The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-06-19
LETTER FROM SALEM.


viii you please to publish the follow
ing clipping from the Portland Bulletin
which I lately found in that paper
credited to the Chicago Tri6lme'
There are 5, 6sI unmarried women in Eng
land, above the age OF lJ, who are engaged IN
specific occupations, and are earning money
thereby. This Is the report OF the eencus OF ISL
In this country, according TO the cencus OF 1870,
there are but 81, ,2Ss women over the age OF TO-
unmarried and married, engaged in all classes
OF occupations." 1t thus appears that English
women are, as a class, much more industrious
than their American sisters. When all the
married women have been excluded, the ratio
OF feminine workers above 10 years in England
Is over In :. In this country, where all the
women are counted in, and when the limiting
age is put i've years lower, the ratio Is about ]
in q. = heavier pressure OF want, and the
greater extension OF manufactures, with the
consequent chance Of employment, are proba-
bly, the main causes OF this somewhat amazing
difference. We have had much more talk here
than In England about the propriety OF provid-
ing work for women. They seem to have qui-
etly gone TO work there, instead of talking
about IL. Perhaps this has had lis influence in
improving their chances for the ballot, which
they may obtain even from a conservative
Government. II the word "male'' were stricken
out OF the existing laws on the franchise, the
Tories would gain a number Of votes. The new
voters would be widows or SpinEters living on
annuities carrying on small retail trades in
boroughs." These classes are crabbedly con-
servative. Disraeu Will not INTRODUCES the
needed bill, but Mr.. Forsyth, one OF his sup
porters, will. The Government will not oppose
Ha
passage.
Now let the friends OF Woman SUI
frage yield the palm and cease to advo-
cate the principle of Human Rights.
Let them rather gently urge the labor
Ing women Of America to go to work
Yes, let them go to work, as they do in
England, for mere pittsnce, and say
nothing about right and Justice What
right have they to live, anyhow ?
They're nothing but womenl
How that editor who wrote and that
other editor who copied the above must
have shrieked in agonizing woe when
they discovered that lack of industry
was what was ailing the working women
of America
True, the women OF this country have
not worked In the mines as they do il
England, where thousands OF children
are born who have never seen the light
Of day. But we think that our protect
ors (?l, instead Of complaining Of on
lack of Industry" because we do no
mine or break cobble-stones or work il
harvest fields, or carry bricks and NOR
tar should be proud to see our protect
ed(?) hands as white as their own. An
if women excel them in editing paper
or doing anything else that is light an
tasty, instead Of growing at them 70
lack Of industry, why not rejoice tha
they are able to do this higher work
Doubtless women have done man,
menial jobs for these self-same editor
for paltry pittance-perhaps for less.
But English women "seem TO hav
quietly gone to work without talking
about it.n
Oh, yes, so they did long befor
America was discovered or Columbu
was born. Women have worked 70
many thousands of years. Englisl
women have carried hods and made
bricks and built highways, and so, arr
"more Industrious than American
women" and their Industry" has "im-
proved their chances for the ballot" eh:
How encouraging! \ thousand gen.
erations, more or less, Of these hard
working women have gone the way oI
the earth, unrequited for their ceaseless
toll, but the thousandth generation oi
their descendant sons will grant the
women Of to-day the ballot if they will
only work more and talk lessl What
magnanimity What sublime conde-
scension.
AS our country is new and the ma
jority of men are in comparatively COM
Portable circumstances, and Americas
vast body Of new land enables the faith.
ers and brothers OF women TO furnish
unremunerative indoor labor to the
feminine portions of the household, oul
single women are not yet driven to the
fields for livelihood as they are il
England. But that does not prove tha
they are not industrious, although il
does prove that they have no regular
occupation, though they turn theil
hands continually to almost everything
Are not the working women OF Americ,
equally as industrious as the working
men?
There are many drones in the hive o
humanity-both men and women-ye
the laboring classes must support al
such whether they have money or not
for there is no producing power il
money which, without labor, would b
an incubus upon the hands of anybody
All who labor are taxpayers, ant
there is no honor nor honesty no
justice in taxing American citizen
who are denied voice in making thr
laws; and IL the word "male" wer,
stricken from our statutes we nigh
hope to see the 'industry" Of American
women turned to more profitable ac'
count than at present.
Look around you, gentlemen edItoIs,
and see II you cannot hnd two TVI,v" 'i,o,,
as Industrious as yourselves anu 'heni
deny them the ballot II your GU"
sciences will let you; 1ouvs
The House Committee on the Judiei-
.ort sustaining the