The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-04-17
A POLITICAL NECESSITY.


II seems that men will, to the very
last, persist in taking a purely selfish
view Of woman's enfranchisement. 10
the early stages Of the movement, they
brought out their socks with possible
future holes In them and bewailed their
undarned condition, in case women
were allowed to vote; close beside these,
shirts, probably buttonless, were waved
in public vieg; growing ashamed Of
this display of dilapidated garments,
which as yet were not dilapidated, they
conjured up pictures Of distressed aud
unkempt children wandering f0rlornly,
dinnerless to school, and drew upon i'm
agination for piteous walls fIom the
neglected baby that lay in the unstirred
cradle; huugered in advance for the din
ner, that TO a moral certainty would
never be cooked il the wife once got a
taste for voting, and prognosticated for
saken hearth-stones, the erewhile cheer
ers thereof being absent on jury duty.
At length, in danger of being swamped
Z by the rough seas Of common sense that
broke over these objections, this class Of
Ioppressors tackled ship and bore down
in another direction, selfishness still
I helmsman, and declared that such pro-
eedure would cause trouble in families,
shifting sail again quickly as it was
clearly shown who would cause the
trouble II It came. Indeed, Il has been
clear to the leaders in the work from
the first that its triumph would come
so soon as men could be made to see that
it was to their advantage to enfranchise
women. The acknowledgment Of the
negro was the result, not Of a radical
change in mems views upon the ques-
ton Of slavery, but Of the necessities Of
party, and before this fell at once all
questions Of the policy Of giving the bal
lot to an unprepared and ignorant class,
aud right came uppermost and justice
prevailed, its triumph due to selfishness.
A recent illustration Of this matter
comes to US from California. During
the session Of the Constitutional Con-
vention, held at Sacramento, and while
that body was discussing the propriety
Of putting a Woman Suffrage article
therein, the Chronicle opposed the meas
ure, advancing some Of the old expedi-
ency arguments against it and throwing
ridicule upon it in general terms; talked
about what was expected of"our women"
and reprobated their participation In
political strife. Now, however, there is
possible future need to "arm the
women OF California with the ballot, {"
as il is feared that the men Of the State
will not be able to exert sufficient polit-
ical strength to offset the Chinese ele-
ment which may in time become po-
litical factor there. Forgotten now are
all questions of expediency, wOmanly
propriety, etc, which have been so val
iantly urged, and this paper says, after
commenting upon the fact that in the
] Massachusetts, House of Representatives
the Woman Suffrage measure COM
manded a vote Of eighty-five ayes Il
eighty-two nays:
The time is undoubtedly coming when th'
coolies ofthe six Companies will vote In thii
state, and they already equal In number on
voting citizens. Il might be well to consider
therefore, ifit VIII not be polite measure Q,
ultimately arm the women OF California Will
the ballot as an offset 10 the future politica
power Of these degraded lntruders.
We are strongly tempted to essay
originality and exclaim "Oh, shame
where is thy blush 81