The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-04-26

pies 10 their logical results. Demo-
Gratis too, saw the drift of the argument,
and though not in favor of extending suf-
frage to either black men or women, yet,
to embarrass Republican legislation, il
was said they proposed amendments for
Woman Suffrage to all bills brought
forward for enfranehising slaves.
And thus, during the passage OF the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
Amendments, and the District suffrage
bill, the question OF Woman Suffrage
was often aud ably discussed 10 the Sem
ate and House, and received both Re-
publican and Democratic votes in its
favor. Many able lawyers and judges
gave it as their opinion that women, as
well as Africans, were enfranchised by
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend
ments. Accordingly we abandoned, for
the time being, our demand for Six
teenth Amendment, and pleaded our
right of suffrage, as already secured by
the Fourteenth Amendment-the Rrgu-
ment lying in a nutshell. For if, as
therein asserted, all persons born or nat
uralized in the United States are citizens
Of the United States, and If a citizen,
according to the best authorities, is one
possessed Of all the rights and privileges
Of citizenship, namely, the right to
make laws and choose Lawmakers,
women, being persons, must be citizens,
and therefore entitled TO the rights Of
citizenship, the chief Of which is the
right to vote.
Accordingly women tested their rights
registered aud voted, the inspectors Of
election accepting the argument, for
which inspectors AID women alike were
arrested, tried, and punished, the court,
deciding that although by the Four
teenth Amendment they were citizens,
still citizenship did not carry with il
the right to vote. But granting the
premise Of the Supreme Court decision,
''that the Constitution does not confer
suffrage on any One,n then it inhered
with the citizen before the Constitution
was framed. Our national life does not
date from that instrument. The Con-
stitution is not the original declaration
of rights. Ii was Otframed until eleven
years after our existence as a nation,
nor fully ratified until nearly fourteen
years after the Inauguration of our na-
tional independence.
But, however, the letter and spirit OF
the Constitution may be interpreted by
the people, the judiciary Of the nation
has uniformly proved itself the echo oi
the party iu power. When the slave
power was dominant, the Supreme
! Court decided that black man was not
a citizen because he had not the right
to vote; and when the Constitution was
so amended as TO make all persons citi-
zens, the same high tribunal decided
that a woman, though a citizen, had
not the right TO vote. An African, by
virtue of his United States citizenship,
l is declared, under recent amendments,
a voter in every State OF the Union, but
when a woman, by virtue Of her United
/ States citizenship, applies to the Su-
preme Court for protection in the eXer.
else of this same right, she is remauded
to the State, by the unanimous decision
Of the nine judges on the bench, thai
1.-The Constitution of the United State:
does not confer the right of sufirag,
upon any one" Such vacillating inter
pretatiOns Of Constitutional Law mus
unsettle our faith in judicial authority
and undermine the liberties of the who'll
people. Seeing by these decisions O
. the courts that the theory Of our gov
, ernment, the Declaration of Iudepeud
ence, aud recent constitutional amend
ments, have no significance for woman
= that all the grand principles of equalit,
are glittering generalities for her, W
! ] AANHh AAAA 0eAlh WAAEE " nuI AOl ~
demand for a Sixteenth Amendment 4
the Federal Constitution, that, In clear
unmistakable language, shall declar
/ the status of women in this republic, il
, the following words:
ARTICLE Is. The right OF suffrage il
> the United States shall be based on citi
zenship, and shall be regulated by Con
gress, and all citizens of the Unite
States, whether native or naturalized
shall enjoy this right equally, withou
any distinction OF discrimination what
ever founded 90 sex.
T The Declaration of Independents
= struck blow at every existent form Z
government by making the indi vidua
= the source of all power. This is the SUI
} aud the one central truth around wbic
= all genuine republics must keep thei
course or perish. National supremac
] means something more than power {
} levy war, conclude peace, contract all
! ances, establish commerce. Il mean
e national protection and security in th
= exercise of the right of self-governmen
d which comes alone by and through th
e use OF the ballot Women are the onl
. class of citizens still wholly unrepr,
= sented in the government, aud yet "
; possess every requisite qualification f
NoEtls lH tue 4 ulAtu CLhLeSs ~ ONE
: possess property and edueatiOn; we TAX
} out naturalization papers aud passport
E and register ships. We pre-empt land
e pay taxes (women sometimes work OF
: the road tax with their own hands
r and suffer for our own violation Of law,
z We are neither idiots, lunatics, nc
! criminals, aud according 10 our Stat
! constitution, lack but one qualificatio
for voters, namely, sex, which is an ia
, surmouutable qualification, and there
! fore equivalent to bill OF attainde
= against one-half the people, a pOwe
, neither the State nor the United State
r can legally exercise, being forbidden
+ article /, sec. 5 aud 10, of the COnsti
tuition. Our rulers have the right {
+ regulate the suffrage, but they canno
! abolish it for any class Of citizens, a
has been done in the case Of the wome
of this republic, without a direct viola
. tion of the fundamental law Of the lanC
All concessions Of privileges or redres
. Of grievances are mockery for any elias
that has no voice IN the laws aud Law
makers; hence, we demand the ballot
that scepter Of power in our own hand,
as the only sure protection for our right
Of person aud property under all cOndi
tions. If the few may grant and with
hold rights at their pleasure, the man
cannot be said to enjoy the blessings {
self-goyernment.
CONTINUED next week.