The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-03-28
Woman and the Ballot.
IF1om Forney,s Meeklv -. I

lhHL GNtulllEf III AAAE AAtAAA va AAAN NNi-
stitutional Convention, Spruce street,
below Sixth, Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stan
ton, one of the foremost champions of
woman and her cause, delivered an ad-
dress upon "Woman Suffrage" The
spacious hall was jammed full, quite n
number standing during the whole
course of the lecture, which occupied
about one hour and ten minutes in its
delivery. The speaker was frequently
applauded, as will be seen from the
report appended below.
Mr.. L. NJ. Davis, President of the
Suffrage Association, under whose aus
pices the meeting was called, presented
the lady speaker in few lifting words,
referring to circular which had been
distributed at the door. He spoke of
4 the pleasure he felt at the large audience
which was assembled, and then said
those in charge of the movement in
favor of suffrage intended to press it I'M
til the nation either repudiated the
principle that the people were the source
of power, or apply it to women as well
as men.
He had great pleasure in introducing
MRS. ELIZABETH CADY STANTON.
The lady spoke as follows:
The people of Pennsylvania are to-day
ltNlSlllE lllt AuDudulEAlltbl law vi AAAIAA
State, and it is fitting that all the peO-
pie should have their say. 1t was said
once Ey q celebrated man to Charles
Sumner, 'that when the Constitution
was revised the State was resolved into
its primal elements This is right and
proper, and, in many States, it has been
decreed that all have right TO vote on
this question, and, in fact, a right to sit
in the convention, when on other ques-
tions they had no right to vote or
have voice. In Rhode Island, where
property qualification is held, they ig-
nOred that qualification in the calling of
the convention for the revision Of the
constitution, and in this State, though
not doing that, they did the next best
thing-they allowed free discussion.
l When the question of suffrage was
/ first presented it was treated lightly,
but as the convention proceeded in its
deliberations it deepened in interest. 1t
is fitting that Pennsylvania, that sent
! forth at the mouth of the canon the
1 proclamation of
LIBERTY To ALL THE EARTH,
l should be the first to give the right OF
equality to all its citizens Within
: three years of the Centennial it is fitting
that the question should be decided that
! it should be held here. Discussion has
: been violent as TO how it should be cele-
brated. II has been decided to give an
exhibition of the arts and sciences, but
the grander one will be the announce
/ ment that 200O0,OO0 women have been
given their rights as citizens. 1t has
been said that the question was an obi
Gus one. Odious! how? / said to g
prominent physician that it was mar
vellous that new thoughts should bt
rejected 1t was like standing on one:
head. The muscles are not provided FOL
such a feat; you would fall first to one
i side and then to another. So with othel
, questions when you speak to people whC
do not think; it is because they do no
have the muscular pOwer-they are too
r lazy to think. [Applause.l The gen
: tlemen of the convention are about tC
:, put the word male in the constitution
where it never has been. This is a new
Il movement. There is a saying that oul
Government is failure, that the repub
V lican form of procedure is a failure. Al
n English statesman says so. WheI
China and Japan send their people her,
c to be educated, when all the nations o
o the earth look to us, settling these ques
y tiOns twice baptised in blood
Y SHALL WE BEGIN To DOUBT?
d That is the question of to-day. NJ
n just government can be formed withOu
= the consent of the governed. This W,
u have heard fora century. We have gon'
L over the question of slavery-all tn,
d questions of taxation; and, having an
ts swered them so often, must the argu
= ment be gone over again to convinc
. the people on this question of woman
D. suffrage? Taxation without represen
N tatiOn is tyranny. Look at this beauti
~ full hall-the carpets, the lights, tn
. desks and tables. Who pays for them
10 The women ofPennsylvaniaI But the,
~ have no representation in the conven
k; ton. You are told that you are repre-
= sented by your fathers and husbands
When | was represented
BY HON. JOHN MoRRIssEY
1 was not satisfied, and we are not salts
In fed now with our representation.
Nv has been said no man can represen
k another and if this is so how can a ma
r. represent woman? This question {
Dy taxation is a great one. a woman i
If New York who paid no taxes for te
es years escaped by hurling the languag
on of the Fathers at the collectors heaC
he She quoted Adams and Jefferson o
lie taxation without representation. Whe
by a woman is to be hung the men do ne
so rush forward and say, "Here, / repr,
"
,e- us to hang for ourselves. They do n,
it represent us in taxation, and they {
ot not pay taxes for US. They tell us
as will be too rough and indecorous for l
X to 90 to the polls and vote; but they {
he not think it is rough to have an uncOut
n man bother us about taxes. | thin
to that woman, with her delicacy, shou
TN be lifted above all this, and never
off bothered about money! This
ia QUESTION OF SUFFRAGE
IL is merely one of protection. It is II
said in savage countries that n wOmG
may not protect herself with the bowl
M knife, the pistol, or the tomahawk; bl
let i'm civilized society we give the hatch
ie- and the bowie-knife up for the ballC
ed The theory is, that we women are up
nd the clouds, and il would be degradatt,
for us TO come down and vOtei No
Ter what are the facts? Three-fourths
EN- the women, as class, support ther
for selves! Applause. Those who live
luxury would hardly think they liv
led i'm degradation; but il is so in mar
States In Pennsylvania it is better; b
- constitution is the best in the Unio
she does not use the word 'male," b
''freemen;" and yet you now propose
. put in your constitution the wo
IA IA ''male," and that will surely be IA degI
IuI datiOn. Here in this country we ha
ne lifted the foreigner and others abo
tlis in,, the
nh MOTHERS OF TIRE COUNTRY.
5 a We have established an aristocra
tai the worst in the world, and we ask V
md to abolish this. 1t is an aristocracv