The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-02-27
MR.. McOOwN's ADDRESS BEFORE
THE n g " Q


nounced that be was to give a reason
why he believed in Woman Suffrage,
which he said was because Il 1gas rigbt. as
right as his own personal liberty or his
own right Of suffrage He then said
tnat all law that has ever been in force.
or ever will be enacted, could be reduced
to this definition, For the protection
of life, liberty and property" He agreed
that woman had just as much interest
In the protection of her life, her liberty
aud her property as had man; be as
serts this to be self-evident proposi-
tiou, which no thinking man could dis
pute.
The gentleman then read extracts
from the Declaration of Independence
and other documents, where the sense
absolutely requires that women, as well
as men, be implied in the phraseology
used. For instance, "a decent respect
for the opinions of mankind requires
I that weshOuld declare the reasons which
impelled US to the separation, etc" The
.
not only to men, but TO the women, Of the
world. Mankind includes both, being
generic term" The Constitution Of
ths United States is worded thus in the
/ preamble: ave, the people OF the
| United States, in order TO form a more
| perfect union," showing that the tUhole
| people, not men alone, were TO be
| parties to the government; again: "Gov-
ernments derive their just powers from
the consent Of the governed" The
speaker asserted that the govern
ment of the United States derived its
| power only from part from the gov
erned. The census of 1870 showed that
there were in the State Of Oregon no
less than $1,000 women whose consent
to the form Of the State government
had never been obtained. In the whole
I United states there are 1900, 600 women
who have no voice in the government {,
yet these are all part Of the governed. -
They are taxed, punished and gov
erned generally under laws enacted
without their consent, presenting to a
civilized world the anomaly of one pOr-
tion Of the people arrogating to itseli
the control and privileges of another, a
species Of tyranny which, in some form
or another, has always in the history ol
the world awakened the righteous con-
demnation Of the advocates of liberty.
IL is no more just OF reasonable for men
to legislate for women than for our Ger
man fellow-citizens to represent our
Irish fellow-citizens; or for our native
born citizens 10 represent the voters Of
both Of the above mentioned national
titles. The 1900 men of Oregon have
no natural or moral right, and should
have no legal right to represent the 37,-
600 women.
Directors insist that it will demoral-
ize woman 10 exercise her right to the
elective franchise. This is a very trite
and almost exploded objection, know
ing, as every thinking person does
know, that a lady is always and every
where lady, is always aud everywhere
respected and respectfully treated by gen-
HemeH. The speaker had only TO say in
reply, Gentlemen, there is not man
here tonight who dares to think, much
lees say, that his mother or sister or
wife or daughter would be demoralized
by thinking on the subject of, or even in
exercising the elective franchise" 1t
is always somebody else's mother or sis
ter or wife or daughter who will be de-
moralized-not yours. The fact Of the
case is that our women are needed in
politics, because they are naturally less
easy to become demOralized than men.
The statistics of the Oregon State penf-
tentiary shows a total Of more than a
hundred male prisoners to eight women
prisoners. Such figures, which might
be multiplied in many directions, ought
to be convincing to a thoughtful mind.
The legislature Of the State of Oregon,
during its last sessOn, declared women
to be not only a part of "mankind," "a
part OF the people" "a part of the gov
erned," whose consent is necessary in a
government, one Of the "men whom
God created free and equal" but also
and at last a citizen This was done
by the enactment Of a law of this State
which reads as follows: "Any citizen Of
this State shall be entitled to vote at a
school meeting who is twenty-one
years Of age, and has been a resident in
the district thirty days Immediately pre-
ceding the meeting, and who has prop
erty in the district upon which he or
she pays taxes" In the Senate of Ore
gon only one man was found, either
Democratic or Republican, who dared
to vote against the act. He was one Of
the Senators from Clackamas. county.
Mr.. MsCOwn urged upon the ladies
and the people generally the import
ance Of the law above mentioned. He
insisted on the ladies acting up to their
/ privilege, and suggested ways and means.
/ The speaker also read the following from
a new law, which will have a powerful
aud favorable bearing upon woman's
| legal status: "a wife may receive the
wages Of her personal labor, and main
tain an action therefor in her own
name, aud hold the same in her own
right, and she may prosecute and de-
fend all actions at law, or in equity,
for the preservation and protection Of
her rights and property as if uumar-
ried."
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