The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-01-18
NUMBER Is
A Breeze in the Legal Club.

improvement. 1t is composed of Law
students mainly, with q sprinkling o
full-fiedged lawyers. The organization
is similar to that of District Court, anC
is supposed to be conducted in a like
manner. Law problems are selected fol
solution, aud attorneys assigned 10 ar
I que the cases in their order.
/ Well, few weeks ago, Mrs. Clara NJ
I FOltZ, law student in the Office of hel
I father, applied for admission and wa.
| duly elected a member of the club
There was some little s0uirming amoDe
a few youthful old fogies OF the club al
! the idea of admitting woman to Lheil
deliberations; but the good sense Of 9
I large majOrityof the members prevailed
and her name was duly enrolled as a
practicing attorney in that incipient
court, entitled TO all the rights and priv
ileges of any other member of said court.
\ studied effort was then made by a
few malcontents, who believe a-womau
has "nO rights that white man is
bound To respect" TO GUST the lady; but
the club maufully sustained her, and
the soreheads were compelled TO submit.
a question involving many nice legal
points was selected for consideration
last Thursday evening, and Judge Bry-
ant, then presiding, assigned Mrs. FOltz
as one of the attorneys. At the time
appointed she was ready with her argu-
ment. Mr.. Miller, who was elected
Judge pro tenn Of the previous meeting,
took the bench for the purpose of rem
dering the decision in the case submitted
a week ago. Before this was done, how
ever, Mr.. HeiElen moved that the name
of Mrs. Clara NJ. FOltZ be stricken from
the list of members. Some sparring
was then INDUCED in as to whether that
was a proper motion to put; also,
whether the person occupying the bench
was the proper judge to hear the mo-
ton. The objections were overruled,
and Mr.. Grandy proceeded to deliver a
slipshOd, shambling speech in favor of
the motion. In the course of his re-
marks, which cannot be dignitied by the
title of argument, he expressed the
opinion that women, as a class, are not
capable Of mprehending the law as
are men, not having the mental capac-
ity necessary, and compared them to
educated animals, such as dogs, cats,
horses, and monkeys, which perform
certain acts merely in accordance with
the training they nave received, with
out the originality to conceive and exc
cute for themselves. He admitted that
that was not wonderful. It was the
smartness of the educated dog or mon
key. He had a cat that he had taught
TO do some very smart things, but he
did not consider IL at all wonderful. He
said it was essential to keep the law-tree
clean Of those limbs that sprOuted from
the bottom, and therefore they must be
cut of (meaning women or Mrs. FOltzl,
and that If women were allowed TO
practice law, they would bring it into
disgrace. 1--WE have" he said, in a
Websterian burst of elOquence, chad a
plenty sufficient enough of this sort of
thing" and he subsidized
Mrs. FOltz being invited to speak on
the motion, did so in a graceful, digni-
fed manner. She hurried back the in
sulting comparisons of the preceding
speaker, claiming that she did not con-
slider herself his inferior in any intel
lectual sense. She stood, she said, be-
fore the club without reproach, and she
held that she had the same right to
practice law, or pursue any honorable
calling for which she was capable, as
man. She proposed to fit herself for the
law, and thereby earn an honest support
for herself and family.
Mr.. Webb made an able argument in
AahNA "a MIS- It UAAAf say lAlE that tue lAfAN
is member properly admitted aud IN
good standing, and that nothing in the
rules of the club prohibits her from par
ticipating in the proceedings of the So
ciety. Mr.. Webb took up the question
Of her mental capacity, and quoted the
statistics of Ann ArbOr, Antioch, and
other colleges where the sexes are edu-
Gated together, to show that woman has
evidenced intelligence equal, if not su-
periOr, 10 the men with whom they have
competed. Among other authorities,
he cited Anna G. BTackett's work on
"rhe Education Of American Women"
Mr.. Heinlen opposed the proposition
that Mrs. FOltz was member, as in his
opinion the admission of women is Op-
posed to the rules Of the club.
Here the debate ended, and Judge
Miller decided that Mrs. FOltz was a
properly admitted member, in good
standing, and entitled to all the rights
and privileges of such a member
At this point Mrs. FOltz arose, sub
mitted her withdrawal, and requested
that her name Oe stricken from the roll.
Before any action could be taken, Mr..
Mason arose and submitted the follow
ing resolution:
ResoiUed, That it is the senseand wish
Of this club that Mrs. FOltz remain a
member thereof.
This resolution was passed by an
overwhelmingv vote, and again the storm
lulled.
Judge. Miller then rendered a decision
in the case submitted to him as Judge
pro tenn at the previous meeting, after
which Judge Heinlen resumed the chair
and the case set for argument was
opened for plaintiff by Grandy. At the
close Of his remarks, Mrs. FOltz arose as
one Of the counsel for the defense and
claimed the right to be heard, when
Judge Heinlen, Of his own motion,
ruled that she was not a member, and
not entitled to appear. The remaining
speakers then refused 20 go on with the
argument and the court adjourned for
one week.-SdR Jose Mercury.