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About The new Northwest. (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1881)
-'-'' - - - '!,-' ." Free. 8rrcn( Free 'Pre. Free J'kople. - ' '"2 ' ' " "1 L ' . VOLUME XL-NO. 13.- ' " .. . r - PORTLAND,; PQlQTIIUUSDAV, DECEMBER 8rMlw V -' ; f ' PER YEAli-f3 00. v 'Hi THE'' WASH I NGTON LEGISLATURE, H THE SENIOR EDITOR RETURNS TO'OLYIIPIA. AND RESUMES HER WORK AS OUR ARTIST. - - .-'.j-.- ; FROM GRAVE TO OAT; FROM LIVELY TO SEVERE-FACT FCRKZSUED AS FOOD FOR THOCoriT. . ' , f Olympia, W. , December 5, 1881. TO THE READER OF THE NEW NORTHWEST ' V" After nearly three weeksaosence'frora"Tlym- r pia, during which, we have been so busily engaged in a multitude of varied occupations thatthe tlme-1 has flown by as on the wings of a hurricane, be hold us again in the Legislative Hall at the Capi tal of Washington Territory, and with pencil In hand engaged .in sketching the personnel of the Honorable, whose pictures we are to finish at this sitting for publication in int. The regular session Is drawing to a close now, and it is almost impossible to get an uninter rupted view of either House in committee of the whole, so we will do the beat we can with Jndl vidual details, and give glimpses of the assembled d I gnltyJ a each Cha mber as weimay Je nabl ed to catch the Inspiration on the wing. Yonder urbane member from Jefferson, with graceful gait and luxuriant hair, Is the Roscoe Conkling Of " the" lower House. He. understands parliamentary tactics to a dot, and leads yonder grizzly-bearded gentlemen" In high back heads through the bewildering Diazes of amendments and reamendments. aud relolnders and ''stn rejoinders, till ne outwits them eachfand severally. Yonder loud-voiced member la from Pierce. He Is as active as the business end of a hornet ; is In fact, the Mahone of the combination, and he wor-' ries things terribly sometimes. There Isa notice able smooth spot on the top of his cranium, worn there no doubt by the constant friction of his Ideas -against the acknowledged opinions of other peo ple. He Is, good at argument, strong in Invective, and versatile, in Ingenuity. .But Roscoe-jjets ahead when Issues are brought to a vote, because .of hi superiority as a tactician and temper-holder. Yonder gentleman in goggles excels chiefly as ' an artist. As a legislator he is not a success.- The -same may be said -of that other member In specta cles, except, that hisorfels the persistent attempt at reconsideration of all. measures passed through the brilliant maneuvering of .the gentleman from ' Pierce. - ' ' "v - cO-piembers .here would soften'the asperities of m A mm a & a . . a. a' M mm these debates," he added, as a "Vail or lite bouse" remanded him to his seat ' " ''Yes, and banish tobacco smoke-and spittoons," we could not help remarking, as one of these lat baraed articles of utility was upset on the carpet and hastily removed by the ubiquitous and dis gusted Janitor., - t With these observations we left the lower House' anT ascended to the Council-Chamber, where; we wre graciously greeted by all of the Honorables, not-even excepting those whose" pcruresiiad been somewhat too accurately sketched at a former sit ting to suit their own vanity. But, to their credit be it spoken, they had the good sense to take the criticism In the spirit In which it was given. Every man had selected his own picture and pre served a copy for his friends. . That blonde member with a red nose is mad! We tried to conciliate him by asking pardon, but It was "no go." -He said It was "all right,' but It wasatlTrsrtonrndmannerthatlalnly-iaeat it win'f.We repent without ceas"lng"7 r. That crooked member has a clear head on "Aggers." Sorry, we can't say as much 'for him on humanitarian " principles. He has been em ployed as book-keeper In a big lumbering monop oly till his brain has acquired a metallic texture that . cannot be expanded with a new Idea. His echo sits at his elbow like a Mirier attracted by a blazing image. - The echo votes J Ike the" metal lie ilumlnaryrand both, boast-that they never change While there are but few really brilliant men in either House, there are quite a number of more than average ability, as has been proved by their record, "on the Woman Suffrage bill. There are1 severe! lawyers of distinction la the Council, among them Messrs: Stratton of Spokan (Presi dent of the Council), Evans of Pierce, and Sharp stein of Wala Walla. Mr. Hoover of Whitman, also ajlawyer In good practice, obtained leave of absence early In the session. Mr. Calhoun of Whatcom Is a sturdy, sensible, and honorable farmer.jClonelJIu nter rofi;ACVIumbia,, also a farmer, has distinguished himself on several , . , , , , , : 5 I m u WKHWUiB, wiui auviirnviicuun lumii uiiyi He leadrthe Eastern detegattonTand IsthtrJames -K-Blaineof?the concern. : There ,. We were Just ready Jio make a faithful and striking group of that short gentleman with a broad forehead, that handsome member with a false front lock, that pleasant member .with a modest mien, that sincere member with a proml- -nent noe, that tall member with gray chin whis kers, that member with a retreating forehead who "Is chiefly conspicuous because of bis mistakes, that Jolly member In a luxuriant beard, that dig nlnd and genial -member, from the BOrean Zone, and that gentleman from the oyster beds of Pa cific, when the wheels of legislation stopped short because of the lack of the Iubricatlngoil that runs all governments, technically styled an appropria tion bill. : - , . 'Legislators can kef calm when discussing a hog bill; they do not lose their equilibrium when considering the merits of a game law ; they can hold their tempers when discussing the woman question, and can smile urbanely when being bored by the hour by dissertations upon educa tion, annexation, or river and harbor bills; but Just let them get started on a money matter something that addresses Itself directly to Vndl- jvldual financial Interests and lo I and behold I they're, human after all, and as keenly alive to "ifinf prfriclpleslas It Is simply Impossible to sketch thenmow. A half dozen are on their feet at once, shouting "Mr. Speaker!" In stentorian voices. Some are buzzing about the hall, sucking so vigorously at the moist end of a meerschaum orclgar that you Innocently wonder why they were sent to the Legislature to make laws for Women before they were weaned. ' TheWH3rthey pelt each ether.-wIth-CQVertper tonalities Is a caution to common courtesy. East ern Washington Is Jealous of Western Washing tonClamsbombardbu ncb-grass, -and lumber Interests menace gold mines. The members get so thoroughly excited that they remind the spec tator of a swarm of bees whose queen Is lost. They resemble two opposing nines st a base-ball tournament when there Is a dispute about a point and the umpire Is in doubt . Mr. Speaker gets his brain so tangled up with motions and oountoF motions, questions ef privK lege, rules of order,' and other parliamentary rinMhlssishnffllnjEhaHb jk -A4HLk&L mimrmni.m.nA Aauir , - "It Isn't half as bad as It was awhile ago, before you came In," says the sincere member who voted against Woman Suffrage, but Is open to convlc Uou. "I am sure that the presence of ladles as as lie surely will In time, his noble. sisters, who are Woman 8uffraglsts, will be prouder of him1 than eyerSorry ie Isn't all right no w . We have great hope that Mr. Oraden, who came tojhe legislature with such erroneous Ideas upon work and vote-against it, will, have opportunity during the next few months to continue the bet- ter associations already begun among- womee. He Is a man for whom nature has done much anVl education conslderabIeTbut his occupatlonLfis a packerbn the frontier has" not brought him In contact with the virtuous, enlightened -womanhood of the country hitherto, albeit the memories of his mother are strong and salutary, and It Is little-wooder. that he came to the Legislature with adverse opinions of Woman Suffragists; since his Ideas of the movement are expressed In the following Insult to true womanhood, entitled 'Council Bill 136, Introduced by himself : ; An Act to Protect Married Women la WMhlDcton Terri tory. ."" - ' . v ; 8ectiom L That heresfter ejr married woman In this Territory shall have the right to-elect the father of her off spring.. h Kec. 2. That all children born of any married woman, from a father so selected by such married woman, shall be teg (Untitle heir at law of auch woman aocTher iuland 5 and the huiibond of such woman hall maintain and pro vide for such children In the same manner a If they were bis own children. 8 ec. 3. This' act shall take effect and, be In fore from and after It paasag and approval. ' ' No woman was present when, this delectable piece of legislation was thrown In the teeth of the Council, but we were Informed that.lt met with tliTun refusing to permit it to pass to a second, reading, declaring be would resign rather than do so. -, The loyal wifehooil and faithful motherhood of the land are puzzled much to comprehend the depths of vicious misrepresentation that they have been subjected to In dark places, which has led to expressions like the above, given a a bur ueJnJegLdatlxeJiftUopoiO honorable demands for that equality before th.e law without which they cannot surround their sons with such feminine Influences as will cause them to abhor the Inception of a thought so re volting to every sense of propriety and decency. Mr. Oraden may search the brothels over, and 'be will find no Woman Sufrraglsts. He will look In vain among frail women for advocates of equal-rights. Whoever led him to offe? such an Insult (even In Jest, as Colonel Hunter says he did II,) Is lamentably Ignorant of the demands of women. own fault If your sons and husbands send another man to misrepresent you who shall so widely miss the mark. Mr. Oraden will not be guilty of repeating the Offense. He only echoed the lan guage of his associates voters, remember when he thus burlesqued you. The experiment has taught Mm better, and it Is vastly preferable that you , return -him to the. Leglriature next time rather than a new recruit from the old ranks to re peat. the Old Insults, "which may be', done if you do not exercise more public spirit In educating your law-makers than you have In the past Vice and immorality are Always on the alert.. v Ignor ance and prejudice never sleep. We are all a re tlexjof our assoclatlonsyand It Is more "the fault of worasn's timidity and lAertla'that jneii lofin'erro neous opinions rof them than it Is of the men themselves, - . -" i While we are moralizing here, the Council lias created an internal commoton;" The widely di verging opinions from widely diverging sections cannot fuse, until, like oil jand water, they reach boiling heat , ... , The solons take a recess and try to effect a com promise on general principles. House members hobror-uobliran exclteitajrwTlh Council mem bera.'.Tbe Territorial Secretary comes In with attractive sheets (of ,llue paper representing cer tain quid pro' quo, which are distributed among the members according tolaw, with the emollient effect of an oilef shin plaster. The newspaper man and woman" stlPabrdad for subHcribers,and the Honorables come out handsomely with ducats. The gavel comes down and a semblance of order that Is much nearer allied to chaos partially takes thedaee-f-tliWH,niejr-trfuior--l louse-hU la crowd upon the Council, and Council bills crowd upon the House. Bancroft's agent Is conspicuous In the lobby a sleek-coated Oily Gammon with a bid on Territo rial printing and a put-up Job on school- books? He lobbies like an Oregon swamp angel, and spends money like the paid agent of the Webfoot Insane asylum. -r1-'--.-. - Tlie Governor's proclamation for an extra session, is ac(ulesced In by both Houses, an'd the regular session resolves Into a dissolving vie'w, which our pencil vainly attempts to sketch. A recess of an hour or two Is followed bv a re- memorable occasions as an Indian fighter, andJ organization on the old plan, except that a bright when he comes out right on the woman questlonH , ,n the iloua9 from further duty as a door-keeper, and a sleepy Incumbent who has. snoozed away the first sixty days In a chair at the door of the Council Chamber -Is relieved from office so he can go to bed and finish his nap. -The-Governor-has appointed his -daaghterran firnlabteniTnt jntcrestlTigryonagtadyaylii bnrrianH whereat there Is much objecting ; thedlsappointel advocates of equal . rights claiming that woman either has, or has no.t, a right to . the liberties, emoluments and privileges of go.vernnjent They claim that if 31lss Newell Is legally entitled to this right none should be exempt from bTher rights; and if she Is not legally entitled tolt, she can collect uo pay." : For one, we should be glad to see all , ladles who act as clerks deprived of, psyor. public services until all women are free;-.The perslstentthank less work of Woman Suffragists has opened the wsy for these clerks to get positions, and yet. they often oppose the enfranchisement of women, be ing content to catch the persimmon while others beat the' bush,' and also determined to. keep on catching "it; If they can, at the bjish-beatcr's ex pense forever. '. 4, We notice!, while the House was undergoing reorganization, that' MTVan Eaton, who is op posed to. Woman Sufi rage, strongly urgkHthe re appointment of one of these lady clerks, proclaim ing that she had beep faithful and efficient In the discharge of her duties. It was strange that he could not recognize his own inconsistency In rec ommending a public position for a young girl, while fighting equal rights and opportunities for erjBfoinerjorarhatuUucntactJaIgbti demoralize them. But,, then, tyranny never was consistent with Itself, and It is vain to look for consistency In an opponent of equal rights. In compllanceTwIth a general rejuet we gave an adtlress on the evening of the 2d Inst, In Co lumbia Hall, the theme, "Man's Blights, or How Would You Like It?" attracting a goodly audi ence to a room so cold that you could hardly crack a joke 1 1 it- But wef rose It outrand had a good time reviewing the Territorial laws now In force on the woman question, of which we will give our read ers a synopsis next week. Ar H.-D. In reply to a note from Mrs. Fannie Holden Fowler, asking If he favored giving women the ballot, and If his aid could be relied oti In securing a sixteenth amendment to the Constitution fur that purpose, Senstor Ferry of ..Michigan wrote: "Having acted in favor of both heretofore, l ean very, consistent ly and cheerfully answer 'yes' to .Women ot-Bpokao cou n ty, how do you like-tax- I both questions." - The women of Michigan and of atlonTOout reprewnUU6nT;rTTw services wiiicu riviiuior terry Um given 10 iro causs of Woman Suffrage, but, as Mrs. Fowler said, "it Is pleasant to know that be Is not weary In well doing." " - : ' " ' ' -v.... " . ' . ' FROMTEASTERN WASHINGTON. ' - Ya k 1 ma City, W. T. , Nov. 30, 1881. To the Editor of tub New Nortuwest,!-. ,In your Issue of NovemU'ri7th,you think It "strange" that "seven men In the Couucll" at Olympia could have had tlie "effrontery" to vote against House Bill No.i lOtr ' r For my own part, I am heartily glad they did so. I. consider such aJjill aa that an Insult tolhe intelligent women of Washington Territory- Do wemit alt knbwthat thomajority of respectable women, the wives, mothers and home-keepers, have no property, and never can have, while their condition remains what It ts under the laws? Toilers without recompejisejtre they for few or many years, as the case may be, with no hope of ever becoming the owners of anything till their husbands are dead when they may, possibly, se-' cure one-half or one-third-of their mutual earn ings and accumulations. - , 1 1 1 iKx'S not ausw'er to Jtaythatthti wife owni one-half or one-third of everything," when she : cannot use It, or keep her husband from squander ing It, orpocketlng and running off with It And whoever heard of any man, who had perpetrated the last Infamous act; being arrested and forced, under the laws of any State, to be simply Just to his wife?. If, In t he-assessment ef tastes, even one half or one-third of taxable property could beset down to the account of the Incessant toller within the house, such a bill as "House Bill No. 103" would not seem so manifestly unjust as It Is. But why should men or women desire to exaft the pittance of five hundred dollars above wom anly Influence, which latter is what the republic needs to- make 'all the inhabitants thereof safer than they now are, and to render our government In reality what It has untruthfully proclaimed Itself for so many years? . If the Ideal "freedom" of our government Js to be merged at last Into a governmento the people by those who ay taxes on five hundred dollars or upwards, would It not be wisest first to deprive men who do not pay taxes of the privilege of voting, before this stigma oX. reproach la cast upon the many Intelligent women who, from their very helplessness, under existing social ana civil laws, cannot -become property-owners? Many of these women have, spent, and others will spend, the! best part of their lives In rearing soldiers for the republic," who ratr be mustered 1 -solid plialanT whinevpr thero Is niyLAntl lf-shal . ... ... does not usually-carry a gun In time of war, there is not a single sphere of. work wltlrln-thyranksof . armies which has not Its counterart In the ordi nary life of women, from recruiting ofHcer up to commander. She Is the pioneer always In the overthrow of great evilsfand builds up, by tier, heroic moral sentiment, fortifications against ene mies, seen and unseen, which threaten the safety of (he governments in moral heroism woman Is certaluly not inferior to man, and after all "spir itual is stronger than brute force." That Is why, I suppose, she Is left the "forlorn hopi," whoao business It Is, tinder discouragement aud defeat, to gather up. the, remnants of life's destructive warfare and silently bury thenVforever out of sight. I believe with all my heart that It Is right and just and safe to extend the elective franchise to women ; but I would rather wait ten years yet to see our law-makers simply just, than to have any such farce -enacted as the passage of House BUI No. 103, or anything like It This I say with real gratitude to those members of the Legislature who by thetrvotes expressed their sympathy with woman's cause. It Is possible nay, quite proba blethat some members of the Council, as you suggest, had an appreciation of the manifest In justice of such a measure, which was the reason of tlietrvotlu jf against It. ! Money alone can never give to Its powtessor, man or woman, the Intelligence or ability to vote wisely; otherwise the legal voter Who, 011 account of his monied lnfluence,"was called out In a wom an's rights convention to express his views, would have I had something better to say than "I'm wlllln' the wi rain in should Jtote If they wautcr, b u t . an f or s u fflrl n ' llthl u k. the y - s u fli; r e no ug 1 now." Nevertheless, we can but admire the manifest directness and kindness of bl-remarks, and are qui te In sympathy with his opinion. Therefore, If thereof to be any pretense made of" aiding woman to get out of the rut of helpless, unpaid toil, which has always been the hardest feature of her lot and which la wholly responsible for many evils she sutlers, patiently and ofttlmes. Ignomlulously, let us have It In real substantial -aid and nut prilelUe Otily. But will not the ac knowledged and able leader In tills work through out this region let us have her views In regard to limiting the elective franchise to tax-payers only ? Mrs. Elizabeth Mallet established and eJIXeT the first dally paper In the world In London, England, Marcb, )fQ2. i '. : : ..'i