The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-05-26
"THE AMAZONS AGAIN. "

"THE AMAZONS AGAIN"
Under this head the New York
Graphic thus discourses relative to the
recent Convention of Woman Suffra-
gists in that city:
The women are coming next week. And
they will take Wednesday and Thursday TO
tell why they ought to vote, and what cruel ty-
rants men are for keeping the baIlot-boxes and
Offices all 10 themselves. In looking over the
list OF speakers, we miss the names of some Of
the old-time advocates of what may almost be
considered "a lost cause, but Miss Anthony's
name is conspicuous still. She is too cour-
ageOus and tenacious Of her rights TO put in
disappearance on such an occasion. But Misses
Smith, whose cows have made so much noise
al Glastonbury, Connecticut, will recte their
wrongs; and Sarah J. Spencer will tell what
monsters men are; and Mrs. DIR. Lozier
VIII doubtless demonstrate woman's superior
ity 10 man on physiological principles; and
Mrs. Olympia Brown may show the incompat-
ibility of matTimony with the ministry; and
Mrs. WestbroOk may lift the audience into a
region Of poetry and romance from which it
will be brought back TO hard facts by Mrs
Gage and Mrs. Blake. Doubtless the occasion
will be interesting; the women always are So
But it is hard to lose sight of the fact that while
women are steadily gaining ground in educa-
tiOn, industry, society, administrative posi-
tiOns, and moral influence, the signs of their
enfranchisement as steadily diminish. The
experiment of universal male suffrage has not
proved sufficiently successful to encourage an
extension Of the privilege, and there is hardly
question that the majority of our people
KVOu1d 70 ,l,sr,
give the ballot to a whole sex as yet unused to
political responsibilities. And it would be
well tor the women who agitate so persistently
for the ballot to consider whether there are not
other and more effectual ways of improving
the status and increasing the usefulness and
influence of their sex.
1t is seldom indeed that attempted or
assumed opposition makes so many
strong points in favor of woman's en-
franchisement in so short a space and
in such a pleasant manner as is wit
messed in the above extract. Time was
and not so long since either-when
editors of otherwise respectable journals
would descend to the lowest form of
abuse and the vilest of innuendoes upon
those women who dared to brave the
disgusting storm of vituperation and as
sert their right to citizenship in free
country wherein they were free-born.
courageous and tenacious of her
rights" Miss Anthony has ever been,
and her ere-while bitterest opponents
are compelled to respect her therefor.
1t is no wonder that men try to conceal
the shame they needs must feel at the
repeated outrage of taxation without
representation which has been imposed
upon the venerable Smith sisters, of
Glastonbury, behind the noise made by
the cows Of these defrauded women, as
they were taken from the pastures of
their rightful possessors to satisfy the
unjust demands of the tax-gatherer.
True, the protest of these dumb animals
was much more eloquent than are the
words of those who seek to raise a laugh
to cover their confusion by referring to
it; but that is neither here nor there;
the laugh must be raised, else people
might be so shockingly indiscreet as to
listen TO ''recital of wrongs" at which
even dumb creatures cry out.
1t is gratifying to observe that after
the most ingenious attempt to bring
ridieule upon the women whose names
are mentioned in the above extract, that
candor cOmpels the writer to admit
their intellectual ability, their versatil-
ity, and their power to render the "oc-
casion interesting"
Can it be possible, after the admission
which persistent demonstrations have
compelled from man, that "women are
steadily gaining ground in education,
industry, society, administrative posi-
tions, and moral influence" that any
one can expect his words to be believed
when he further says that "the signs
of woman's acknowledgements steadily
diminish" Does any one for a moment
believe that history will reverse the re-
cital of all times past, and spread upon
its future pages records of a people
steadily advancing in social, moral, and
educational power, yet compelled to
continue political serfs, controlled by
the rabble of nation, held amenable to
laws which, in many instances, bear
with gross injustice upon their personal
rights and property interests? And
would it not be as well for men who ar
rogate to themselves superiority because
OF their sex, to consider the political
problems of the country which affect
women and men alike, from an intel
leetual, rather than from physiologi-
cal standpoint? And if they have an
idea that it is pleasant, remunerative,
or expedient to work in political bond
age, let them tell US how they would
preserve the present political influence,
power, and status of their sex, to say
nothing of improving either or all OF
them, if they should suddenly be de-
prived of the privileges of the franchise.