The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-11-22

hard for women to believe that Legisla-
tors were 5riJcd to "count noses' and
give these measures what is called a I
complimentary vote" taking care to
so manipulate their ballots that whisky /
should invariably win; but we are told
by men who have figured in past Legis-
latures that these moral matters are
always managed thus in order to hood
wink the people who are not politicians,
into the idea that the peoples will can
surely be accomplished when the next
Legislature shall meet. Well, time
rolls on and the body Of Lawmakers
again cOnvenes, and again the same
system of swap and dicker is resorted to
with precisely the same result.
About one-third of the members OF
our last session were men of ordinary
ability; a half dozen were above the
average, and the remainder-well, If the
same number of men were to be chosen
at random from any public gathering,
numbering three hundred, anywhere
among white people, their counterpart
in mental inferiority, as a body, could
not be gotten together. Tricky poll
ticians who cannot by any sort of
chicanery succeed in securing further
legislative positions for themselves,
manage to secure the nomination Of
putty men whose votes they know they
can control, and with these intellectual
efetos upon the floor and themselves in
the lobby, they can manage to prevent
the passage of any bill obnoxious to
their individual interests, and can also
succeed, by the same process OF espiOn-
age, with the use of money for the
doubtful Ones) in passing any bill of in
fanny favorable to their Vaccinations
over the will of the people, who, taken
as a class, are always on the side of
justice.
We would not decry the legitimate
lobbyist. The people have right to
watch the ramifications of legislation,
and we are glad to see them interested;
but we speak of political shysters now
who own and control at least half the
Legislators who sit as dumb as oysters
always until called upon to vote, and
then they vote as these shysters dictate.
This is the reason our Temperance Alli-
ance bills were voted down, and this is
the reason the bill allowing women TO
vote upon the liquor question was made
to fail.
Now, men and brethren who battle for
the right, do you not see the potency of
our argument that women must have
the ballot? We tell you frankly that
you never will be able of yourselves to
mitigate the liquor nuisance. You must
have women i'm your halls of legislation
in lieu of monkeys, that they may aid
the wise and good men, whom they will
help you to choose as their and your
lawmakers, and then we shall have
some show to succeed in temperance
legislation. But you say, how can the
enfranchisement of women be encom-
passed except by the act of these same
Legislators? We answer, come out
strongly for the right. Demand the
emancipation of your wives and daugh-
ters from the thralldom and rule o
liquor dealers and liquor drinkers. Rule
down those whisky be-soaked and to.
bacco be-fogged Legislators, like some
we wOt of by the strong force of public
opinion steadily set in the fright direction
Nominate a number of good, true anC
staunch temperance women for tn,
Legislature. This you may do without
treading upon the toes Of tender-footeC
lar, because there is no law to prevent
women from being Legislators. Teacl
political shysters to make more room il
the lobby for the people. Teach tn,
people that eternal vigilance is the pric,
of temperance as well as Of liberty, ant
above all, as temperance reformers, de
mand that woman be empowered will
the ballot that she may thereby effect
ually aid you in ridding our fair Repub
lie Of the insatiate monster, Rum.