The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-05-29
LETTER FROM SALEM.

To THE EDITOR or THE NEW NORTHWEST:
hope you will publish the following
for the benefit of the adversaries of our
great and holy cause. I also hone thew
will excuse me il speak to the point:
First, then, to those of you who are
terrified by the woman-emancipation
movement, and who acknowledge no
other position for the mothers of men
than those Of doll and housewife. COM
PEELED in either case to yield involuntary
submission to laws made by her sons.
to all such I say, the time is not far
distant when you will be compelled TO
submit to different order of things.
whether you will or no. And those of
you who declare that there is no neces-
sity that woman should know anything
about the affairs of our Government
there, did l say our Government /
beg your pardon, that was only slip OF
the Imagination. But to all Of you who
say there is no need that we should
know anything about government, ]
have to say that We, like you, have a
natural right to self-protectlon; that
we, like you, have natural right to say
who have the power to make the laws
by which we are all governed. To those
Of you who contend that Natures laws
would be violated by woman if she were
not compelled to obey them by the
laws Of man, say emancipate woman
Place her by law upon exactly the same
footing as man, and see If she departs
from Natures laws any more than he.
The declaration that she would do so, is
an insult to the mothers of men.
But, gentleman, no matter how hard
you strive to beat back the waves OF
Human Freedom, we have this to con-
sole US: We will never cease to demand
equal rights till justice is obtained.
Everywhere, under man-made rule,
we see deformity, disease and sin. These
are manifest evidences of violation OF
Natures law, which are too often the
direct result Of mans despotism, and
from which the human family will
never escape till woman is emanci-
Ipated.
Women are eKhorted by elergymen to
be 'chaste keepers at home" to ''keep
silence in the churches" etc, vet when
these same ministers want a job of pray
ing done, which they are too lazy or
cowardly 10 attempt for themselves,
they will exhort these "ehaste keepers
at home' to go before the public in the
most repulsive manner, exposing them
selves to insult, abuse, and not a word
do we hear about the impropriety OF
such street performances.
When will women learn to assert
their independence, and refuse to be the
plants tools of men who exhort them
to pray in the cutters, while forbiding
them to preach in the pulpits?
Men who will not heed the prayers of
their own mothers and daughters will
hardly yield, for any length Of time, at
least, TO the prayers of strangers, for
whom they care nothing. The Crusad-
ers are looked upon by whisky men as
nothing but the tools of clergymen who
dare not do the work which they assign
them.
The women are praying in the saloons
with fetters on. We demand their
emancipation We demand it in the
name Of humanity, that they may have
PO,rer where now they are but suppli-
cants, and we have no patience with
ministers who do not demand that
women shall be free.
Ministers, If you are in earnest about
destroying the liquor traffic, come out
like men and demand that women shall
be emancipated, and then the work will
be accomplished. Now, the women
work against legal odds, of which you
should be ashamed. Officials are to-day
laughing the prayers of women to scorn.
Emancipate us, we demand in the name
of sense and justice, and then, with
prayer and vote together, we shall ae-
complish that which now is impossible.
Mrs. ]. A. JOHNS.
Salem, May 10th, 1874.