The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-03-11

wei As uer influence, ana would opef
20 her more fully the avenues Of indus
try and trade, as well as the higher pro
fessious, because it would give to her &
power to help herself that can com,
from the ballot alone.
Woman is fast developing talents Of q
high order ia many departments Of bus
iness where a half-century ago she wa.
scarcely ever seen, and would not be
now, had she remained quiet and salts
fed in her inferior position. Solomon
was a wise man and vastly beyond bis
age IN his ideas or woman's sphere.
Hear what he says about the Ideal
woman /; "She is like the merchants
ships she briugeth her food from afar.
/ She considereth field and buyeth il
with the fruit of her hands she plautelh
[ a vineyard. Strength and honor are
her clothing, and she shall rejoice in
time TO come. The heart Of her husband
doth safely trust in her" And what is
the result Of his having such noble,
helpful wife, his equal in position, and
with privilege to attend to business and
conduct it to successful issues? Is he
in any way lowered or degraded, as
some people would have US think {?
No; "He is known in the gates, when
he sitleth among the elders of the land. 4"
solomon must have seen with pro-
phetic eyes, for surely the perfect wom-
au, the independent business manager
that he portrays, must have flourished
few centuries after the Lord gave him
tie wisdom to understand her noble
qualifications.
TIE fact that woman will be induced
to make herself an enlightened and
qualified voter by giving her this posi-
ton, may be proven by tue effect that
the agitation OF the subject has already
had upon the women of our country.
Probably there are thousand women
to lay who take an interest in political
matters, aud understand the admins
tratiou Of our Government aud its
affairs, where there was one twenty five
years.
The second great reason why women
should have the ballot is, that thereby
the race could be elevated, and the cause
OF temperance aud morality be victori-
OJs.
You may have heard it said before
that when the mothers nature is ele-
waited and improved, that Of the child is
also; but the truth will bear repeating,
und can any one iail to perceive that
race of intelligent, seif-gOverning, self
reliant, noble mothers, who are able
and willing to do all in their power to
help the world on in its great battle
against wrong-doiug, would be better
for the children than a race Of weak
minded, silly pleasure-seekers, without
responsibility and without knowledge? ?
10 may be said that the latter is not the
present status OF womaukind, but men
often hint that it is, and We believe it
would become more so than it is at the
pres eut time were the theories of our
opponents carried out But really the
question Of the first importance, in con-
nection with the eufranchisement OF
woman, seems now to be, Shall We, as
women Of America, stand still and see
the great giant, Intemperance, slay our
husbands, our brothers, and our sons,
aud seek no pebble ia the ioook at our
f,ei, with which to strike the giant In
iu his forehead aud lay him low Is
there a rum-seller in the land who
doubts that that pebble would be the
ballot when once in the hands of wom-
an? No; the doubters are ali iu the so
called temperance ranksl
II we would work for the cause Of hu-
mauity, then let US strive to show to
men that temperance is the one thing
that will alleviate the wors. evils that
threaten society. Tell the landowners
that two-thirds OF their taxes result
from the liquor traffic Gu cost Of prose-
cutting criminals and taking care Of
paupers), so that they will conclude that
legalizing saloons for the sake Of the
revenue is psnny-wise and pouud-fool-
ishDess. Let business men see that the
liquor traffic is pirate on the high seas
of trade, because the more the grUgshop
Il patr0uizsd the fewer customers there
are for flour and fuel, boots, shoes and
clothes; and so, in self-defense, they
will declare for prohibition. Church
people will find that fifteen times as
much money goes to the dram-shop as
to the church, aud that the teachings Of
the Que more than Offset those of the
other with the-young men Of our land
Educators will learn that enough money
is swallowed in drinks that deteriorate
the brain to furnish a school-house for
every fifty boys aud girls, and to place
over them teachers OF the highest cul-
ture, and they will see it is unreasOna-
BILE to support the liquor traffic.
Let us seek by every means to make
men see the desirableness Of temperance,
and how its victory would bless them
with a solution Of the labor question,
the question of taxes, and a multitude
OF evils that threaten the peace Of our
nation; and that by giving to woman
the ballot, she, being identified with no
party, might be able to lift the Sabbath,
the temperance movement and all kim
dred moral questions, out Of the mire Of
partisan politics into which they have
fallen. We cannot believe that in our
country wickedness is in the majority.
II we could once array all the good and
frtla rnen ON nnr side We heliave we