The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-05-19
NUMBER 3S.
By Gracious Permission.

Once, when talking with one of our
legislators on the subject of woman's
claim to the ballot, he said, with an air
of great generosity:
az am quite willing to allow women
to vote.n
Now, Of course, our friend, who was
really kind-hearted, did not intend to
say anything out of the way. The tone
of his remark was simply that which in
fact pervades nearly all masculine OBJ
servations on this subject.
"Willing to allow women to vote ~
Graciously inclined to permit our sex
that right of personal representation
which he no doubt held to be one of his
own dearest privileges.
The whole tenor of conversation on
this subject is indeed everywhere full of
this same thought. That women are to
have the ballot, not as right to which
they are entitled by all that is just and
fair, but as gracious gift from the hand
of those who have usurped and there
fore hold the power to bestow it.
In an editorial on "Women Lawyers
the Tribune recently contained these
words: "The men who made the Con-
stitution of the United States did not
intend that women should vote. Those
not dream of such a thing.n
Perhaps not, since they did not then
think that colored men, or even poor
white men, had any right to a voice in
government. And yet these very same
men proudly declared that their consti-
tutions were framed by and for the peo-
pie of the United States and the several
States. Long ago they have admitted
that in that grand phrase they included
all the inhabitants of the land. Yet to
this day they cannot see that if this be
true, then in the first foundation of our
nation women were nOminally repre-
sented, and that every moment since in
which this direct and rightful represen-
tatiOn has been withheld from them,
has heightened the already intolerably
long period Of injustice and usurpation.
Far from acknowledging this, men
constantly speak in the tone of our leg
islative friend, as if it would be kind
ness on their part to right this wrong
and remove this injustice.
| Says the Tribune again: "WheneveT
! it shall become evident to a majority ol
men that women would be the happier
and better protected by voting, women
will be allowed to vote.n
! Once again the same phrase, "Will be
allowed to vote" Not because this
country claims to be the land of the
| free and the ballot is the symbol of po-
| litical freedom, which should belong to
all; not because every human being
should have an equal chance in life SO
far as it is in the power of the laws to
give it to him or to her. But when
they have convinced men they would
be the happier and better protected fol
voting, then, and only then, will these
dear little tootsey pootsey babies be al
lowed this new toy, the suffrage.
Is not the task assigned US by the
Tribune a somewhat difficult one also
How shall we prove we twill be thC
happier aud better protected for vot
ing"
AS no woman can vote to show how
much her lot in life will be improved
by it, the undertaking seems about al
! hopeless as that allotted to the man IL
the fable, who was told he should bt
given his freedom if he would wall
erect through the city, and then was
locked up so fast that ne could not ge
out to prove what he could do.
This kind of talk is also especially in
consistent in this journal, which for 81
many years so earnestly advocated the
! OeSGO"luS vi IlO OollO1 Oh VIC hOSAO W.
his improvement and aid. If the write
of this article would really like to know
whether women twill be happier ant
better protected for voting" we advis
him to read some of the editorials of hi
own paper, where it has been so Offer
eloquently maintained that political en-
Reimbursement is necessary to the well
being of any class.
In conclnsion. we would remind al
these gentlemen that we ask not 70
concessions, but for reparation; not 70
favors, but for justice.