The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-08-31
OUR COLORADO LETTER.

UUh UtlLURADU LETTER.
To THE EDITOR OF THE NEW NORTHWEST:
Denver has been alive this week on
the subject of equal suffrage. On
Wednesday, the 18th, a meeting was
held at the City Hall, where interesting
and effective addresses were made by
several of our leading suffragists, and
central county committee, composed of
prominent men-nine Democrats, eight
Republicans-was organized. Follow
ing an editorial in the NeUs of last
Sunday was an eloquent paper by our
earnest and helpful friend, DR.. B. F.
Crary, and yesterday the Tribune ex-
erted itself to the extent of long edito-
rial on the subject. We feel that it is
great deal to have the support of two
daily papers and the interest of another
in the capital city. The Tribune per-
haps does as much good by raising OBJ
jections to the measure as it would if it
advocated it. As long as the subject is
kept alive, so long will thought be
busted, and we feel that success must be
the ultimate result of thought and dis
cussion. We quite agree with the
Tribune that suffrage is duty which it
is wrong to neglect. We believe the
feminine conscience is not generally
supposed to be less acute than the mas
culine, and when the right or privilege
of voting is given to women, they will
not be more likely than men to neglect
their duty in that direction. We have
heard several women who do not believe
in suffrage say that if it came they
should vote from a sense of duty. On
the other hand, we know that some
women say they would not vote if they
could; but that is a careless expression,
which many use when they mean that
they do not desire to vote; but, if it be-
came their privilege, they would quickly
see their duty in the matter, and, even
if unwillingly, which we think will not
long remain the case with any, would
vote. We are not so extravagant as to
say that all women would be cOnscien-
tious enough to vote, but we think the
chances are that the proportion of wom-
ems votes would compare favorably with
that of mems, unless, indeed, as is some
times limited, mems consciences are SC
active as to urge them not only to al
ways vote, but to vote more than once
The Tribune says that if women's
tastes "incline them to the light, the
delicate, the elegant, the pleasing, the
reaniug and purifying things of life
rather than to the wear, the tortuous
: the laborious, the straining and rougt
ways of politics; if their .aspiration
move them to seek social and literary
rather than political and professional
triumph, or to strive to reign as tn
, beautiful and beloved queens of house
holds rather than as the powerful ant
feared sovereigns of States, the propri
ETY. of crowding political duties upol
upon women becomes a question a
least for argument" We fail, it ma.
be from our lack of experience in tina
little ceremony, but we quite fail to Sc
q that mere voting would be any obstacl
a to the cultivation and pursuance of an,
of "the light, delicate, elegant, pleasing
s refining and purifying things of life,
e or would involve anything wearing
e straining, tortuous, or laborious;" an
e surely the franchise will not compe
= any one whose tastes are opposed to
r to strive for political triumph" or t
: "reign as the powerful and feared SOY
+ ereigns of States"
i Susan B. Anthony, Miss Margare
e Fletcher, Miss Leila Partridge, Mis-
d Margaret Hindman, Henry B. Blacl
e well, and Lucy Stone will soon be herr
If these, with our excellent local worker
e will form a band strong enough to PR
it vail against the ignorance and prejudiC
:, that are the enemies to be conquered.
S, H. L.
], Denver, August 10, 1877.