and sweeping, so openly at
war with a distribution of duties and functions between the sexes
as venerable and pervading as government itself, and involving
transformations so radical in social and domestic life. Should we
prove to be in error on this head, the Convention may overrule us
by changing a few words in the first section of our proposed
article.

Nor have we seen fit to propose the enfranchisement of boys above
the age of eighteen years. The current ideas and usages in our
day, but especially in this country, seem already to set too
strongly in favor of the relaxation, if not total overthrow of
parental authority, especially over half-grown boys. With the
sincerest good-will for the class in question, we submit that
they may spend the hours which they can spare from their labors
and their lessons more usefully and profitably in mastering the
wisdom of the sages and philosophers who have elucidated the
science of government, than in attendance on midnight caucuses,
or in wrangling around the polls.

ALBANY, June 28, 1867.

HORACE GREELEY, _Chairman_, WM. H. MERRILL,
LESLIE W. RUSSELL, GEO. WILLIAMS.

Mr. Cassidy presented a minority report urging a separate submission
of the question of negro suffrage, in which he said:

If the regeneration of political society is to be sought in the
incorporation of this element into the constituency, it must be
done by the direct and explicit vote of the electors. We are
foreclosed from any other course by the repeated action[100] of
the State.... It would be unfair to the people to declare that
whereas they have again and again refused to accept this change,
therefore we will incorporate it into the Constitution, and
compel them either to repeal that instrument, or to accept this
measure.... As to the extension of suffrage to women, the
undersigned reserve, for the present, any expression of opinion.

WILLIAM CASSIDY,
JOHN G. SCHUMAKER.

The petitions[101] for woman suffrage were presented in the Convention
until they reached in round numbers 20,000. The morning Mr. Greeley
gave his report the galleries were crowded with ladies, and every
member present, Democrat as well as Repu