The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-11-28
NUMBER ID.
Report of the Executive Committee of the
American W. s. Association.

these State societies, and VIII be re-
ported in detail by them this morning.
The principal work Of this Association
is 10 create auxiliary societies, to stimu-
late them to activity, to watch for Op-
portunities to forward our cause in every
State and Territory in the Union, and to
prevent all hostile legislation, both by
the States or by Congress.
am happy to report that during the
last year we have formed two new aux
iliary State societies, one in Maine and
one in New York. In accordance with
vote adopted at our last annual meet
ing, we have cO-Operated with auxiliary
State societies in presenting Memorials
To the Legislatures of Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey,
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Kan
sas, California, Oregon and Nevada.
In this work Mrs. Tracy Cutler and
Mrs. Margaret V. LOngley gave most
effective and valuable service. We have
also cOrresponded with members of
Congress, and worked actively to defeat
the effort to merge Wyoming in Colo
RADIO, and to abolish Woman Suffrage in
Utah.
The Judiciary Committee prepared
and carried through the United States
Senate bill to suppress pOlygamy in
Utah, which also prohibited women
from voting, and established the Eng
lish Common Law concerning wives in
the form 'in which it existed at the
time of the Declaration OF Independ-
ence." The common law, rs construed
ut that date, gave to every husband the
custody of his wife's person. the right
to "giye her moderate correction" the
right to keep her by constraint, the
right to all her money. 1t took from
the wife everything, rights of person,
rights Of property, blotted out her legal
existence, and left her with the one
right to be maintained right which
| is accorded to idiots and town paupers.
For this enOrmity Senator Freling-
/ huysen, of New Jersey, is especially
: responsible. Under the covert express
I sion, 1.-THE common law as it existed ut
| the time of the adoption of the Declara-
/ tiOn of Independence he struck das-
/ tardly blow at every right of the mar
ried women of that Territory. The bill
passed the Senate, but was defeated il
the House by the active opposition o
Mr.. Sargant of California NOW Senator
from that State and by other repre-
sentatives, so the women of Utah still
vote.
I A Memorial, in behalf Of Woman
Suffrage, was presented to the Massa
chusetts Legislature, signed by Lydia
Maria Child, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
Louisa NJ. Alcott, Abby w. May anC
many others; also a Memorial heade,
by john NJ. Forbes, IngersOll BOwditch
. l.
Wm. Lloyd Garrison, and long list o.
worthy names. Both were referred to {
Joint special committee. Nearly :
weeks time was devoted to its dis
cussion, and at each session the CALLER
les, aisles, and all available standing
space in the House Of Representative.
were literally crowded with men anC
women, eager listeners to the debate
The vote was taken on the same day
aud Immediately after the vote for the
United States Senator, and was lost, a.
Republicans voting for and l2l against
/ il; IL Democrats voting against and .
for il. This action was taken in spite
Of the square and complete endorsement
of Woman Suffrage in the platform OF
| the Republican party.
/ Since it thus appears that men will
allow themselves to accept nominations
/ to the Legislature, while they feel no
moral or honorable obligation to sup
port the platform on which they were
elected, the Massachusetts Woman Suf-
frage Society have voted to form Wom-
an Suffrage Political Clubs, united by
the following pledge:
1--WE, the undersigned, men and wOm-
en-, citizens of Massachusetts,, of all po-
litical parties, believing that Woman
Suffrage is n vital political issue, dc
hereby organize ourselves into a Wom-
an Suffrage Political Club, for the pur-
pose of forwarding the Movement,
morally and politically-by the sys-
tematic circulation of tracts and news
papers, by holding public meetings, and
especially by helping to elect the friends
of suffrage to the Legislature and to de-
feat its opponents
Two such clubs are already formed
one in Dorchester and one in Lawrence
Thus is begun the seed sowing for new
party, by those who know that Goo
works with those who work for princi
pie, and that every law of the universe
is on the side of those who side will
Justice.
The Massachusetts society has circu
lated a large number of tracts the pas
year, and added to its former list thre,
new tracts by Geo. f. Hoar, T. w. Hig
ginson and Mary f. Eastman. 1t i
now arranging for . series of COnven
tiOns to be held in most of the largu
3 towns and cities of the State, with
special view to forming Woman Suf
frage Political Clubs.
J The growth of public sentiment il
: favor of the interests of woman i
steady, every day growing wider in it
J scope.
The higher education Of woman wa
! very ably discussed at the Social Scienc
meeting in Boston, and the subject wa
more widely noticed and considered b,
the newspaper press of the country thai
: ever before. Perhaps the most notieea
BILE fact on this point is the establish
] ment of the Boston University on tn
} basis of equal opportunities for men an,
, women in all its departments. Fou
: ladies, who passed excellent examina
tions, are already members Of the Clas
) sical course. Every College or Uni
= versity, which has admitted women, re
; ports good results, and in no instanc
where they have ever been admitte'
have women afterward been. excluded
, \ Convention of woman minister
! was held in Boston last May, with yer,
satisfactory results. Twenty ladie
: were present who had been regularl
ordained, most of them are settled Il
charge of congregations and are labor
5 ing with much acceptance as minister:
E 4 Woman's Peace Meeting was ais
: held, about the same time, giving th
! voice and influence of woman for peace
Both these meetings were under tn
special care of Mrs. Julia Ward How,
: Several ladies are in successful praC
+. tice of the law. Mrs. Hapgood Mas
: l. ihn La ~. lanrl,,c. L. =, :.