Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-08-19
OLYMPIA. SATURDAY MORNING, AlG. 10, ISL,
Woman's Rights.
at our risk.

Mrs. Gordon, distinguished advocate Of
woman suffrage aud candidate for State
Senator in California, lcc,ured at Olympic
Hall, in this town, on Saturday evening
last, on the subject of her special mission.
The meager audience indicated but little
interest in the subject in this community,
and was not calculated to inspire the speaker
vitheloquent fervor. The lecturer enjoys
the advantages Of a graceful figure, pre-
possessing face, pleasing address, mu-
steal voice, and a maddenng wealth of
curls; all Of which is in decided contrast to
the physical features of the earlier cvansels
Of this new dispensation. She is good
reader, a passable actor, aud possesses con-
siderable odic force to impress others with
her own convictions, which with all sensa-
tional speakers is substitute for logic,
but is as evanesceut as the galvauic plating
Of gold upon pewter watch-case.
As for the subject matter of her lecture
We hardly know how to treat it; it seems
to US too absurd to argue against, and yet
it is becoming too formidable to laugh
at. The abstract right Of woman to fol-
low the bent of her own tastes and incl-
nations in many ways not now regarded as
strictly conventional, cannot be logically
controvertcd. We arc not disposed to dis.
pute the right of any woman to wear trou.
sers, ride straddle, chew and smoke tobac
ca, drink lager, attend caucusses, cut her
hair short and hold street discussions on
politics; all of which we do ourselves
without any sense of improperly; but VIC
certainly would not choose a woman O,
such tastes and habits as the sharcr of oul
home joys and sorrows and the mother OIL
our children. 1t is simply matter Of
taste about which there can be no dispute
We do not take issue with the advocates
Of woman's rights upon the abstract right
of woman to do whatever man has rgh
to do. The only question is, would theil
own happiness and the good order, moralit,
and refinement of society be promoted by
removing the conventional barriers hereto
fore dividing the sexes? Could women
afford to surrender the prerogatives ana
special privileges conceded to them by
social custom in all enlightened communi
ties for the questionable privilege of shar
ing with man in the turmoil and strife o.
popular elections? All women who have
forfeited or by other means lost their so
cial supremacy over man would gladly &C
cept political equality as the only measure
of power, and thus add another corrupt
and corrupting element to popular elcc
tons. BY far the greater portion of the
women fitted by their intelligence and
virtue to rule, do not desire to exchange
the social influence which they now WELD
for the good Of society for political power
which they could only exercise and share
in common with the vile and Infamous.
1t is popular error that suffrage is a
natural right Instead of conventional reg
ulation and hence it has come to be re.
garded as remedy for all the wrongs Of
government. Upon this theory is the
woman's right movement based. This is
rs broad an error as that this is demo.
cratic Instead ofa representative republican
form of government. The right to vote
is not the right to make laws, but simply
gives voice in choosing the lawmakers.
The laws made must in theory be uniform,
in their application, giving equal protec.
ton. The right of suffrage secures no
privilege to the voter under the laws; the
Withholding the right of suffrage deprivcs
no one Of any right enjoyed by others I'M
der the laws, other conditions being equal.
Every State has, or ought to have, the ex.
elusive right to determine the qualifca-
tions Of its electors as we'll as the qualfi
cations for holding Office; and to the peace
and good order of society homogeneity is