Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-05-25


with the infinite. The only safe and
reasonable thing man can do, Is to
accept the customs Of his time as in
exorable. They are the writing on the
wall-the spoken word Of the Spirit.
He can only study and try to under
stand their meaning, and then pa
tiently follow their teaching--woe to
him II he failsl
We may not change custom by law.
We can only devise laws to meet the
emergency Of the custom. Here is the
fallacy Of the reformer. He would
destroy and make over the external
forms, ignoring the fact that the Spirit
will build again as fast as he can
break; that only by changing the
Spirit can the external mould Of things
successfully be altered. Education has
to do with this change of spirit, and
to the woman belongs, in the nature
of things, this great work. She has
the young in her charge.
Government is of another nature.
Custom Is the unwritten law. II all
people observed equally this law, there
would be no need Of government. But,
there are always those who rebel
against custom, and the customs of
one nation differ from those Of am
other So It is necessary to make an
agreement between individuals, the
enforcement Of which is called gov
ernment, and an agreement between
nations which is called international
law This is an arbitrary decision,
purely one Of expediency. It is
clumsy attempt to compel such obed-
ience to the laws Of custom as will
enable the individual to live at peace
that is, with the highest degree OF
liberty possible under the more or less
inharmonious relation of man to his
environment.
The habit of the majority is the GUS
tom OF the time, moreover the power
Of enforcement rests with the major
ity and 80 government is properly the
enforcement Of the will Of the ma
jority.
Experience has taught us chat there
is no practical way Of immediately
understanding or instantly enforcing
the will of the majority, when tho
community has grown 80 large as to
make It impossible that the actual
voice of each individual should he
heard. Besides, individuals comprls-
ing the populace are not all equally
able to read the writing on the wall,
and 30 experience, evolution, has led
to forms Of representative democracy
Here we stand. We accept the repre-
sentative of the family as the political
and social unit, believing that when
all industrial and social groups are
represented, the individuals comprls-
ing those groups are represented,
whether they vote or not.
Finally and concluslvely, the nature
OF government is such, being coercive,
that 1t cannot be effective unless II
has the power to enforce lis will
only the unquestioned fact Of effective
force behind the government, can give
It stability. Therefore, we insist that
, the demand for non-combatant cleo
torate proves political immoral de-
sire for power, without commen-
surate responsibility
Mrs. Pankhurst has said, "since
women have to perform citizen duties
like men, and women have TO pay for
b government like men, and women
, have to obey laws like men," Now,
IN point Of fact, women do not by any
} means have to perform citizen duties
like men. On the contrary, they are
distinctly exempt from all arduous
citizen duties In California, II has
been determined that even with the
vote, women are exempt from jury
+ duty Under the law, every man may
be called upon for the enforcement of
= law or the protection OF life and prop
= erty in time Of war or disorder. No
woman can be so compelled into SER
! vice She pays taxes for the protec-
tlon Of her life and her property.
. While women have to obey laws, we
r cannot say that they must obey laws
n like men. All Of the records show an
r amelloratlon Of law In It's operation
o upon women, Moreover all laws for
e the protection Of men apply equally
r to the protection Of women, and thl O
r Ia body Of law for the protection OF
- the women alone
Women today are still a privileged
e class; exempt from the duties OF gov
erument, and protected by law and
e by custom, for the good OF the state
r and the race. That they are casting
+ aside their privileges and neglecling
: the duties for which they are cnn-
2 ierred, shows not a spirit Of progress
! but one Of retrogressIon. which punts
+ the way to decadence