The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-01-30
THE FRELINGHUYsEN BILL.

WnCse acquaintance ana frlendsnip We
value highly, has written US at length
in favor of Senator Frelinghuysen's s
Utah Bill. We are sorry he does not
give us liberty to publish his argument
in full over his own signature, as its
subject matter is candidly discussed. He
corrects the statement made in these
columns that the Bill passed the Senate
instead of the House last year; and, as
he fails to convince US that the Bill is
what it ought to be, We suppose it Is but
just that we place the blame Of the first
passage upon the guilty party, which
was the House Of Representatives.
Says our friend: "The provision Of the
Bill enacted that the common law Of
England, as 1t existed at the date
Of the Revolution, shall be the
law and rule of decision in all
the Territories, unless altered by local
statute and was intended to settle that
by statute, which has been recognized
by the courts Of all the Territories ex-
cept Utah; and its main purpose was TO
settle whether the rules of the civil
or common law should furnish the
guide to the courts in the absence Of
statutes. BY this provision the right of
dover will be returned TO every lawful
wife in Utah, the repeal of which, by
legislation, has been the cause of so
much complaint. The same provision
exists in Washington Territory, existed
in Oregon before she was orgn nized as a
Territory, and now exists, by local stat
ute, in every Territory, except Utah, Wy
oming included, and has no more to 10
with the giving of the elective franchise
to woman than ithas with controlling the
course of the moon. 1t is intended sim
ply to settle by authoritative construc-
ton the question whether the civil or
common law shall prevail; question
that has given rise to much discussion
in the Utah courts.
"If the women of this country propose
to adopt the degrading rules Of the old
civil law in contradiction to the spirit
Of the common law, then let them do so,
but they evidently don't understand
what they are about while doing so.
The common law does not confer the
right of suffrage on women, it is true,
nor does it on anybody, for that matter.
The elective franchise depends for its
existence upon statutes, in this country
and the adoption, or unadoption Of the
common law as rule of decision for
the courts, has no more 10 do with the
elective franchise than 1t has with the
question of subsidies to railroad compa-
nies.
''But yourself and Mr.. Blackwell oh.
ject to the Frelinghuysen bill because
it amends the statute Of Utah confer.
ing suffrage on women. Have either OF
you ever seen that law "a law that
rivets the fetters of degradation upon
the poor, brutalized victims of lust and
fanaticism in Utah, and adds the con,
tempt Of compelling them TO draw
tighter the chains while they wear them
Having first, by a system of brutalisn
so revolving that I'm other civilized eoun
tries it consigns those who indulge in i
to the cell of the felon, reduced th,
women of Utah to the most abjec
shame, they seek to divert the attention
of the country from their crimes by con
ferring, nominally, the right to vote OF
women, and some OF our avowed advo
Gates of the question of universal suf
frage allow themselves to be caught il
this transparent snare. Why is tina
the anomaly of reducing women t,
mere things through the system o
polygamy has not invited scrutiny int
the paradox OF investing these things
with the elective franchise Whel
] Napoleon was chosen First General h.
had the ballots of the people, but how
Vote as you please, but remember tina
he who does not cast his vote for Genera
Bonaparte shall be shot The womeI
Of Utah are entitled TO vote, but every
Mormon woman knows that TO vote 70
her freedom is to bring down upon he
head swift and irrevocable ruin. Yol
might as well have advocated suffrag
for the slaves of the South before thei
emancipation. The ballot that does no
and cannot express the sentiment of tn,
voter is a burlesque on the right Of suf
frage, in that the suffrage makes womeI
sanction their own degradation and sup
] satr fal. ,F 81 Oh
hor. It Is a cruelty that has about 1t
GOODNESS and ingenuity that is purel!
satanic. And your intelligent advo
Gates of woman's right 10 vote in orde
to give her independence, and elevat
her TO the social and business depart
ments of life, are blinded by their seem
ing adherence to principle into an in
dorsement OF that which to-day is doin!
more TO keep the women of Utah in tn
bondage Of polygamy than all else.
"Would not the giving Of the ballot t
the Southern slave without emancipat
ing him from the control OF his maste
have been but a cruel mockery?
would have added simply 10 the powe
Of the oppressor.
"Such is the situation in Utah, and th
residents Of this woman-degrading Ter
ritory know this and have asked tina
the statute be annulled, which enable
the enemies of woman's elevation (
keep her in her present degraded posi-
tion.
"Let emancipation be accOmplishe'
. first, and then the ballot can be give
where it can be used TO express tn