now the same kind of a principle, and I have no doubt that sooner
or later it will become a fixed fact, and the community will
think it just as absurd to exclude females from the ballot-box as
males.

I do not believe it will have any unfavorable effect upon the
female character, if women are permitted to come up to the polls
and vote. I believe it would exercise a most humane and
civilizing influence upon the roughness and rudeness with which
men meet on these occasions, if the polished ladies of the land
would come up to the ballot-box clothed with these rights and
participate in the exercise of the franchise. It has not been
found that association with ladies is apt to make men rude and
uncivilized; and I do not think the reflex of it prevents that
lady-like character which we all prize so highly. I do not think
it has that effect. On the other hand, in my judgment, if it was
popular to-day for ladies to go to the polls, no man would regret
their presence there, and the districts where their ballots were
given would be harmonized, civilized, and rendered more
gentlemanly, if I may say so, on the one side and on the other,
and it would prevent the rude collisions that are apt to occur at
these places, while it would reflect back no uncivilizing or
unlady-like influence upon the female part of the community. That
is the way I judge it. Of course, as it has never been tried in
this country, it is more or less of an experiment; but here in
this District is the very place to try your experiment.

I know that the same things were said about the abolition of
slavery. I was here. Gentlemen know very well that there was a
strong desire entertained by many gentlemen on this floor that
emancipation, if it took place, should be very gradual, very
conservative, a little at a time. I was the advocate of striking
off the shackles at one blow, and I said that the moment you
settled on that the community would settle down upon this
principle of righteousness, justice, and liberty, and be
satisfied with it, but just as long as you kept it in a state of
doubt and uncertainty, going only half way, just so long it would
be an irritating element in our proceedings. It is just so now
with this question. Do not understand that I expect that this
amendment