The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-08-01
CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY.
BY ". o. BRowN.

The present position of the Woman
Suffrage question is one of no small inn
portance. 1t has passed through the
several phases which all great reforms,
both in science and government, are
obliged to pass to come up to their final
recognition and adoption by those In
power, as well as by the masses of the
people. 1 could cite as examples the
reforms that, at different periods of the
worlds history, have brought not only
scorn, contempt and persecution upon
their promulgators, but even death it.
self. l shall, however, merely refer TO
Gallileo's system of the movements of
the Heavenly Bodies, the now pending
reform in medicine, and the agitation
of the Labor Reform question, which is
at this time assuming almost gigantic
proportions.
The Woman Suffrage question, as l
said, having come up through the differ
ent discouraging phases, to which all
reforms are subject, including the sneer-
ing phase, the phase of ridicule, the
phase of weak and silly objections, the
phase of real alarm and anxious solicit
tude by ignorant, honest people and
prejudiced bigots, has slowly worked its
way into the understanding of the peo-
pie until it has become the leading ques-
ton of the civilized world. In our own
country it has at last worked its way
into the Supreme Court, the highest
court in the land, (from whose decision
neither the President nor Congress can
dissent and there seeks its final solu-
, ton. Final, did 1 say? No! there is
still higher power than the Supreme
: Court of the United States. That power
is the will of the people. And when
the people say that all citizens, irrespec-
: tive Of sex, shall be allowed to vote, and
shall be protected in the exercise Of theil
; right to the ballot, then will the strife
{ between the oppressOr and the oppressed
, cease, and our Government become, rs Il
should be, Government of the people
+ by the whole people, and derive its just
D powers from the consent Of the gov
/, erned. The friends of Human Progress
: are watching with anxious hearts the
: progress of this question as it fiuctuatei
:, back and forth before our highest tri
q bunals; and prayers continually ascend
j that justice and equality may prevail
{ The refusal of the five Chief Justices
who constituted the majority in the de
Y cisions of the New Orleans and Brad
: well cases, to define what are the priv
o ileges and immunities which accrue 4
V all citizens and which no State has tn
power to deny or abridge, shows conclu
d clusively that even they are ready an
u willing TO concede TO women the exer
else Of their right to the ballot just 8
/ soon rs a case involving this question
y directly shall be brought before then
i for their decision. 1t is the pleasure tC
u as well as the pride of, every friend
n Woman Suffrage that the honor of pre-
senting such a case before the Suprem
E. Court of the United States, has falle
on our renowned and able champion
e. Susan b. Anthony. May God spec
As her suit, and put it into the hearts {
ie our Chief Justices to break the politica
"a yoke that is CALLING the necks of ha
our citizens. May they learn that OF
is preston will in time work its own owe
a. throw.
II How strenuously our Governmer
exerted all its powers to prever
ID the overthrow Of negro slavery, throw
ing around it every protection in il
al power, even to the crushing out of ii
to rights of the free States by forcing upo
up them the odious Fugitive Slave Law
III even the Supreme Court, deciding in i
of famous Dred Scott Decision, that IL
:" negro had no rights that white peop
lis are bound to respect. But the leaven
Of liberty, which our ancestors had infusC