The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-06-12

n The TRIAL. OF SUSAN y. ANTHONY. OK TIKI
CHARGE or ILLEGAL VOTING AT ROCHESTER,,
y Y, AT THE PREsI DENTAL FL Ec'rION Of lss2.
Judge Hunt-(Ordering the defendant
to stand up), "Has the prisoner any,
thing to say why sentanee shall not be
pronounced ~
Miss Anthony-Yes, your honor, I
nave many things to say; for, in your
ordered verdict of guilty, you have
trampled under foot every vital prineinIe
OF our Government. NV natural rights,
my civil rights, my political rights, nv
Judicial rights, are all alike ignored.
Robbed OF the fundamental privileges of
citizenship, l am degraded fSom the
status of citizen to that OF a subject;
and not only myself individually, but
all of my sex are, by your hOnoTs YER
diet, doomed TO political subjectiOn
under this, so-called, form OF govern
ment.
Judge Hunt-The Court cannot listen
TO rehearsal ofarguments the prisoners
counsel has already consumed three
hours in presenting.
Miss AnthOny-May it please your
honor, / am not arguing the question,
but simply stating the reasons why SEN
tence cannot, in justice, be pronounced
against me. Yourdenial of my citizens
right to vote, is the denial of my right
OF consent as one of the governed,
the denial of my right of repre-
sentation as one of the taxed the
denial Of my right to trial by a jury of
my peers as an offender against the law;
therefore, the denial of my sacred
rights to life, liberty, property and
Judge Hunt-The Court cannot allow
the prisoner to go on.
Miss AnthOny-But your honor will
not deny me this one and only poor
privilege Of protest against this high
handed outrage upon my citizens rights.
May it please the Court to remember
that since the day of my arrest last No
vember, this is the first time that either
myself or any person of my disfran-
chised class has been allowed word of
defense before judge or jury
Judge Hunt-The prisoner must sit
dOwn-the Court cannot allow it.
Miss Anthony-All of my prosecu-
tors, from the Sth ward corner gro
Gerry politician, who entered the COM
plaint, to the United States Marshal,
Commissioner, District Attorney, Dis
trict Judge, your honor on the bench,
not one is my peer, but each and all are
my political sovereignsi and had your
honor submitted my case to the jury, as
was clearly your duty, even then should
have had just cause of protest, for not
one of those men was my peer; but, ma
tive or foreign born, white or black,
rich or poor, sober or drunk, each and
every man of them was my political
superior; hence, in no sense, my peer.
Even, under such circumstances, q COM
mOner of England, tried before jury
of Lords, would have far less cause to
complain than should I, woman, tried
before a Jury of men. Even my counsel,
the Hon. Henry r. Selden, who has ar
gued my cause so ably, so unanswerably
before your honor, is my political SOW
ereign. Precisely as no disfranchised
person is entitled to sit upon jury, and
no woman is entitled to the franchise,
so, none but regularly admitted lawyer
is allowed to practice in the courts, and
no woman can gain admission to the
bar-henee, jury, Judge, counsel must all
be of the superior class
Judge Hunt-The Court must insist
the prisoner has been tried according to
the established forms of law.
Miss Anthony-Yes, your honor, but
by forms of law all made by men, in
terpreted by men, administered by men,
i'm favor Of men, and against women;
and hence your honOr's ordered verdict
of guilty, against n United States citizen
for the exercise of ''ttdt citjzelf right to
Uote," simply because that citizen was a
woman and not man. But yesterday,
the same man-made forms of law, de
clared it a crime punishable with s 1000
fine and six months Imprisonment, for
YOU, or me, or any of us, to give q cup
of cold water, crust of bread, or
nights shelter to a painting, fugitive as
he was tracking his way to Canada.
And every man or woman in whose
veins coursed a drop of human sympa-
thy, violated that wicked law, reckless
Of consequences, and was justified in so
doing. As then, the slaves who got
their freedom must take it over or un-
der, or through the unjust forms of law;
precisely so, now, must women, to get
! their right to n voice in this govern
ment. and l have taken mine, and mean
I 10 take it at every possible opportunity.
! Judge Hunt-The Court orders the
prisoner to sit down. 1t will not allow
another word.
Miss Anthony-When j was brought
before your honor for trial, hoped for
I a broad and liberal Interpretation of the
Constitution and its recent amendments,
that should declare all United States
citizens under its protecting segis-that
Should declare equality of rights the na-
tional guarantee to all persons born OF
naturaliZed in the United States. But
failing to get this justice-failing, even,
to get a trial by a jury not of my peers
! I ask not leniency at your hands-0ut
rather the full rigOr of the law.
Judge Hunt-The Court must insist
4 Here the prisoner sat down.
Judge Hunt-The prisoner Will slAiiu
up. ooain)
STl,o santance of the Court is, that you
nav a fine Of one hundreu u'i'''i' ''''''
J the cost of the prosecution o ,.o,,,.
.,,o. 7 Shall never pay dollar OF your
...l. aanaItv. All the stock in trade
ilJuse ns.!t' js \ SO 600 debt, incurred by
RI.I;sI,jnoy my paper-Ihe ReUOtUtiOl-
I'n puoi,9a. ,,aorS 400. the sole object of which
~. 70 educate all women to do pre-
o;saI,, as have done, rebel against your
u ,,,on1n1ade. unjust, unconstitutional
sorms of law, that tax, fine, imprison
and hang women, while they deny them
the right of representation in the Gov
ernment; and 1 shall work on with
might and main to pay every dollar ol
that honest debt, but not penny shal
90 to this unjust claim. And l shall
earnestly and persistently continue t
urge all women to the practical recogni
tion of the old Revolutionary maxim
that Resistance to tyranny is Obedienc,
to GOd.n
Judge Hunt-Madam, the Court will
not order you committed until the I'm
is paid.