The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-09

Nsz EarS s8A8
Orc pest aeo > paabaTsn9 "a notAh9e
wsruea Scelea slse woAssn's Congress
rnet IN W-ashingtoa SKY elth The
svowea high psFT,sse % iuFTcse the
condition ri wofsen There vas -
xnne'hsso ~ aons Eef poaaen nszny
fliaNiyfs "a aessrog msny false esii-
xaHses III vsius u ~ csrrc>tesl untrue
ideas 81 Hse ard lssor 70 se straight
es.e6 2ar4reacA3ne questions o. mis-
tres sfsA Gnsid. d sefk ard wages 10
he 81 TASTED, 20 nauah 10 he Errea 20
llft woman 10 tsetter comprehension
OF Der esn powers and worthiness.
Tic tine seemed 20 he ripe for the in
Essential women Of the land 70 rise up
and lead as nearer to the simple ways
thai Christ taught on the mount
MAny q time in some crisis Of the
worlds history : people had gone back
b tAat cid sermon on the mount, and
correction OF existing evils had fol-
loved.
Now. considering. that conference
retroSfsecttyeiy, one naturally asks
what was done in II conducive 20 prac
ticai ca Yistian outcome Penetrating
perinsafing the whole conference, and
dominating IL. was the question 81
womAn suffrage The uitimatum. in
case il vas not soon attained, was
sounded ia the words Of Mrs. CadY
Stanton, the hon0rcd and belived ez-
ponant 81 the suifragists, who said T,
AThe time il not far distant when. II
men do not do justice 10 the women.
the women viii strike hands With
labor, with socialism, with anarchy
and YOU will have the scene Of the rev
olution 81 France repeated in this re-
public"
Joined to this advocacy OF woman =
right 10 vote-which was 10 be main
tanned at such fearful cost 81 man. 10
women and 10 our life a. nation
there was a tendency in this Woman
Congress 10 decry marriage and 70 IA
yor political office-hoiding for both
sexes. Following hard upon the
Teachings Of that congress we find the
women OF the Methodist church, By
word in all generations for godliuess
and "methody knocking az the
doors OF her general conference and
clamoring for equality ia al matters
with ministers and laymen. No wond
er one oil the speakers at the confer
enee OF Chautauqua workers was NOV
ed 10 exclaim: I'VE behold woman
to-day in a condition in which she is
positively menace to human society:
grown restless and discontinued
clamoring for rights when Christianity
has brought her all that she has; at
times divorced from the church: list
ening to the sirens song OF iuhdelity
threatening TO depart from the church
that would withhold from her any
privileges or rights which she may
claim; in the very capital OF the na.
ton threatening 10 Join hands with
Anarchists TO secure, under another
government, what she may not secure
under this.
And now there are many OF us
women who regard that Woman's Con
gress rs a total failure: as having
wasted all its arrows without once hit
ting the target as having left undone
all that should have been done, and
having done much that should have
been left undone. A year has rolled
away. and another conference Of
women, under different leader made
up OF far different women, IS assem-
bling In New York city. There i a
vast body OF US women who are not
members of the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, who yet wish to
put themselves on record as in oppo-
sition to the suffrage plank, which that
body-falsely and audaciously claim
ing to represent American women
make feature of the year gathering
They will probably memorable con
gress for the right to vote. We re
speotfully protest against the imposi-
ton OF political duties upon women.
We assert that nothing is 10 Toe
gained. and that much is 10 be lost by
bringing. we will say, 100000 more
voters to the polls. Already the que--
ton OF the franchise in the hands OF
the unframed masses is growing
problem to those who have long and
ably held the ship OF state. The seers
of the nation forecast a coming neces-
sity to abrogate that power, to contiuc
it within narrower limits They real
ize that Ignorance is now our great
menace. We insist that il would he
poor policy poor political econ
omy for us-as inaugural of our New
Day, to turn loose upon the polls an
other million or so oi-wc will say
possibly right-hearted, but certainly
weak and illiterate women fresh
from the cookShop, the dustpan. the
sewing room, the counter, the loom
not to mention the vicious and ahan-
doned CLASSES, whose ballot may Ice
bought and sold and traded on, as
their bodies are, and whose vote will
have equal magic with our own In
making up the result OF a canvass,
And will not good women, even more
easily than good men, hc deceived hy
bad menu We ask these women :
congresses to consider whether under
these circumstances women viii better
politics.
Now we will look at il from another
point OF view. Is it supposed that
womans vote viii always bc an indie
pendent one2 or will Il cap the bal
lot Of the men In her fam
ily2 Ii il is 10 serve only
90 augment their expression
OF opinion, We ask what
good has been accomplished
This servltudc complained of,
will not be dimiuishcl.s bat
fastened Ii woman, ON the other
hand, may enter the arena A. q Eladi-
ator in her own household do YOU
not see how easily AMI surely he viii
breed antagunistuS ia the house, and
sap the strength Of family ties
Father against daughter and mother
against son. mans fees viii De they
oi his own household We ask these
honorable bodies 20 consider whether
when to partisan passion has been asi.
ded feminine maemavtlian'sm poistics
will better women
But do net forget that one 81 these
woman's conferences calls it-elf the
Ann4asffa d thrEafrtrs -fr.Fr Z d
ion, nsr am | unaware that however
far they may for the moment pass IN
blind impulse from the old path
which have been safe So long, these
women are for the most part earnest
Christian women bound hy the
standards oi the bible Whatever a.,
bible may or may not teach. certainly
on all questions underlying publ,
morals, affecting mans true relation
with man and with tod. We are NOD
left in any doubt Here il gives out
no uncertain sound let 80, ro bach
90 the bible, 20 first principle io mag
In the garden We end man Va- iirs
made. Woman almost seems ar
afterthousht 10 is expressly said
ait is not good that the man should D.,
alone | will make an help meet fo
him. tR W Il seems woman WA
made avowcdly TO relieve man oi o.
loneliness to constantly refresh hs
manhood with her presence. Ia TN
doom that overlook their rebellion
man was condemned 60 Nrv,t frou
the cath his daily fool aud 20 eat lt d
the sweat OF hi, iace. No part az TIL
destiny was allotted To Woman. He
bread was 90 be found for her lie
lot was Ia bring into fhF world a essl-,ti