Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
The women of our State, as I said before, are taxed without
representation. The tax-gatherer comes every year and demands
taxes. For twenty years I have paid tax under protest, and if I
live twenty years longer I shall pay it under protest every time.
The tax-gatherer came to my place not long since. "Well," said I,
"good morning, sir." Said he, "Good morning." He smiled and said,
"I have come bothering you." Said I, "I know your face well. You
have come to get a right nice little woman's tongue-lashing."
Said he, "I suppose so, but if you will just pay your tax I will
leave." I paid the tax, "But," said I, "remember I pay it under
protest, and if I ever pay another tax I intend to have the
protest written and make the tax-gatherer sign it before I pay
the tax, and if he will not sign that protest then I shall not
pay, and there will be a fight at once," Said he, "Why do you
keep all the time protesting against paying this small tax?" Said
I, "Why do you pay your tax?" "Well," said he, "I would not pay
it if I did not vote." Said I, "That is the very reason why I do
not want to pay it. I cannot vote." Who stay at home from the
election? The women, and the black and white men who have been to
the whipping-post. Nice company to put your wives and daughters
in.
It is said that the women do not want to vote. Every woman
sitting here wants to vote, and must we be debarred the privilege
of voting because some luxurious woman, rolling around in her
carriage in her little downy nest that some good, benevolent man
has provided for her, does not want to vote? There was a society
that existed up in the State of New York called the Covenanters
that never voted. Were all you men disfranchised because that
class or sect up in New York would not vote? Did you all pay your
taxes and stay at home and refrain from voting because the
Covenanters did not vote? Not a bit of it. You went to the
election and told them to stay at home if they wanted to, but
that you, as citizens, were going to take care of yourselves.
That was right. We, as citizens, want to take care of ourselves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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