The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-03-15
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.


to hear the argument before the Senate
committee on privileges and elections
led to the assembling of large numbers
of women in various places about the
Capitol at 10 A. II. on Friday, the 22d
ult. The wives Of Senators had all been
invited, because it was understood that
they were bringing all the forces of
fashionable society to bear upon Sena-
tors to secure an adverse vote upon the
pending Sixteenth Amendment. In
former times the wives Of officers were
known to set themselves sedulously to
work to defeat the political aspirations
Of all women save themselves, and this,
probably, was the cause Of this accepted
idea. At1l o'clock the committee-room
doors were opened, and the room was at
once filled. Mrs. Senator Beck, Mrs.
Stanley Matthews, Mrs. Sargent, Mrs
Spofiord, Mrs. Holmes, Mrs. Snead,
Mrs. Baldwin, Miss Blodgett, Of New
York, Mrs. Baldwin, Mrs. Spen-
Ger, Mrs. Juan Lewis, of Philadel-
phia; Mrs. Morgan, of Missouri; Mrs.
Brookes, Mrs. Olcott, Mrs. Bartlett,
Miss Sweet, Mrs. Myers, Mrs. Gibson,
Miss Jenners, Mrs. Levison, Mrs. Here
ford, Mrs. Folsom, Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs.
Lynde, Mrs. Eldridge, Mrs. Snowe, Mrs.
Curtis, Mrs. Hutchinson, Mrs. Boncher,
and many others were present. OF the
m ,p,fftoo opI Earof. fboro ,,-ora Coro-
tors Wadleigh, Cameron, of Wisconsin,
Merrimon, Mitchell, Hoar, Vice -Presi-
dent Wheeler, Senators Jones, Bruce,
Beck, and others. Several Representa-
tives and their wives also were there,
and seemed deeply interested.
Mrs. Hooker, with the fervor and elo-
quence Of her family, reviewed all the
popular arguments against Woman Suf-
frage. She said she once believed that
/ twenty years was little time enough for
foreigner to live in this country before
he could cast ballot. She understands
the spirit Of our institutions better now.
II disfranchisement meant annihilation,
there might be safety in disfranehising
the poor, the ignorant, the vicious. But
il does not mean annihilation. 1t means
danger to everything we hold dear. We
cut your own throats when we disfran-
chise the men. Men injure themselves
when they disfranchise women. The
cornerstone Of this Republic is God:
own doctrine Of liberty aud responsible
ity. Liberty is the steam, responsible
ity is the brakes, and election day is tn,
safety-valve. The foreigner comes t,
this country expecting to find it a para
disc. He finds, indeed, a ladder reach
ing to the skies, but resting upon th,
earth, and he is at the bottom round
But in one day in the year he is as goOC
as the richest man in the land. He car
make the banker stand in the line be
hind him until he votes, and if he hai
wrongs he learns how to right them.
he has mistaken ideas of liberty, he il
! instructed what freedom means. Sh,
said the wire-pulling politicians nigh
well fear to have the women enfran
chised. There were too many of them
|, and they had too much experience il
p looking after the details Of their house
= holds to be easily duped by the tricks o
: politicians. You can't keep wOmeI
away from primary meetings as you d.
intelligent men. Women know tha
: every cubby-hole in the house must b,
inspected If the house is to be clean
. Her father and brothers said they
2 wanted women to vote, so that the,
= could have a decent place for a primar,
. meeting, a decent place to vote in, an,
: a decent man to vote for. The most ig
e nOrant Irish woman wants her husband
t and sons to be better and finer. Sh
, told Of an Irish woman in Connection
] whose drunken husband took the egg
she raised to feed a hump-backed child
{ and sold them for liquor. This woman
sent word to her that she was prayin
! for her success in Washington. Sh
wanted to vote to shut the shop wher
e her husband bought his grog. The In
2 dian question would have been peace
1 fully and righteOusly settled long ag
t without any standing army if Lucreti
Mott could have led in the councils {
o the nation, and the millions spent i
D fighting the Indians might have bee
e used in kindergartens for the children {
{ the poor, now growing up in vice. Mr.:
e Hooker reviewed the Chinese question
= the labor problem, the subjects of com
e pulsory education, reformation, polio
= regulations, the social evil, and man
e other topics, upon which men vainly al
q tempt to legislate without the lovin
e wisdom Of mothers, sisters, and daugt
Il tiers. Down with the army, down wit
n appropriation bills to repair the consC
IS quences Of wrong-doing when wome
], vote. The entrance Of woman NEAR
n the entrance Of Christ. Thirty-foU
e, thousand women ask for this Sixteent
De- Amendment to the Constitution, NJ
because they believe they have not tt
- right 10 vote under the Constitution ,
sr IL is, but because they are hindered b
Of mans legislation, and want the Congrei
g of the United States to express its opii
IN ion that these obstacles should be r,
IT moved. Millions more OF women woul
I'd ask for this if it were not for the eruelt
IN and abuse men have heaped upon Il
il advocates Of Woman Suffrage. Me
s. have made it a terrible martyrdom f
ie women even to ask for their rights, an