The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-05-31
EXPERIENCE OF A OANvAssER.

To THE EDITOR or THE NEW NORTHWEST:
In order to fulfill my promise Of few
weeks ago, will give partial history
of my canvassing for signers to a petit
tiop to have the word "male" left out
of our proposed State constitution, thus
guaranteeing to all citizens, irrespective
Of sex, the right of franchise.
l must say l have felt pity, sympathy,
modification, contempt, disgust, and
anger, as well as encouragement, hope,
and confidence; pity and sympathy for
the unfortunates that are held in most
abject bondage; modification at the re-
suits Of vain labors; contempt and dis
gust for the would be- lofty specimens
of femininity who have ''all the rights
they want" and are much troubled
with mock-modesty. Oh, no they
couldn't go to the polls; they do think
it would be so dreadful. That some of
these are not so fastidious upon other
points is well known.
| could not help getting angry two or
three times at some Of my own sex for
their stubborn mulishness; some who
could bring no argument at all would
merely draw themselves up pompOusly,
and the expression Of one land he a
high church member) was, ''Oh, be
.d-d; if the women would stay at
home and darn their stockings they
would be better off," Another said, az
have no objection to the women voting,
but you don't go about it the right way;
why don't you petition Congress?" An
other, and a foreigner at that, and 1 am
not at all sure he has even been natu-
rallied VERY certain he has never been
civilized, very pompOusly remarked:
"Well, whenever the women get to vot-
ing l am going to leave the country. -
Still another, a school teacher, made
several of the old-time and oft-repeated
objections, and wound up with, "Well,
whenever the majority OF the women
want to vote l won't oppose it," So,
sisters dear, if you want to vote just
come in body without any previous
arrangement and say to this sapient
pedagogue, "The majority Of US are here
and want to vote" Some discussions
were amusing, and some quite enter
tanning with both sexes, some Of whom
am confident had never thought two
minutes on the subject before / men,
toned it, and several such signed the
petition before / left them. also re-
ceived some cheering encouragement
from both men and women, and alto
gether | am quite proud Of my success,
for I certainly got many more names
than / anticipated.
Our precinct numbers from sixty-five
to seventy voters, quite an Overpropor-
tion Of whom are bachelor mill men
and wharfingers, and yet I got twenty
nine voters to sign and thirty-one wom-
en- who ought to be voters. took the
names of none but those Of legal age,
and more than three-fourths of all l
asked to sign at Tacoma did so. Al
New Tacoma / did not have quite as
good success. think fully half 1 spoke
to there refused, and owing to a press OF
other business did not get to canvass
the place as thoroughly as I wished;
however, 1 obtained thirty-six signers
there, making ninety-seven in all our
two little precincts of less than two
hundred voters, including a number OF
foreigners aud Catholics, who are al
most unanimously opposed to the meas
ure, and who are ready to cry out in
unison with Mathew Hale Smith,
"Wives, be obedient to your husbands" D."
Very respectfully a true and firm friend
of equal rights, JOB CARR.
Tacoma, w. T., May p, 1878.