a warfare
securing her only ingratitude and abuse. But Miss Anthony has no
morbid sentiment in her nature. There is at least one woman in the
land--and we believe there are a good many more--who does not whine
others into helping her over a hard spot, or even plead for help,
but bravely helps herself and puts her hand to the plough without
turning back. Those who are now regarding her as practically
condemned to State prison or the payment of a fine of $500, need
not waste their sympathy, for she would suffer either penalty with
heroic cheerfulness if thereby she might help bring about the day
when the principle "no taxation without representation" meant
something more than it does. In writing lately to a friend, she
thus expressed herself:

"Yes, I hope you will be present at the examination, to witness the
grave spectacle of fifteen native born citizens, of sound mind and
not convicted of any crime, arraigned in the United States criminal
courts to answer for the offense of illegal voting, when the United
States Constitution, the supreme law of this land, says, 'All
persons born or naturalized in the United States ... are citizens;
no State shall deny or abridge the privileges or immunities of
citizens;' and 'The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied.'
The one question to be settled is, are personal freedom and
personal representation inherent rights and privileges under
democratic-republican institutions, or are they things of
legislation, precisely as under old monarchical governments, to be
given and taken at the option of a ruling class or of a majority
vote? If the former, then is our country free indeed; if the
latter, then is our country a despotism, and we women its victims!"

Under date of December 12, Benjamin F. Butler, then a member of
Congress, wrote Miss Anthony regarding her case:

I do not believe anybody in Congress doubts that the Constitution
authorizes the right of women to vote, precisely as it authorizes
trial by jury and many other like rights guaranteed to citizens.
But the difficulty is, the courts long since decided that the
constitutional provisions do not act upon the citizens, except as
guarantees, ex proprio vigore, and in order to give practical force
to them there must be legislation. As, for example, in trial by
jury, a man can invoke t