The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-03-20
Taxation Without Representation.

The gross and unjust tyranny by
which the women of the United States
are oppressed in being subject to taxa
tion without representation, when every
man, although not owning a dollar or a
foot of land, who can succeed in keeping
out of the poor house, can legislate for
them, and vote away their subsistence,
was demonstrated in the case of the
Smith sisters, of Glastonbury, Conn, to
which we alluded last week. These la
dies carry on the business of farming,
and are self-supporting, orderly, law
abiding citizens, charitable and of unre-
proachable and highly respectable char
actcrs. Wearied with the burdens of
heavy taxation when no vote was al
lowed them to choose their lawmakers,
or express a desire in regard to the ex-
penditure of the fruits of their hard
earned toll, they came to the conclusion
at last that forbearance and submission
were no longer virtues, but rank cow
ardice, and accordingly they refused to
pay their taxes, amounting to something
over S100.
On New Years Day, the tax-colleetor
levied upon several of their Alderney
cows, each of which was worth at the
lowest calculation from $50 to $50. The
cows were driven to all advertised place,
near some sign post in the village, and
there offered for sale. Quite pro-
cession accompanied the tax-cOllectOr
and the cows; the former drove the lat
/ ter, with some assistants and q dog; the
dog was followed by man beating a
drum, and the drummer by numerous of
| the governing sex on foot, who with a
! Yankee eye to the main chance,
| ''guessed they might as well bid on
them caOws as anybody, seeing as heOw
/ they must be sold cheap;n these citizens
on foot were again followed by others,
who OstentatiOusly rode in "vehicles;n
and lastly came the owners of the cows,
/ in their wagon. The Misses Smith
were treated by their friends and neigh
bors as criminals of the deepest hue, no
one speaking to them, and several who
wanted to buy Alderny "caOws'' cheap
taking pains to promulgate that in their
opinion, the 'Smith girls" were served
according to their just deserts. The bell
rang, the auctiOneer and the i'caows''
began to below, and i'm a short time the
sale was concluded, all SeUela of the AMI
mails being sold for little more than
500, which sum was scarcely fair
compensation for two of them. As they
were driven off, the Misses Smith stood
quietly by, and calmly viewed the op-
pressive acts to which the Government
of their native land subjected them,
firmly avowing their intention to nav
no more taxes, until they were per
mitted to vote, even if all their property
was stolen from them and they were
forced through its loss to "go to the poor
house." Their heroism deserves the
imitation of every woman in the land,
though we venture the prediction that
/ If similar steps were attempted by the
women of Toledo, they would be treated
so much more in accordance with the
laws of humanity, that setting all Justice
aside, they could scarce do more than
enter their written protest against tax
alton without representation, since the
rapid strides which the WOman's Fran
chise movement is making in our city,
| its vicinity, and the whole State, war
rants the belief that many years will
| not pass before the complete political
/ freedom of woman will be an estab-
/ lished fact, and her equality before the
law be such that she will no longer be
/ classed in the category of fools and
felons. There is no meanness equal to
that of the "land of steady habits and
wooden nutmegs,n and though the gov
erning classes of the West are not as free
from selfishness and prejudice as they
will be q few years hence, when woman
is welcomed to Legislative councils, the
rapid progress they are making in their
approximation towards this just equal
ity, is so ereditable to their goodness of
heart, that the advocates of Woman
Suffrage have until the present time
felt that their duty was performed by
written protest only.-IOteCfo Journal.