The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-03-16
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE 0. S.
W. S. A,


present and address your Association,
which convenes at Albany on the 18th
of February, or to send a communi-
cation, and am also Obliged to inform
you that it will be impossible to COM
ply with your request.
Controversies and conflicting rights
of other people occupy too much of nay
time to admit of my attempting any
such task. L am willing, however, to
express my views upon the Woman
Suffrage question, and as I am not a
candidate for Office, and never expect to
be, 1 can afford to do so candidly, at
least will labor under no embarrass-
ment from such circumstance.
1 believe that, naturally, women are
as much entitled to the right of suffrage
as men are; that they stand upon the
same terms of equality, not only in re-
gard to that right, but all others. be-
lieve, also, that the privilege Of voting,
under reasonable restrictions, should be
accorded to women whenever they, as a
class, are willing to undertake the dis
charge of the duty which the exercise
of the right imposes. Objection has
been made to female suffrage on account
of the manner in which our elections
are conducted, but there are no grounds
for such objection unless the abuses of
the privilege are essential to it's exer-
else. This cannot be maintained; fraud,
artifice, corruption, and rudeness are
not necessarily concomitants of election
proceedings any more than they are of
legal proceedings in courts of justice.
They are evil influences which are as
much to be deprecated in the one case
as they would be in the other.
There is no duty devolving upon the
citizen, the faithful discharge of which
requires the exercise of more discretion
and prudence than that of voting at
elections for civil officers. A popular
government may be the best i'll the
world, or it may be the worst; when
administered by honest and competent
officials, it will be as perfect as human
institutions can be. Under this rule it
may be rendered little better than a
pandemonium. A vote should never
be given for candidate for office with
out the exercise of due deliberation and
an honest conviction. Persons should
be as careful and judicious in exercis-
ing the right of the elective franchise
as they would be in transacting import
ant affairs in which they have personal
interests, and unless there is a reforma-
tion in the conduct of election proceed
ings, the better portion of the eommu-
nifty will take no part whatever in them;
they will be managed entirely by an ir-
responsible rabble, and the system de-
generate into a mookery-a mere farce.
But am persuaded to believe that by
extending the right of voting to the
women, as before suggested, it would
operate beneicially, that it would tend
to correct the evils referred to, and ele-
vate the moral standard of our political
affairs, that it would eventually result
in bringing about much needed re-
form.
1 assure you that am in favor of ex-
tending the right of suffrage to the
ladies by legislation whenever 1t is as.
certained that a majority of them are
willing to undertake the responsibility
of its exercise. Yours respectfully;
w. w. THAYER.
East Portland, January 13, 1877.
Surely, in every direction there il
great cause for encouragement. The
: rusty doors of 'old Harvard" swing from
their moorings, woman's voice is hearC
in our political conventions, and, mos
significant of all, our great army of tenn
2 peranoe workers are beginning to see
with unelouded vision, that the ballot i
: crystalized, moral power.
= While I write, we anxiously await th
! dOings of the Convention now convened
, in Washington, and the result of thei
! appeal to Congress for a Sixteenth
t Amendment; but whatever the result
t there is much work to be done by ever,
l individual member of our suffrage asso
T ciatiens. Let us ever keep in view tn
0 power of individual work-indiUidud
e influence. If we send large petitions t.
I Congress, every individual must work
If we bring our influence to bear upol
d our Congressman, legislatures and judi
: ciary, every individual must consecrat
y y her enthusiastic energies to swell tn
n tide of public sentiment in favor G
: woman's enfranchisement. Nothing
e more surprising to the old advocates c
3 Woman Suffrage, than the utter ig
\ norance upon the whole subject on tn
e part of people who have persisted in nc
t giving the subject thought. These ar
L trite suggestions, 1 know, but I hop
they are practical. believe even lis
v of the names of men and women in thei
IS districts presented to our legislator
I would surprise them into more earnes
;, thought upon the whole subject. Hav
n we made our influence felt in the pr
): mary meetings, by pledging our suppol
!. to moral men who would be true to ou
/. interests? Let us agitate, lecturl
y write, and talk Woman Suffrage unit
! every man, woman, and child sha