The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-01-05

ers see nothing but ruin staring them IN
the face there was no other country on
the face of the earth so enlightened as
our own, wherein the women had so
few privileges. He read a portion OF the
Constitution and argued that "Govern-
ment derives its just powers from the
consent Of the governed" Evidently
the powers which denied woman the
right Of consent or protest were not just;
that the reason we have so much cor
ruption in public life is because men
and women do not meet in public rs
they do at home. Enfranchise the wOm-
en- and We will soon have good men in
Office.
The next speaker on the negative de-
elared women would become as corrupt
as men if they held office. Said that
the leader of the suffrage movement
was bad woman, repeating all the
slang which is going the rounds of the
newspapers about certain woman in
New York, but did not add TO whom
alone the men who hold the National
offices will hearken, and, as is usual,
laid the blame of these mems acts
upon the virtuous women of the coun-
/ try, who have no influence over the
men whom our voters have placed over
us. Then he grew vehement about the
inability of women to do the work of
men. Said women would not be able to
work the roads, build bridges, 20 to
war, and so on, all of which your cor
respondent knows to be much easier per-
formed than the menial, unpaid drudg-
cry to which thousands of women sub
nit all the days of their lives, and that,
too, without hope of ever reaching any
thing better, because they get no pay
for their drudgery. He said that if men
gave women the ballot they would vir-
tually concede that they were not capa-
bic of any longer carrying on the Gov
ernment without the help of women.
An affirmative then thought that
women ought to vote because their re-
fining and ennobling influence was
needed in our legislation; that the talk
which he heard about the hardships of
voters was imaginary twaddle; that it
was as easy to deposit a ballot rs to mail
a letter; that many men were fright
ened over the fact that women were 60
ing to vote; that they sought by point
ing the finger of scOrn at women who
are determined to vote to deter their
wives from voting.
Then followed a number of other
speeches, pro and con, which are not
worth recording. One man said he
knew women would never vote, because
he had prescntiment that they would
not, which assertion, taken in conjunc-
tiOn with the remark Of one speaker,
that "if women were granted their right
to vote, men would virtually concede
their inability" and so forth, satisfied
the astute judge, who promptly decided
in the negative There was some visible
dissatisfaction at the decision, but all
ugly, rough and "smart' talk came, as
is usual, from the opposition.
The weather has been so very bad OF
late that we have postponed our "Inves-
tigation meetings." but will resume
them when the good, old-fashioned rain
comes again to gladden. us. The people
here are about equally divided on the
suffrage issue.
Some Of your best friends think you
were too severe on Mrs. Hoxter, though
it is true we were astonished at her un.
called-for conduct. She is a woman
who stood high among the Good Tenn.
plars here, and it is a pity she made the
: mistake she did i'm attacking our AssO-
citation in the Bulletin. 1t has injured
her enough without your castigation
and regret that you were not a little
more merciful. Yours for
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.