do great good to the imperilled South. Let them know that the country wants an intelligent, educated vote. Let the test of intelligence and a certain amount of education and morality be required. And then let every one of ’em vote, male or female, bond or free, black or white.
“I don’t spoze you could bring up, if you should hunt for weeks, any good reason aginst this plan. I don’t spoze you would find any skairful and dangerous objection to it. I don’t spoze, really and honestly, that it could be apt to do any harm. And then, on the other hand, you could bring up lots of reasons as to why it might do good; lots of ’em hefty reasons too—and good sound moral ones, every one of ’em.
“The supremacy would for years and years, or as long as safety demanded, remain in the hands of the white race.” (I didn’t, in my mind, come out aginst Victor’s plans, but I knew that this would be a good thing for them that wuz left behind in the exodus and them that went too, a helpful, encouragin’ thing.)
“And jest as soon as the negro and the poor whites get fit for it, as soon as they had fitted themselves morally and intellectually for the right of suffrage, why it is only justice that they should have it.