The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-09-19
Grace Greenwood" on Woman Suffrage

ing with the great question Of woman's
claim TO equal educational advantages
with men; to Just remuneration for
good work, especially in teaching; and
fair credit for her share in the patriotic
and benevolent enterprises of the Age.
do not say that equal pay for equal
services will never be accorded to wOm-
en-, even in the civil service, till she has
the ballot to back her demand; but that
is the private opinion of many high
government officials. l do not say that
woman's right TO be represented, as
well as taxed, will never be recognized
as n logical practical result OF the
democratic principle till the Democrats
come into power; but it may be so. The
Gospel was first offered to the Jews,
but first accepted by the Gentiles.
In your article, fair as it was in spirit,
you failed to touch upon two points
which struck me rather painfully. 1t
seems that Judge Hunt, after pronounce
ing n learned, and, L suppose, n sound
opinion, peremptOrily ordered the jury
to bring the defendent in guilty. Now,
could not twelve honest, intelligent
jurymen be trusted to defend their
birthright against one woman? Why
such zeal, such more than Roman stern
ness? Again, in the trial of the in
spector of elections, why were both
Judge and jurymen so merciful? No
verdict of guilty was ordered, and the
council of twelve wlio had seen fit to
punish Miss Anthony by fine of 500
and costs, merely mulcted in the modest
sum of S25 each defenseless defendant
SHINING against light. Was it that they
considered, in their manly clemency,
the fact that women have superior
facilities for earning money; or, did
they give heed to the old, old excuse:
''The woman tempted me, and l did
register?"
1t surely is strange that such severe
penalties should be visited on woman
for first and only indiscretion in the
suffrage line, when man may rise up
on election morning and go forth voting
and TO vote. IL he be of an eXeitable
and mercurial nature, one Of the sort of
citizens which sweet Ireland empties
on US by the county, he may spOrtively
fit about among the polls, from ward to
ward, of the metropolis, and no man say
him nay; he may even travel hilarious
4 ly from city to city, with free passes and
free drinks-who treats Miss Anthony
making festive calls, and dropping bal
lots for cards, and no disturbance comes
Of it-he is neither fined nor confined.
!
dangerous thing"
Say what YOU will, the whole ques-
tiOn of woman's status in the State and
church, in society, and in the family, is
full of absurd contradictions and mon-
strous anomalies. We are responsible,
yet irrespOnsible-we are idols, We are
idiots-we are everything, we are moth
ing. We are the caryatides, bearing up
the entablature of the temple of liberty
we are never allowed TO enter. We
may plot against government and
hang for it; but If we help to found and
sustain Il government by patriotic effort
/ and devotion, by toll and hardship, by
courage, loyalty and faith, by the sacri-
flee of those nearest and dearest TO US,
and then venture to clutch ut the crumbs
that fall from the table where Onr mas
tiers Jonathan, Patrick, Hans and
Sambo sit at feast, you arrest us, try us,
fine us, and then add injury to insult by
calling us old, ugly and fanatical.
One is fOrcibly reminded of the SER
mon of the colored brother on woman,
the heads of which discourse were:
"Firstly, What am woman? Secondly,
, Whar did she come from? Thirdly,
Who does she belong to? FOurthly,
Which way am she gwine tO?"
The law and the Gospel have settled
! secondly" and "thirdly" that woman
came from man, and belongs to him by
n the mortgage he holds on her through
that spare-rib; but "firstly" and
"fourthIy" remain rs profound and un-
solveable questions as they were before
the Ethiopian divine wrestled with
them. But perhaps this troublous and
lperpleXed existence is our "be-all and
end-all;" that in the life beyond mar
may foreclose that old mortgage and re.
absorb woman into his glOrified and all.
sufficient being. If anything car
make me think meanly of my young
! brothers of the press it is the way they
: pelt and poster Susan B. Anthony. Fol
shame, boys! Never n one of you will
make the man she is. Even some o
: our Washington editors turn aside from
: the fair game. Providence, in its in
F, scruetable wisdom, has provided TO
them in the Board Of Public Works t.
! vent their virtuOus Indignation ant
manly scorn of the woman they are de
. termined shall stand in perpetual pillory
: in the market-place of this great, FIRE,
!. Republic.
While they are doubling the guar,
round the ballot-boX in your State, tn
, impression is that, here in Washington
: the authorities are relaxing their virtu
: Gus vigilance established with such
: flourish of Republican trumpets n yea
!, or two ago over the civil question. Ap
= plicants for Government positions ar
no longer compelled, without exception
to "enter in at the straight gate''-the,
: climb the fence, they dig under it, the.
crawl through hollow logs, they get il
: any way, no matter how, provided the.
( have good, knowing friends inside
70 =, ,,anr,1a If fha AnD1i N
u istration is really kicking away tn
e plank on which it set its best foot;
Il the reform we all hoped so much frOr
Il is going by the board-the Civil Servic
Board-I am particularly and profound
y ly sorry for the sake of the women i
= the departments. Whatever the defect
d of the system i'm its details, it has prove
= good thing for them-perhaps to
"a good to be allowed to continue. 1t
y the only means by which women of tn
+ highest worth and capacity could hop
:. to attain to good clerical positions.
> is the only practical concession by Gov
7 ernment to the brave demand of Nj
:, Curtis for "fair play for women" Br
- whether rs n practical working systeI
:, it triumphs by its innate right and ju'
~ tice, or is overthrown by the selfisbne'
. of politicians and the greed of power,
~ hold that it has demonstrated the C;
~ pacity of women to attain to and II
II very responsible places, to be first-elai
servants of the Government, which
"a honored by their honest and faithf'
no service. The experiment proves that
" unjust hindrances of custom and pref
dice be removed they may develop e.
tensive abilities undreamed OF even /
n themselves. Were other barriers TIN
w keep them out OF the placid paradise