The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-29
Did It Hurt Much 2

The papers tell us that John Wilson,
of Davenport, Iowa, recently whipped
his wife, and his fine, with the costs of
court, amounted to 81 50. According
TO the Dubuque Times, one of the police
men of that city INDUCED in this species
of recreation, for which he was Obliged
to pay s.. These are pretty small fines
for flOgging human beings, and the only
conclusion we can come to in the prem
ises is that whipping does not hurt wom-
en much At any rate, so the courts as
sumo. Beating man Is a penitentiary
offence. Cruelty beating a horse entails
heavy fine, if not something worse.
But beating a woman costs somewhere
between five dollars and twenty-five.
1t is well TO note the exact price of this
species of amusement, and to reflect
upon the estimate of woman it indicates
We are often told that women do not
need the ballot; that men are gallant
and Will lovingly grant them more than
they ask. The gallantry of the lash is
not generally in favor among civilized
people. The rattan, the switch, the
whip, the poker, the brOOm-stick, the
horse-hide, the knout, all these instru-
ments of torture may have been very
serviceable in other days; but our women
of delicate organization, and fine cul-
AuAtf anu HN Get htfDill lllHillitilAS- tio tiok
take kindly TO them. In fact, there
seems to be an impression among wOm-
en- generally that whipping hurts; that
it not only pains and lacerates the body,
but hurts the feelings, wounds pride,
mOrtifies self-reSpect and infiicts irrepa-
rable degradation. It reduces the hu-
man being to the level of the brute; and
Vet this infictiOn costs the vile wretch
who makes il from five TO twenty dol
lars. That is Just how much men, in
theirsupreme gallantry, think whipping
hurts a woman.
We have been told repeatedly that the
laws of Iowa, as related to women, are
more just and humane than those of
other States. What are we to think of
the legal status Of women i'm other
States, when in Iowa it costs only from
five to twenty dollars to whipa woman +?
Gentlemen, what say you to this thing :?
How much would a good, sound whip
ping hurt you? How many dollars will
you charge for sound beating? Is your
wife any less sensitive in body or soul
than you are, so that the lash shall pro-
duce less writhing in her flesh and i'm
her mind? Or, is she inferior to YOU,
and so british, that a whipping which
would sting you into agony and rage does
not hurt her much?
whether women need the ballot while
a husband can whip his wife for from
ive TO twenty dollars is a question that
does not need much debate. Ii can be
safely left TO the consideration of all the
parties concerned. OF course, the women
who are willing to he whipped on those
terms will not care for the ballot, and
probably the men who love to exercise
ther authority over their wives in this
way, at the least possible expense, will
~ an agree that women can safely trust to
the gallantry of the other sex. Thus. the
whlppers and the whippees can have
thihgs their own way but, if we mis-
take not, most women, and IA large ma
y9rlty 0i men, do not belong TO either of
these classes; and it Is for them 10 unite
in saying that such inhuman and bar
barous practices shall cease, by giving
woman the power to protect herself al
the ballot-boX and in the court. Grant
her that right, and We shall see whether
whipping hurts her much or not.-Rero.
hutton.