The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-02
THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF
WOMEN TO VOTE.
READ BEFORE THE YAMHILL COUNTY WOMAN
SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION MAY II, 1876, BY MRS.
ANN NJ. MARTIN.

ANN NJ. MARTIN.
Gentlemen and Ladie8:-You have
heard argument after argument in
favor of Woman Suffrage, and from
almost every standpoint, but, not
to my knowledge, from the position
taken above, namely, their constitu-
tional right to vote.
We have the Fourteenth Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States
saying: "All persons born or natural
lied In the United States, and subject to
the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of
the United States, and of the State
wherein they reside. No State shall
make or enforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United States" Are
not all these women citizens of the
United States? Are we not amenable
to the laws of this State and the United
States ? Suppose we were to commit
murder or theft, or any other crime
that men commit, would not the sheriff
arrest US just as soon as he would any
man? He would come, make his best
bow, and say: MADAM, am sorry to
trouble you, but you have violated the
law, and it is my duty to arrest you"
And, if we were to violate the revenue
laws of the United States by going over
to Victoria and trying to smuggle a
silk dress, or any other article of ap-
psrel that we should take fancy to, we
would be served like the lady who un-
dertook to bring silk dress pattern
from Victoria, and wore it for a hustle,
but one end of the silk slipped from its
| fastening so that it came below her
dress, and was seen by the revenue
officer; and it was taken from her just
the same as though she had been a
man. Now, if we are citizens, and
amenable to the laws which govern
this State and nation, how can the
judges of elections, lawmakers, and
others say we cannot vote because we
are women?
The Constitution of the United States
makes no such distinction. I am
aware that the Constitution of Ore.
gon says "free white male" but, as
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend
ments to the Constitution of the United
States were adopted, they took the wore
"white" out of our Constitution, anC
| aUory Oa0rO poaIo oop OO fO tho pO1I,
and vote, and you dare not say him
nay. Why don't they take out the
word "male" as we'll? Why is thi!
term "male' used in the Constitution
1t was not by accident. If so, it woulC
not be used so frequently. 1t was be
cause every man among them knew
when tinkering up Constitution, that
if he did not insert this word "male,
women would vote. They had the
right, and there had to be a constitu
tional barrier to prevent their exercise o
it. The thing which we have to do il
either to strike out this word "male,
or convince our lawmakers, our judges
of elections, and the rest of the worlC
that it is already expunged, which
think is easier. 1t makes no differenc,
in how mady constitutions it is found
nor in how many state constitution
it has been incorporated, for a singl
provision in the Constitution of tn
United States is of that potency to cor
rect them all.
But we would like to talk about ou
citizenship a little more. We under
: stand that when the people or the legis
Iature speak by constitution or law, an,
use ordinary language, that they meaI
what they say, and nobody can sa.
they mean something else. There
nobody who will for a moment argu
against the plain, obvious meaning G
} words. When such are used, it is tn
end of argument and OF construction
The great object to be achieved, 50 ia
as women are concerned, is to brin
} them into the possession of the rights G
citizenship. A "person" is one thing
and naturalized citizen is somethin
more. He or she is the creature of polit
= cal compact, having the rights, the priv
leges, and the franchises of that partiC
ular political association, whatever tina
) may be. Now we use the term "cit
: izen," and apply it to person in pos
) session of certain political rights an
: privileges. Let US, in this light, rea
the first clause of the Fourteent
= Amendment, and see what it does say
r "AlI persons" mot all male persons, no
e all white persons), but "All person
, born or naturalized in the Unite
) States, or subject to the jurisdictio
thereof, are citizens of the Unite
i States, and the State wherein they RI
side" They are citizens, that is, "pel
: sons' are citizens, and our opponent
will have to prove that women are ne
"persons" before they can lawfully pr
= vent them from voting.
Let US see, further, what the framel
s of this Amendment meant: mo Stat
I shall make or enforce any law whic
. shall abridge the privileges or immun
4 ties of citizens of the United States.
e Is there any doubt now as to what sci
Z izen' means?