The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-11
FROM ASTORIA.
the evening.

ASTORIA November !, 1880.
To THE EDIroR or THE NEW NORTHWEST:
In reading the proceedings Of the ratification
meeting held at Salem on the DIST ultimo I was
somewhat astonished to find the following:
Amer music Mrs Duniway delivered a brief address of
welcome and ended by introducing Col c. a. Reed who
she said. the in Oregon who had
the Woman Suffrage platform, and who had introduced
in the Legislature I'm S the very resolution they here
TO ratify. ~
Is it possible that, in your zeal to do the hand
some by good and worthy gentleman's efforts in
a just cause, you have forgotten the efforts Of
Others equally earnest two years before? If so,
must refer you to the House journal Of 1872 In
it you will find that House Bill No. -, to secure
the elective franchise to citizens without regard
to sex was introduced by your humble servant; /;
and in the same session House Resolution No. 66,
introduced by Mr.. Willoughby, was the very same
as introduced by Mr.. G.. y. Reed two years later
ana met the same fate. Have you forgotten the
circumstance Of Mrs. Duniways having been in
vited 10 address the House upon the subject mat
ter of House Bill No -? The same is recorded
i'm the House journal of -. Some members said
to me then that if would offer resolution TO
amend the Constitution, they would support il !;
but had no faith in the just principles OF men
who urged the unconstitutionaity of direct action
upon the subject by the Legislature, however
shrewd they might be upon matters pertaining to
their own interests, and maintained then tand do
So stiln that if we cannot directly pass the law
constitutional amendment Is a hopeless case, and
for this reason no sincere Woman Suhragist
will contend for a moment that direct legislation
upon the subject is unconstitutional (which will
discuss hereafter). II we cannot pass the law by
the Legislature, composed of gentlemen selected
by the people for their iustness moral character
no aIo
the average voter, we cannot hope to succeed by
constitutional amendment when it is submitted to
the voters, a large portion of whom are not cti-
zcns and never will be-many of whom cannot
speak q sentence of our language propery to say
nothing Of reading and writing 1t, and who have
been born and raised i'm countries where women
are looked upon menials and drudges for the
especial use and benefit of man. ignoring entirely
the question to whether or not they like it.
Mr.. Willoughby, who, by the way, is one of the
oldest and most unhinching Woman Suffrugists in
Oregon and every inch a gentleman, said to me-
after my bill had been passed Unto the shades) s'I
will try the constitutional amendment dodge to
see what will come Of it, though have no faith in
it," Mr. T. McF. Patton, who was not a suff'ragst
only far it could be made subservient to the
temperance cause, introduced bill to give the
elective franchise to women temperance mat
terS. MI. EngleS introduced q mOulue0 Woman
Suffrage bill. They all met the same fate in 70
by close vote, 2l to -, showing there was no
sincerity i'm constitutional amendment advocates.
will now give my reasons for not considering
an amendment to the Constitution necessary
Section 20 of the Bill Of Rights Of the Constitution
Of Oregon provides:
No law shall pass granting privileges or immunes to
any citizen class OF citizens which upon
shall not equally belong to all citizens.
Now, does that convey any meaning or signifi-
cance? Is it not repete with fairness, humanity,
justice and equal rights? Nay is it not big with
meaning Of greatest Importance to the human
family? / have no doubt the honorable body
which adopted it (the Constitutional Convention
convened at Salem in 1857, composed of sixty
members) felt and intended the full force of the
above expressed sentiment at that time; but their
future actions remind me of the COW of historic