Page:Letters to a friend on votes for women.djvu/98

 has for the first time given to political agitation, as conducted by some of the women of England, the character of disloyalty and, to speak plainly, of absurdity.

Our final appeal is, and must be, to the electors. Let every elector remember for once the main duty which, independent of party connection, lies upon him. He is bound, on the subject of woman suffrage, to vote with a sole eye to the permanent interest of the United Kingdom and of the British Empire. England is surrounded by perils. Our neighbours are military States, each of which maintains armies larger than we can retain within the bounds of the United Kingdom. These States are armed nations; some of them are governed on military principles. One and all, however, whether they have done much or little for the promotion of popular freedom, the Continental States recognize, with one insignificant exception, the principle that none can have a share in sovereignty who cannot defend the land for which he may be required at any moment to die.

Contrast the position of Great Britain. No soldier, and very few civilians, can assert with