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About The new Northwest. (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1881)
I- . . . - , J.. . . , . , i v - " . '", . , ... ' . --7 i ,- . - .t : . " .. , ,. .. .. . ' j ' i .-".',' . - -t-v . '. i -- i , " ' h ' I - ... . , ...-p-. ..... 4 - t : J... - ' .I riu HrEBCH, Fbk Pkkmm, FKEB . TBorLE. VOLUME XL NO. -12. PORTLAND, OREGON,: THURSDAY. - DECjKMBER 1. 1881. PER YEAR $3 00. ,'4- INHERENT RIGHTS. - A LADY DEMOLISHES Til E ASSERTION THAT r . "SirKKRAQE 18 NOT AS INHERENT TO i ' - WOMAN AS TO MAN.". ' Olymfia, W. TV, November 24, 1881. To thb Editob or tub Nkw Nobtbwbht: I saw this Item in the Western Woman's Jour nal for September: r Huffra U not m Inherent to woman as to man, tut will fee to her, m It hu been to hltn, a meiui of elevation. - -It hardl y. seems possible-that-anyone dnh la senses, or who had given the least thought to the abject of the rights of the citizen under our gov ernment, could have penned that-paragraph. Neither can I see how paper-advocating the equal right of citizenship could promulgate through its columns such an absurdity. "Huffrage is not as Inherent to weman as to man." Can any one give" the reason why? Let us see what are the Inherent rights of humanity, and in what they differ lnjnan and woman, if any difference there Is. - Godereated tbehumanraOTmaleandfeTnal and "male and female" the race still continues to be. In their creation, He also endowed them -with certain Inherentjlghts. These rights' were a part of their nature, and therefore Inalienable.' These inherent, inalienable rights are: A right to life; a right to liberty; a right to pursue that -which most conduces to our individual happiness (so that it does not interfere with .the exercise of heseame lnhefenrrlghlS bynsthefS): The fec" ognition of these inherent, inalienable rights has existed among all nations and peoples from the -earl lest -ages, and encroachment upon them by might has -Hjooner or later Iniet with such resistance as to deluge the earth with blood. The framers of the Declaration op Independence recognized . these Inherent rights wtieB lhy ' 1 "We hold these (ruths to be self-evident:- that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain Inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty,-and the pursuit of happiness." It then adds that "to secure these rights, govern ments are Instituted among-men, deriving their just powers from the con sent, of the goyerne,J.r,l The Declaration of Independence says: "All men are created equal," etc If by the word "men" is meant only the masculine portion-of the race, then there has been a great mlstak made In supposing that woman was at all included In the beneficent design ofthe Creator, aiid only, those others' endowed with the same inherent rights as themselves; that on no .other basis than that of equality could a free and. Jus( government be es tablished.1 Hence, In their Declaration to the world of their reason for Ihelr act In establishing an independent-natlonf they set iorthrthese-aelf evident truths:. That human beings are created on an equality; that they are endowed by their Creator with the same Inherent natural rights; that these rights are Inalienable ; that the depri vation of the exercise of these-Inherent natural rights is a usurpation of power by the strong against the weak ; that to prevent this usurpation of powery-and tosecare to all persons the proteo- f tion-of their Inherent naturalrigliis.gavernmenU were Instituted, deriving thelr-Juf powers from the cofwenf of the governed These Belf-evldent truths then being the- basic and -fundamental principles of our goverhmeiitpahd suffrage being the ouly way by which the consent of the gov erned is given ia'alUour national transactions, and woman being then, as she still Is, a compo nent part of the human family, endowed with the samelinherent, Inalienable natural rights as the masculine portion of humanity, necessarily re quires the same governmental- rights to protect her In the exercise of those rights. Hence, suf frage to woman Is as natural and inherent a right as It is to man : and her right to voteghniild hot-rl v of hapblnest. If this is the definition of the word "men" as used In the Declaration' of Independ .T ence, then we have nothing more to say, bu t will ' ai once admit that to the male citizen only is suf frage at all inherent, and that, according to that definition of the word, woman has no lot or parcel in any of the rights, privileges and immunities ; pertaining to human existence; Khe hasno right ; to life ; man.has; be may kll her, and it Is not a ; crime. She hasuo'rlght to liberty ; man has: he may enslave her, and It Is no sin. She has no right to the pursu ofhapplness ; man has; and : If it conduces to his happiness to degrade her do .mestically, socially and politically, his Inherent r right to the "pursuit of happiness" gives him a ' ; perfect right to thus crush her, and she has no - 'cause for complaint. If, then, woman has no nat ural rights, she needs no governmental rights to secure to her the exercise of rights she never poa- . sessed. Governments werenever instituted for her benefit, and It Is right to govern her without her consent (the same as is being done by our gov ernment at the present time).. yL y - ' Rut If, as every one will admit, the word "men" ' is used here In Its generic sense ss Including the whole human family, then It is plain that the In- same in every respecCand thst It is jost as neces sary that she have governmental rights to secure to her the exercise of her Inherent natural rights as her brother man, and that these governmental rights must necessarily be the same. That the word 'men'! Is used here In Its generic no one will deny; nor will anyone deny sen at woman by virtue of her creation Inherits the same Inalienable right tor -Werto liberty, and to the Pursuit of happiness; and as these Inherent natural rights can only be secured to each Indi vidual by the Institution of civil governments deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," and as the suffrage Is the mode by which that consent is given, it is plain that suf frage must' necessarily be M Inherent to woman as to man. Let us look at this a little further, and see If In our government the right to-vote Is not the , same -In woman as 1u' man. and ttrfnherent to-her as to I Weauhy-ani well-to-do-ladies of MelprmTng : him. .We have already shown that her natural Identical In every respect, and that civil govern ments are necessary for the protection of these natural rights "deriving thelrjust powers from the consent of. the governed." . ..- ""T . Before the formation, of 'our government,' the principle of equal rights had developed In the fialnds of the people of the Colonies through the tyranny and oppressions of-the English govern ment toward them. They had been forced to sub mit to unjust and tyrannical laws; to pay taxes to support government In which they were not allowed representation ; In. short, were governed without their $onset,They .were In precisely the same condition politically that the women of ou rnatlon ' are to-day. These oppressions," aiI have said, developed lathe minds of the people of the" Colonies the Idea of freedom -and equality. They began to see the Injustice of a coercive gov ernment; that no Individual or combination of Individuals had a right to exercise authority over be denied her. Maky Olney Rkown. ! thus temiorlze with a "mailer of Tmple"JusUce. Accord to woman the ballot as hernstural right, and you place In her hand an Instrument of power Iby which she will protect lierself, as. men do, from all the evils which can be alleviated or abrogated by an Intelligent use of the ballot. I am particu larly pleased with Mrs. Dr. R. A. Owens' essay, so replete In logic, scope and fact. I wish I were not so poor; I would do good -by the publication of several thousand copies for free distribution among the people ; but alas ! how many of us, like Paul, can say: "When I would do good.evll Is present with me." X- nor a leaning tower, but a tower two hundred feet in height, constructed of Jron pipe, and when RIGHT 18 fLXPEDIENC tFrorti th Evenlnn TeloKrsm.) The time should be past when -argument Is nee- ipuutrv la ionvliuu.mnnf -IIia natura.1 ar nrnra,! of the tnasculine gender were created with the In- 7wom,n to ft voice In msklnff th law. fcerenirjghUjiLUfc i i rf penalties for violation that are Imposed upon the other sex-That her rlcht natural! v and morallv ' ' m , a "'a a f is coeuai wuu mat or man, put rew now aeny, and the only question with those who are un willing to give her her own is that of expediency. Will it mend matters if this thing Is done? Will the government move on more smoothly T Will the safety of the people In their inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit jof happiness be en hanced? Will Just lawsybe more generally- en forced ? 'Will crime bemore surely prevented or more, certainly punished? Will there be more honesty practice! among officials?: Will thercbe less of boss rule? or will the. machine grind out politics for the people, and demagogues and party tricksters, styled by their sycophantic followers as statesmen, continue to bring reproach upon our republican" form of government, and tinge with the blush of shame the cheek of . every one who has' labored for the success of right principles, good laws and honest administration ? , This state of things the women will find to sur round them when they are once fairly In political life. To remove the evils, to bring about reforms which they are anxious for, and which many ex llnt women nave fonir labored to induce men herehrflghW6f botbett-and w and hone who have carefully weighed the matter will consider the task Imposed upon, them alight or trifling one. Many evils for which tbe-men are held entirely responsible because they only have the authority and power 'to remove them will try the patiences-vex the soul ami weary t ho hands of the better women of the land when they once hold' the ballot. J . But admitting all this; no sufficient reason ex ists why women should be debarred from the privilege. "--Their property Is taxed, their crimes are punished, the rights they have are protected or left defenseless, by the same laws which cqmpe! men to pay taxesl punlfh men's crimes and pro tect men's lights. Let the governed say who shall be their governor, or strike out the clause In the platform, of republican Institutions which has been vaunted as their very corner-stone. have so successfully agitated the question of seats for shon-irlrls that nearly all the extahlNhme -same MhTB.'lhat'tTie" mane-conretrtcitLTs. 5uili sew iork firms have also furnished scats for their girl assistants. , LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA. OKEOON'8 BUSnCES t JKK ADMITTEp-WAN JOSE'S; -- , ELECTRIC TOWER A "WRONGED HCHOOI- ' - . OIRL--THK 8UNPAY IJQUOR LAW. j,. Han Jose, Cal., November 15, 1881. Tu tmk Kiitob or thr New Nomtuwksti 1 am at home once more, after a five months' trip through Oregon and Eastern Washington. Next year I hope to make the trip from hereby land through Southern Oregon to Raker City and other points JnEaaternOregon. -My. conviction is stronger than ever that Oregon Is a great coun try, rich and varied in Its products, and destined to rank A 1 in the grest sisterhood of Htates. I congratulate you on your railroad boom, which Is everywhere on the move like a great wave, carry ing on Its crest new life and business activity throughout your Htate. Of all the cities, on, the coast, aside from Pau Francisco, for business life, Portland wearsthe1 bell ; and for many other charms which wealth and Intelligence can give she Is equal to any cItyJLjhcjega8t rihThighly gratifiel In reading of the Woman Suffrage convention recently held in Portland, and must conclude' that Oregon Is on the high road to success In the near future, hot only In the emancipation of woman from some of the evils' Inflicted by the Injustice of our laws, but the comi plete -and full-rounded emancipation which the ballot alone can give. To my mind, It's a silly 1LI...1. - I. . 1.11.. 1 1 1 4 1 -1. - . I pathy of the, people favors the gl rl, and no tears -would be shed If this affair should result In the conviction of Allen -and bis dismissal, as well as two or three other teachers, from the school. The people of California have another cause of excitement, which bids fair to sweep over the en tire Htate, and that is the enforcement of a Hun- . day law against saloons and other business kept open on the Christian -Habbath, and a batch of fifteen have been arrested here for the Infringe ment of the law, which Is held t6 be constitutional by the Supreme Court of the State. Now, while I am not In sympathy with the saloop business, I am quite as much opposed to any Sunday laws predicated upon religious ground ; and while I ad mit the propriety of a non-legal holiday, Its ob servance should be optional, as on all other holi days ; for ; the authority which can prescribe what I shall not do on that day may go a step Turtber and prescribe what I shall do, even to the style of my coat and my attendance at church ser vice on that day, and as soon as Sunday worship ers succeed In closing all business upon Sunday, they-will lay their heavy band upon all pleasures -such as picnics, pleasure gardens, etc. Once open the door for religious legislation, and there will be no limit for religious superstition. Te my mind, all days are God's days, not for Christ's sake, but for -human Uses. A prohibition to sell rum on Sunday Implies a license to, do so on all other da vs. if llauor Is a srood thlnsr to drink on- s y . any day, Sunday, a day of leisure and rest, Is pre- completed will be a thing Of beauty as well as use, from which - will "beydUpensed Brush's electric light of forty thousand candle. power. It Is called -Owen's tower. Jrr this great undertaking we are Indebted to JJ. Owen, of the San Jose Mercury, forlnvlloVaTid And IhejiffiliavsuipoojdWs-temperanoe- neetlngror--I gat)led about two years sgo, which leaves all gospel temperance meetings In the shade. The beauty-of It wlll.be seen at a glance when I state that It is not controlled by ministers, nor are talks on religious subjects-permitted on Its platform j but .any other topics, as morality, goodness, vir tue, science, temperance anything which .relates to the development of true character In old and young are proper. This society has an audience from eight to twelve hundred:and has become very popular, and deservedly so, as It meets the wants of a large'elcment found In every city, who do not feel at home in a gospel temperance meet ing. ' A gospel temperance enterprise seems to me an anomaly ; for If I read correctly,1-Jesus and Paul were not total abstinence men, and the worthies of the Old Testament were far from be ing abstainers from that which kills both body anf mind. So It seems to me that temperance meeting, to do the most good and elicit the sup port of all good people of every religious and non religious faith, should hang out the banner of temperance alone. There Is but one temperance, but there are many gospels, according to various ways of thinking. I love the cause of temper ance, and am always ready to speak a good word tn Its behalf fbut of ate-almost-every where I go the temperance movement has fallen Into the hands of the church, and I am made to feel that I have no part in the matter simply because I do not endorse the orthodox religion which they have managed to Infuse Into all their methods of tem perance work. t , . 1 SairJoseisnow Inhlglr ddverover-the trial of Professor. Allen, principal of our State Normal tmh9 hpt of Miss Dixon, a pupil re cently, q Ism issed from the school on the most childish and trivial charges such as running up and down stairs, and the nnlady-llke conduct of sneezing out loud, and the fearful crime of pro pounding that old conundrum about a locomo tive's not being able to Kit down on account of the wood-box carried behind, called the tender. The whole business on the part of these school JeopIe Is too silly for anything. vTo my mind, there ought to be a premium given to every girl In the State Who Is in possession of sufilclent health and vital force to ad n rn.1T nr ninninr aris mmitinr nirn mr in t horefe "brought Into court to Justify the dis missal and slander of a poor young girl with a widowed hlolhier7 you may guess at once the sym- enjoy It. But If Itvuse Is always attended with disease, poverty ahd misery untold, why not stop it on other days? Religious legislation Isdanger ouYgroundf las viewed Inihe light and experlenoe of past history, and to no purpose when measured by the; scope of our Federal Constitution. . Yours for equal rights, ' Dr. J, L. York. WOMAN AS A" WORKER. (Prom the Toledo Iliad. ) No oue phase of American life has undergone a creater Clie-nyr han tlia eefrrHng society In Its connection .with woman's work, ami iwrhans there Is nothing which better shows general prog ress. Time was when to be employed In any du ties outside of those of, home was soclafileath to her. If it was necessity that compelled It, there wSsnimply'the ostracism that poverty is apt to receive from competencyand wealth. If Ihclina-' tlon promntwtthe Jitejplng aside, fro that tradition Had made for womanhood, she was , set down aB-KyoitaTHin6r latter a term of reproach which ' was and is as much dreadetl by the' majority as If It Implied personal degradation." These things were hard to bear, and operated strongly to prevent Independ ence In action. Gradually, however, has arisen the feeling that "honest labor bears a lovely face," and that as "'tis no sin for, a man to labor In his vocation," neither Is It for woman.' Accordingly many are now found, even If possessed of a com petence, or with friends' able and willing to give them a comfortable support, who have stated em ployment In some business, trade or profession, and who are now contented and happy In It; Not only that, but iKey have the respect pf. society, although through lack of leisure they do not seek society's suffrages. That this state of things la becoming more and . more fixed and permsnent. Is evident from such paragraphs as the following, and these are but a few of the many : y - . Ml f'anfleM. of MsnMee, Mich., a VaeMtr gradfaate, . SndliiK tMM'Jety life Irksome, heggml mmim mcalar employ- . nient, and wa put -! offli-e of her father, who Is the" owner of the large! Iuk linn on the lake. MIn Manraret If leks, a recent fraduate of Cornell, haa adopted the architect's profeanlon. . There are few who cannot think of girls and Womenam6nglhelraciuaIntances that have grown restive under the demands of society, to answer which requires a large Investment of strength, energy and good nature an Investment which returns at best little Interest, often none at all, and sometimes leaves the Investor bankrupt. Theyare looking anxiously around for something to do wTrtchnTian wCupvbdlhF hands and Tralhs7 willing to give up the chance of social triumphs if only they may feel that they are really living... r- And society Is growing better and purer for this chsnge In woman's ambitions. Enough are left yet whose duties preclude any steady outside em- (doytnent, who do not desire It, but who have the elsure and the wish to be in society and of socl- ' ety. They can keep alive the social genialities and dispense the graceful hospitalities that are necessary In order to throw a beauty and poetry around earnest, practical life. The world could no more do without the womanly .society leader, -with her beauty and accomnllshments,than It could without the artist and the poet. But the tendency of the liast has bi'eu fof every glrFand woman to struggle (or social supremacy, and fall- h.hlJSffiiimidtli,tt& way nT tn inking, a truer appreciation of life and Its possi bilities, and a higher moral tone, which will do much toward solving some of the social problems . of the day, . . , ...