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

synopsis OF the many excellent speeches !
made in the late National Suffrage /
Convention, and reported in the New
York Times. The following selection is !
from Rev. o. 3. Frothingham's oration;
There was no more reason why per-
son should not vote because she was a
woman, than that she should not vote
because she was not six feet high. 1t
was not q question of codes, but of hu-
manity. He did not believe that women
on the average were better than men,
and TO large extent they were response
BILE for intemperance and the foolish
ness Of men and of society. Ii the
women were thoroughly aud profoundly
in earnest, they could do much to pro-
mote that great cause. Intemperance,
however, could not be suppressed in the
present generation by all the good men
and women in the world; it was an in
grained vice which could only be worked
out of humanity in the course of ages.
He believed that the admission of
woman to the right of suffrage would be
great help toward reform. The educa-
tion of both sexes together showed that
there was no danger of the evils which
many said would entail from it. Strong
rs were the impulses and passions OF
life, under q proper moral and scientific
education, they could be repTessed, and
men and women were better for assOcia-
tion. Women had forever been in
condition of inferiority, end now, COM
/ ing from the depths of disfranchisement
and partial degradation, they grasped
at the prize so near their hand. lie
/ drew attention to the arguments against
/ the admission Of negroes to the ballot;
I but their enfranchisement would fit
them for their position. So with wom-
en-; they would rise from their condi-
/ tiOn, and in all respects be the equal Of
men. He had no doubt that before a
great while the administration of the
/ American Government will undergo
very essential improvements. lAp-
! plause. He had very little doubt that
compulsory education would be one OF
them; he had no doubt that more
stringent administration of the Natu-
raliZation law would he enforced; he
believed that some intellectual qualifi-
cation for the franchise would be re-
| quired, and he had very little doubt of
the admission Of women to the fran
ehise. lAppiause.l
Mrs. Ernestine l.. Rose said:
What right had man to make laws for
her; the laws were binding on her rs on
man, and all she asked was participa-
ton in their formation. In England,
nearly two hundred members of the
House of Commons were in favor OF
Woman suffrage, and there was no
doubt il would come into operation
there before long. At present women
were too much under the thumb oil
ministers, but give them the franchise
and they would quickly redeem them
selves. She concluded short but I'M
pressive address amid applause.
Mrs. Lille Devereux Blake was
! called upon To speak. Upon coming
+ forward She was loudly cheered, and Oh
served in commencing that their caus'
had suffered defeat that day in tbs
Massachusetts, Legislature, but sh'
. found great congratulation in the fac
p that the bill was lost only by five votes
= Proceeding to cTiticise the character o
( the government established only b,
men, she claimed that if women wer
[ intrusted with the power they could no
= possibly make the laws more ridiculous
( In all the departments of government
, legislative and judicial, the same incOn
F sisteucies appeared, so that there -wer
. few lawyers in any State that kne,
e anything OF the laws of the adjOinin
G state, and he was 4 lucky man indeed
p he knew anything concerning those {
n his OWL. The history Of the past fey
r years in connection with legislation wa
I fruitful in crime, dishonesty and fraud
= The men who were sent to represent tn
4 nation kept the business of the cOuntr
II in perpetual hot water. For the las
Il six months they entertained all bill
IF aud propositions of n cOmparativel
fruitless character, and left untouche
i the great question of the finance Of tn
4 country. After tinkering at the que,
; ton for that period, they finally, b
e immense labor, got bill through bot
branches of Congress. This bill pre-
!. posed to impose upon the nation sti
i more of this deteriOrated currency, an
j. during the time pending after that bi
r. had passed she was glad that they ha
10 not the right to vote. She was thank
D.. ful that women were in no way respOns
II BILE for that kind of legislation. LAI
i plausc. They were saved from tina
!, evil and for this she most hearth
- thanked Gen. Grant. Applause Sh
d, could not pay him a higher eomplimen
:, than that he could not do better if h
: were n woman. Applause. Me
should not suppose that women wer
b, blind To these things. They were look
!, ing cautiously at the state Of public al
fairs. And what was the state of tn
country that day? In the time OF Diog
n enes in Athens over the door ofthe school
4 house there were printed the words
"I.et no deceiver enter here,h but il owe
the door of the nations capital were pu
/ tho words. "Iet no thief enter here,
% she asked, how many would cross tn
y portals? Applause. She believe
iS that among our Representatives, in Cor
Is gress there were many who were neithe
/ honest nor honorable. From the day
n of the Revolution to the present timC
"a down through the years when jefferson
ie Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Webster
Clay and Calhoun flourished, we ha
p men of various shades of political opiT
ion; but ID WAS left to the present tim
ri to produce statesmen who could stoOp
At tile meanness of theft. Applause
: The day of the decadence of the Reput
IN lie had come, unless an appeal wa
Re made to the women of the country I
lt redeem it. Applause. Women, sh
p maintained, held the consciences OF til
D. world Every woman was mothe
"a either possible or actual. In woman
re- heart there beat a sense of conscious
pc ness that She thought far exceeded, q
n the average, any such instinct on Ill
le part of men. II was women wh
ik trained the minds OF the children, an
carried forward all the charities an
ie philanthropies OF the nation. Was
not time to appeal to this reserve for,
n of the country ? And it was time ii
n appeal was made if the interests of Il
country were to be consulted. 1t W,
10 time, She said IN conclusion, that i'm II
er counsels of the nation they had VIII;
er they wanted most Of all things, fiji
and intelligent and enlightened woman
hood. [Applause.I
Miss Burnham. n philodeln,io Ia,