March 12, 13 and 15 Friday – Three articles: “Female Suffrage: Views of Mark Twain” first appeared in the St. Louis Missouri Democrat on these days [Budd, “Collected” 1007; MTTMB 287n1].
These were reprinted in the Alta California April 10, 28, and May 11. From two of Sam’s letters on suffrage:
I think I could write a pretty strong argument in favor of female suffrage, but I do not want to do it. I never want to see the women voting, and gabbling about politics, and electioneering. There is something revolting in the thought. It would shock me inexpressibly for an angel to come down from above and ask me to take a drink with him (though I should doubtless consent); but it would shock me still more to see one of our blessed earthly angels peddling election tickets among a mob of shabby scoundrels she never saw before. Women, go your ways! Seek not to beguile us of our imperial privileges. Content yourself with your little feminine trifles—your babies, your benevolent societies and your knitting—and let your natural bosses do the voting. Stand back—you will be wanting to go to war next. We will let you teach school as much as you want to, and we will pay you half wages for it, too, but beware! we don’t want you to crowd us too much.– Letter to St. Louis Missouri Democrat, March, 1867 [Schmidt].
From Annie Moffett Webster’s reminiscences about Sam:
Again, he had written a short article making fun of woman’s rights. It was published in one of the papers [Missouri Democrat]. A woman, a stranger, answered, signing herself “Cousin Jenny.” He replied, and they had a humorous literary duel. He said privately that his task would have been easier if she hadn’t had all the arguments on her side [MTBus 48].