Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-02-05


interfere with them. If men wanted
to drink whisky she would allow
them to have it. have heard her say
So One mother says, down with the
saloons; the other says, No; whose
dictum are we to take for It? If we
appeal to the suffrage states, Mrs.
Dunniway will be found to be right.
for they certainly have done nothing
to suppress them. Then this mother
refers to that awful outrage at Col
fax, Wash, the details of which are
too filthy TO discuss or even think
of, If I had my way l would have
moral and intellectual qualification
in our franchise law, by which such
brutes would be debarred from vot-
ing. If women were to work for such
an amendment" as this, they would
find many men to support them, and
it would do infinitely more good than
this continuous agitation for female
suffrage. Instead of adding to the
dangerous voting element we sohuld
curtail it until all the dangerous
classes were disfranchised This
mother objects also to the negro men
voting, but Of course, sees no objec-I
tion to the "enfranchisement" of ne
gro women, who are far less intelli-
gent than their husbands. To return
to the Colfax outrage again; poor Ina
Lee, the victim of these brutes, only
emphasizes the position of a child
without a home and mother-some-
thing we would encounter quite often
when our mothers and wives should
be turned into political spellbnders,
perambulating the country, sitting i'm
juries or occupying seats in the leg
islature. This outrage was not the
outcome of our voting system No
self-respectiug man would endorse it,
more than a good woman. It was
the result Of bad bringing up, and
might occur under universal suffrage
as wei as under man suffrage. AL
case exactly similar to this occurred
in Colorado not long ago. But no
one thought of charging II to women
voting any further than the neglect of
home teaching could be held respon-
sible, for what is home without a
mother?" Since this Colfax business
has been referred to by this mother
| may be justified in calling her at
tention to a somewhat similar case:
A few years ago couple of miscre-
ants in Albany 0f / remember cor
rectly) dragged a girl into a freight
car, kept her there through the night
and a scene similar to that OF Col
fax occurred One of the men-per-
haps both-were arrested, brought be
fore the court, we're prosecuted by a
man attorney, tried by jury of men
and were sentenced by man Judge
to FIVE years in the penitentiary. AT
ter the lapse OF year or so a petit
ton for his pardon was carried around
and signed by pretty much all the
women Of Albany-many of them ex-
cellent women, no doubt-but entirely
too sympathetic and lacking that
sense of duty due to a diabolical in
suit to their own sex. The petition
stated that the young scoundrel had
already suffered sufficiently for his
crime. It came before Governor Geer
and to his credit he declined TO in
terfere with the sentence OF the court.
The country has a right 10 be thank
ful that there was a man governor in
the chair. And it is not unfair TO
presume that II those Williams at Col
fax shall be arrested, tried, found
guilty, and sentenced to the peniten- |
tiary for their natural lves-a term
not at all too long--the women in
that section OF the country will be
found signing a petition to the gov
ernor, asking that they be set at lib
erty This shows the danger OF put
ting women in power; Of having them
assume the duties OF men; for how
ever capable, alert and intellectual
they may be in most lines, they are
untitled by constitution and
nature to administer the law, justice
and government The very constitu-
lion OF woman proves natures laws,
and when a woman attempts to as
sume the prerogative OF man she be
comes a hybrid. with none Of mans
strength and less of a woman's in.
late sweetness. AN ELBCTOR.
Marion County, February 2, 1904.