The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-03-20

The Committee most of whom were
present, are composed of the following
gentlemen:
SENATE COMMITTEE.
Henry :. Washburn of Suffolk county,
Walter y. Mason of Middlesex,
Charles p. Stickney of Bristol.
HOUSE COMMITTEE.
John T. Fitzgerald of Boston,
William :. Knox of Lawrence,
William T.. Blunt of Haverhill,
Warren Tyler of North Brookfield,
! II. j.. Cray OF Springfield,
Henry W. Wilson of Boston,
Addison Gilbert Of GIOusceter,
Henry l.. Pratt Of Mansfield.
At 10 A. M. the chairman read the
petition and invited all who wished to
speak for or against it, to do so.
Lucy Stone was the first speaker.
She reminded the Committee that the
/ women of Massachusetts had petitioned
and appeared ut the State House, year
after year, in support of their petitions
ever since 1858. Men who were now
voters were infants in their cradles when
this demand for justice was first made,
and yet the wrong is not righted. Our
claim Is based upon the foundAtioH
principle of representative government.
7 We ask only for n consistent appliea-
ton Of the recognized American theory
of government in the case of one
half Of our citizens. You have enfran-
chised the cOlored man. You have en-
franchised the rebel. You admit men
| of foreign birth. Only your own moth
ers and wives and sisters and daughters
are excluded. You rank every woman
the political inferior of the meanest and
! most degraded man. All we ask is that
you WILL make our case your own, and
''as you would that others should do
unto you, do We even so unto them"
Mrs. Elnah d. Cheney showed the
loss which the State sustained by being
deprived Of the active services OF women
in its charitable, educational and re-
formatory enterprises, and its other
branches Of congenial public activity.
Suffrage would be of great practical
value to women by securing better op-
portunities of culture and wider fields of
| usefulness. The recent exclusion of
women from the Boston School Com
mittee, upon the express ground that
women are not voters, it is new and
striking evidence Of the evils OF disfran-
chisement.
Mrs. Zina Fay Pierce spoke earnestly
in opposition to the petitions, upon the
ground that Manhood Suffrage is essen
tally unwomanly. Voting is an exer-
else Of power which implies ability to
sustain it by physical force, If necessary.
This ability is wanting in the case of
women, therefore suffrage should be
withheld. Inasmuch as women are, in
Massachusetts, more numerous than
men, we may suppose case where all
the women will OutYote all the men.
How can this merely numerical major
ity enforce obedience? Women are
physically and intellectually the infe-
riors of men. There is no injustice in
taxation without representation in the
case of women, because their property Is
not earned but inherited, and because
they share in the protection and benefit
of the government Women are in
point of fact pecuniarily and personally
dependent upon men, and therefore
should not be politically independent of
them. Mrs. Pierce admitted, however,
that women, having special class inter-
estsi should have some sort of represen-
tation. She suggested the election by
women of an advisory Congress author
lied To propose laws to the Legisla-
latnre for the protection of women and
children, and to veto the enactment of
laws which do them injustice.
This very frank declaration of wom-
ans inferiority elected expressions of
disapprobation from some OF the audi
ence, which were promptly checked by
by the Chairman. Let every friend of
Woman Suffrage discourage and dis
eontenance kissing. 1t is unworthy Of
our cause. 1t arouses sympathy against
us and places us in false position. In
Legislative body, especially, and at
hearing where the audience are present
simply as spectators, all expressions
either of sympathy or disapproval are
totally out of place.
Mrs. Warner asked the Committee to