The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-07-17
Gbe Me,o 0.art5'oest.
TEE OUTLOOK IN SOUTHERN ORE
CON.

VHE OUILlDA IN cUU 441AA t0l- I
CON.
From the tenor Of our Southern Ore
gon exchanges, it would seem that Mrs.
Duniway and her lectures are the prin-
cipal theme Of thought aud comment IN
the Rogue River Valley. The editor Of
the Jacksonville Sentinel devotes "a coll
umn Of his issue OF the 9Th inst. to what
would seem to those who are unac-
qualnted with the lady's teachings to be
a very fair and candid criticism Of her
labors; but those who have read her
writings aud attended her lectures can
not be made to believe that she has sud-
denly changed her tactics, and, from .
proving that woman's influence is all /
potent for either good or evil, has gone /
to asserting that her sex is weak and |
pOWerless." Neither can the thousands /
Of women who have WINGED under the /
scathing power Of her criticism Of her
sex's shortcomings believe the Sentinel
to be honest in its assertion that sit
suits her to make the steTner sex
shoulder all the sins Of omission and
commission" The Sentinel but quotes
Mrs. Duniway's own sentiments, and
almost her exact language, when it
says, in - connection which the reader
is expected to interpret as the EDITORS
idea, aud as the very opposite Of her
own teachings, that "reform, TO be last
ing, must be gradual, and life bears
burdens that 10 legislation may tighten;
society itself iudlets wrongs that only
the slow growth Of a pure and sound
sentiment can redress
It is well for this reform that it no
longer fears the ridicule or misrepresen-
tation Of the press. Newspapers like
the NEW NORTHWEST are now circu-
lated everywhere in advocacy Of the
truths the lecturers are teaching, thereby
compelling the opposition press to treat
every measure that carries real merit
with a certain degree Of respectful con-
sideration, even if accompanied by foxy
unfairness. The Jacksonville papers,
which, during the first week Of Mrs.
Duniway's labors in the strongholds Of
masculine supremacy, either charac-
terized her mission as hopeless or tried
to treat the whole subject as q bur
lesque, are now saying, by way Of easing
their sOmersault, "Let as try partial
sulIrage-the right TO vote on all educa-
tional and moral questions, the right to
say whether saloons should be opened
on Sunday, or opened at all-and we
doubt not that the experiment would be
successful"
Mrs. Duniway, in her most "extrava-
ganly Utopian theories" (sgain we
quote the Sentinel, has never demanded
more than this. All matters Of public
interest properly belong under the head
Of 'moral questions" and it is a tacit
admission Of the great need Of her mis-
sion when an editor inadvertently ad-
mits that be considers the masculine
politics in which he is engaged as inn
moral. We think he has failed to at
tend upon Mrs. Duniway's lectures
closely who thinks it necessary 10 assert
IN his paper that "she might have told
Us Of many a Cleopatra, who, with a
wave Of her jeweled finger, ruled all the
nations Of the earth through a weak and
doting Antony" Those who have paid
sufficient heed to Mrs. DIS teachings to
be able to fairly criticise them cannot
but be aware that she lays much stress
upon this very fact-that the United
States is ruled to-day by "Cleopatras
with jeweled fingers through weak aud
doting Antonys," and that this is Just
what is running the country. The advo-
Gates Of Woman Suffrage realize that
there is but one possible way Of de-
lhroniug the Cleopalras of American
politics, and that way is through the
ballots Of the wives and mothers Of
these same "weak and doting Antonys"
who are now "ruledn by the unlawful
"loven Of designing and inscriptions
women men who leave their wives at
home while they 60 unprotected to the
capitol Of State or Nation, TO fall easy
and willing victims TO the charms Of
the Aspasias aud Cleopatras who WELD
a usurped scepter Of power over the peo-
plea scepter that belongs Of right to
the lawful mothers Of the politicians
legitimate children.
A great step is gained when an editor
in remote county where the woman
movement is not yet two weeks old
feels the cause 10 be sufficiently boil
stored up by public opinion to be COM
PEELED to say "Let Us be fair 10 Mrs.
DuniWay, aud listen to her as gentle
men. II we are afraid she will say
something unpalatable, then there is
something wrong. II we are, as we
claim to be, guiltless, then we need not
fear to face a woman"
The outlook is encouraging for South
ern Oregon. Let the wives Of men take
courage, and the mothers Of the land
rejoice.
Hon. 7. o. McCown, one Of the
stanchest supporters Of Woman Suffrage