Like most abolitionists, Susan had always regarded the principles of the Declaration of Independence as underlying the Constitution and as the essence of constitutional law. In her opinion, the interpretation of the Constitution in the Virginia Minor case was not only out of harmony with the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, but also contrary to the wise counsel of the great English jurist, Sir Edward Coke, who said, "Whenever the question of liberty runs doubtful, the decision must be given in favor of liberty."[313] In the face of such a ruling by the highest court in the land, she was helpless. Women were shut out of the Constitution and denied its protection. From here on there was only one course to follow, to press again for a Sixteenth Amendment to enfranchise women. FOOTNOTES: [304] Ms., Diary, April 26, 1873. [305] _Trial_, p. 17. [306] _Ibid._, pp. 62-68. [307] Ms., Diary, June 18, 1873. [308] Susan B. Anthony Scrapbook, 1873, Library of Congress. [309] _Trial_, pp. 81-85. [310] This booklet also included the speeches of Susan B. Anthony and Matilda Joslyn Gage, delivered prior to the trial, and a short appraisal of the trial, _Judge Hunt and the Right of Trial by Jury_, by John Hooker, the husband of Isabella Beecher Hooker. The Rochester _Democrat and Chronicle_ called the booklet "the most important contribution yet made to the discussion of woman suffrage from a legal standpoint." The _Woman's Suffrage Journal_, IV, Aug. 1, 1873, p. 121, published in England by Lydia Becker, said: "The American law which makes it a criminal offense for a person to vote who is not legally qualified appears harsh to our ideas." [311] Harper, _Anthony_, I, pp. 455-456. [312] _History of Woman Suffrage_, II, pp. 737-739, 741-742. [313] _Trial_, p. 191. SOCIAL PURITY Militancy among the suffragists continued to flare up here and there in resistance to taxation without representation. Abby Kelley Foster's home in Worcester was sold for taxes for a mere fraction of its worth, while in Glastonbury, Connecticut, Abby and Julia Smith's cows and personal property were seized for taxes. Both Dr. Harriot K. Hunt in Boston and Mary Anthony in Rochester continued their tax protests. Much as Susan admired this spirited rebellion, she recognized that these militant gestures were but flames in the wind unless they had behind them a well-organized, sustained campaign for a Sixteenth Amendment, and this she could not undertake until _The Revolution_ debt was paid. Nor was there anyone to pinch-hit for her since Ernestine Rose had returned to England and Mrs. Stanton gave all her time to Lyceum lectures.