The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-03-10

Feeling it to be the duty of every one
who sympathizes in the object for which
this Association was formed to assist in
its plans to the best of his ability, and
finding it impossible to be present at
its deliberations, I herewith submit the
following. If it is worth anything, 1
shall feel proud of it. If not, no mat
ter; I will have the satisfaction of
knowing that have done my duty to
the best of my ability.
The object of the Association, as I un-
derstand it, is to advance the cause of
woman-to devise the best means by
which this can be accomplished. Give
her the ballot, and the rest will all
all come right. The law of the land is
the foundation upon which society is
built, and just in proportion to the
equality of the law is that of custom.
Then let every lover of equal rights
and justice to all see that his principles
are made manifest by his acts. There
are great many people in this coun-
try who will acknowledge the justice of
giving women the ballot, but the pro-
priety they doubt. 1 fail to see the
propriety of doing an injustice to any
one, much less to our wives and daugh-
ters, who would readily lay down their
lives for US, if necessary, without a
murmur or complaint.
In what does mans exclusive right to
the ballot consist? Is it in his superior
mental or moral qualities 1 say not;
for he is not her superior in either of
these respects, and that in the latter he
is her inferior, 1 believe is acknowl-
edged by all. Is it in his superior phys
ical strength? If so, let US disfranchise
all the weakly men who are not able to
grub, or chop and split rails for a living,
and elect no man to office who is not
able to force his arguments on the peo-
pie by physical strength, regardless of
mental capacity.
"But woman is not educated up to
that point to qualify her to vote under
standingly." I would ask how many
men there are, if asked anything about
the fundamental principles upon which
our government is founded, can give
you an intelligent answer? 1 will ven-
ture to say that not more than one in
five can do so. Then let us disfranchise
four-fifths of the men, because they are
not educated up to the proper point to
vote Understandings. The last dodge
is, that women, except a few of the
strong-minded, do not want to vote.
would like to know how they ascer
tanned the fact that women do not wan
to vote? Have the women ever had al
opportunity to express their sentiment.
in regard to the matter? My opinion
is, that where they have the right t.
vote they will be very tenacious of it
and use the ballot as freely as the men
: For instance, go into the Changers o
Good Templars' Halls, and see if tht
women do not take as much interest il
the elections as the men do. And
: they were allowed the ballot, it woult
be the same in our general elections
: If women have not criticised as pro
: foundly, or created as grandly in litera
[ ture and art as men have, it is owing t
other than physiological causes. 1t
largely owing to the intellectual dis
r couragement under which they hav
| labored. Woman has fought her wa
e into the field of fiction, and now stand
: at the head, both in quantity and qua
t ity of work. 1t is a significant fac
9 that the two greatest living masters {
fiction are women, who have found it
e their advantage to write under th
It names of men-George Eliot an
J, George Sand. The same is true in a
e other departments in which woman hs
. aspired to anything outside of th
: sphere marked out for her by man.
It say by man, for I know of no naturi
reason why women should not be give
an equal chance with men in all til
= arts and sciences, and be allowed an
position that she may be qualified
fill, and that, too, with equal pay fl
e equal services.
Now, away back in the long ages
}, the past, when man was hardly mo
than brute; when force was the rule
action, and the weak the prey of Il
g. strong, woman, being the more feebl
man obtained the mastery over her, r
=, ducing her to subsection, and const
l. tuting himself her ruler and lord. Th
re point once secured, he soon made hin
. self her superior in all things.
We He allowed her to learn only sui
things as contributed to make her mo
ID useful or pleasing in his eyes, and Ike
f. from her all else, because he knew th
50 knowledge was power. He made Il
DC laws in his own favor, taking not on
e, herself as his property, but her ear
u ings as his own; and even the childrt
al she bore were not hers, but his, to
with as he chose. He advanced ST
by step in the scale of being, while 81
ne kept at due distance in the rear.
2, endowed colleges, universities, sen
1e naries, and professional schools, al
). excluded women from authority, fro
~ occupying Professors chairs, and We
generally from enjoying even the hun
IN BILE advantages of tuition. He, holdil
ot the reins of power, voted himself in
all the offices, made the laws to suit
own selfish purposes and to susta
himself in his position as chief and rul
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