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About The new Northwest. (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1881)
1 .. . ' " - ; . . , - . . . - 'V. . v ,. ,.. . ... ... i. - ---". v, . - . . u . ' 'i r 4J it. :":.t: v. - i w ii v... i n t i r v i n ".x it s rv iu sr: a VW . j1 - - , . .- .; - ... - t r. -U 1 ' . . . .i . i .'..'. .1- J ' ' -T VOLUME XL NO, . y' j: " "1011110, ORKOON, '-THURSDAY, DKCKMRKRc15l81,; Z-L ' PER YKARf3 00. MORE LAST TOUCHES. " . THE -SENIOR EDITOR FINISH. WORK IN 'Til K , -WA8IIINQTOJC -TERRITORY LEOISLA ' .r'.' " TURE AS OUR ARTI8T. 1 -TUK MIltDIRBCTED BIT WCLL-MBAKT KKDKAVOIM Or MKN r;"" ' TO S.KOMLATB rORWOMKX IHWVX I F WITH . . THEIR TRCB If KAMIMO. I ; r - , - '' Olympia, DecemWr 5, 1&sL-' r.To TBI Rbadbks f tub New North wkht : , It tu impostiible to do full justice to the dls . Bolvlrig view of the late Waablngtoa Legislature In order that the picture Id ink may be properly finished, we again begin our penciling, hoping that full Juctlce may be done to all before this last hour for our sketching closes. . -vThe new legislative or special session Is or ganized now,, and the first. member that moves Into view at this sitting. Is Hon. J. W. Kerns, Councilman from. Clarke, a sturdy farmer, with broad- brain and correspondingly comprehensive views, who, flndlDg it impossible to pass the Woman uiLrageJlllaa first aitempted, concluded. . to take opposing mejnbers at their word and offer a bill empowering women to vote at the next gen eral election, and thus test their declaration that they were ready for women to be empowered with the elective' franchise upon certain vehemently expressed conditions. The bill, of which the fol lowing is the text in full, shows how comprehen sive were the ideas of the gentleman who intro- duced It, and how carefully he was disposeAllta.. 'guard the rights of women in case the same should become a law: An Act to Hubmlt the Question of Bull rage to the Women , orinelTerrltory. B it enacted by the Legislative 4uembly cf the Territory of ' Washington ; ,-,. Bbction L That the question of Woman Huffrmte hail be submitted to the women f the said Territory of Washing ' ton at the general election to be held in the year 18K2, as Is further provided In this act - - t Sec 2. All women abore the age of 21 years (except In dian or Chin women), who are not Idiots or lnsjne,o,r who have not been convicted of any crime against the laws of the Territory, shall have the right to vole at said election ou the question submitted to thenf by ttye provisions of this bcC, : -. '; .:. -. :. I . Brr. S. The ballots to..be.jus.ed for the purposes of this act ihall'have either written or prlnU-d upon them the words "Woman Huffrage, yw," or "Woman urageiw,,, and no other words or letters shall be either written or printed ' thereon. ' - ' - :rrelEcv--Thetrlts of the- eleetkm shall write 4imn In eol'f I nmns to be prepared for that purpose the names of all - women.who vote, and the ballots shall be numbered to cor- respond with the, .number of the names on the Huts of the cierBC : . : ' : . " . Rec. & Votes may be challenged, and the right of parties to vote shall be determined according to the general elec tion law of this Territory, so far as the same may not con flict with the provisions of this act ; and the Inspector shall deposit la a separate, box the ballots received, In accord ance with the provisions of this act. t ... Bar. A. The votes snail be counted and rvtums made and - eertifled as In other cases, and the County Auditors of the - several counties shall make a, true and correct abstract of such voie anu iremmii in snme uj iuc rwmnrj wi hmli . ... .w. -s. ..t -Tuarn, and knit been counted and truly ascertained by them.' r V Bsc. 7. If a majority of all the votes east under the provis ions of this act shall be for "Woman Hufffage, yes," then the Legislature, at Its session Immediately succeeding the said election of 1083, shall enact such law as shall be neces sary to com ply with and carry out the desire of the women of the Territory, as et pressed bjLt&ld .vote. 1 8ec. 8. This act shall take effect and be In force from and after, JU passage and approval. (... The prompt rejection of this bill by the vote of the members who had loudly proclaimed them selves in favor of allowing women, the exercise of the elective franchise "whenever a majorlty of them should desire it," exposed the insincerity of their declarations, and placed them on record In unreasoning hostility to Justice and right. The last prop was knocked from under their sandy foundation of argument, and they were left floun dering In the shallow waters of sophistry, to be -Washington Territory. The next Council member who appears on the scene is Hon. El wood Evans, a portly and intelli gent lawyer, and a platform public speaker -of much renown. This gentleman is wejl-kaown advocate of Woman Suffrage, and the ladies of the country will ever hold him In grateful remem brance because of his many manly acts In their 'behalf JuWfluV&ef'ipptlkU: his good in tentlons, they are led by the terms of his "bill to define the rights of married persons' to more fully comprehend than ever before the utter ina bility of any . person, 'however well disposed, to represent a class of which he Is not an Integral part, and from whose standpoint he has no power to Judge. The first section of Mr. Evans' bill are clearly that rcry, msxrisdrpom tAl.ieistr A HffSfanJ "liberty to"acqulref hotd enjoy and dlnprme of sverTs'pcles of property, and to sue and be sued, as u he or TTolI vein a free country, under a governmen he were unmarried. . If this section of the bill were the only one in It except thotie necessary to iiiHure its enforcement, Itjrctald be a masterpiece of justice in human leg Ulation. as It would impose no pecuniary1 disabil ities whatever upon any ; married person couple, but , would leave all -such persons free to make their own mutuaL contracts in - property matters, or break or . dissolve them by mutual consent. - ' ' . ' Section 3 of the bill stULfuiUier. impresses the author's innate idea of Justice upon the mind of the lover of liberty by providing that .Ail laws which lmprMeorrccognIsec-lvl(dUabilltlesuon a wife, which are not Imposed orTccognised aseilstlng as -to-the ti nmoand. are" ft lercoy "Abolldhed. ' ' T ; But of course women: understand that it was necessary, in order thathe'bill should pass, to provide in this section-that "nothing herelncon tained shall be construed to confer upon the wife the fight to vote or hold office." '; : - The bill further provides that the rights of par ents In the children, shall be equal, and their tes tamentary rights shall be equal also. Section 5 provides as follows : The property and" pecuniary rights of every, married woman at the time of her marriage; or afterwards acquired by gift, devise or Inheritance, with the rents. Issues and profits fhereofhaM not be subject to the debts or contracts of her husband, and she may manage, lease, sell, convey, encumber or devise oy. will such property to the same ex tent and In the same manner Iit huband can property belonging to him. iiaa me out gone no farmer man me sections before quoted, the above would have been wholly unnecessary, as all these matters would have hat- cook she may have "a 'little of Ihe "management-and control" of her own earnings, with a "like power of disposition" in her own hands. . . Section 18 somewhat palliates the temptation to kill the custodian, however, for it declares that The earnings and accumulations of the wfe and of her minor children living with her, or In hrutody, while she Is living iejmrate from her husband, are the separate property of the wife. We It now '"a wife llvjng nWashlngton Terri tory who keeps a boardlug-house, and with the assistance Of- her minor children usually makes a comfortable llvfng. ' About" tWo "years ago,- her husband, who has the "management and control of the community property," but Is In no sense producer or provider for the household, drew the entire savings of the wife's business, and . in spite of her protest Invested them in a wild-cat specu lation." Innnrrlni in sulditlonal !ht. which th ggUlLggalfigijhg The husban-JTs' ar u..-aiu w . vs.. a (i.ii w m Aiia m. . a s - - of Section 1. Rut Section 5 leads' for still further legislation, and makes, the whoIe.extremeIy dis tasteful to the persons who are subject to the law making power of those, who "declare themselve. anJ Ufny accornmo.jatton.f Bnd how "my" tuveaieu -wiiu iowrr w ' irEiuKie lur inciu . in all cases whatsoever." This bill, taken as a whole, refuses to recognize the copartnership and unity of-husband and wife upon (he plane of mutual and undivided interests. It gives the wife power to hold her projHrty, as above named, (provided she have any,'whlch sel dom happens,) as her "separate proiierty, and the husband'the power Jo control his possessions as his separate property; It permits each to pue the otherand lik"the leak in the dykeTopen great, sluices of discord, through which the ere while harmonies of ft united copartnership may be .Bappedrto.tllel r let ractiom,.-,'1 , "'", ! 71 Z Xe bill provides that the wile 'may receive the wages' of her personal : labor; a wise rnnflnalon u-ln : ijrurn .frAnv tli hyp.tlt-.Ml--. upon - which , the whole Instrument is basel. However, much wwe liiay deplore . the legisla tion, that makes such a ' provision necessary, we' cannot- be too thankful that the Ieglslsture made it a law ; for, be It known to you, women of Washington Territory: You who boll and bake and stew and fry, and wash and scrub and churn andiron; you who sew and patch and quilt and nd wash thet dishes; you who nurse the babies, care for the'slctTand minister to the wants of the well itt your households pyou who make the gardens, cook or do cbamberwork It hotels, or run family boarding or . lodging houses,JJiat It has been enacted by your friends in court, under the provisions of Section 9, that A wife may receive the wages of her personal labor and maintain an action therefor. In her own name, and 'hold the same In her own right : and she may prosecute and de fend all actions at law for the- preservation and 'protection of her rights and property, as If unmarried. . 7 "Why, that's exactly what we want I" exclaims Mrs. Don't-Want-to-Vote. "If I could have twenty-five'-dollars a month for- my r personal labor and hold and dispose of It as I please so I wouldn't feel myself a pauper In spite of my toil, I'd be Just as rich as rdraret6le7Whatareyou finding fault with Mr. Evans' bill for V Hold I good woman I You are going too fast. Don't Jump to conclusions till you know you're right. Let's look a little further ; Section 14 up sets your newly-found rights by providing that Property not acquired or owned separately, as prescribed In HectlonsSsnd I3,and acquired after marriage by either husband or wife or both. Is community property; ami the husband shall hare the managrmmt and eontrot of community personal property, tt-ith a like pott er of disposition as fie hot i his separate personal property, except he shall not devise by will more than One-half thereof. ' There you are, Mrs. D.-W.-T.-V. I " You have all the rights you want i Pray enjoy them I The so ardently long that you are willing to barter your birthright of liberty to procure it, is "com munity property," and your husband has the same management and control of It, with a like hame-Tundamenial principles ofjUce yer ordlspositlon a be; has of hi. wparat. rly developed and strong, for it provide, tf0?'' - nt? Jh u P1 guarantees to every citizen the of the laws?" 'equal protection There Is another palliation n Section 10 which must not be overlooked, for it provides that t'pon the death of either hustand or wife, one-half of the community property shajl go to thesurvlvor,uhJe't to the community debts, and the other half hall be sutiject to the testamentary disposition of the deceased hushsnd or wife, subject to the community debts. - What. is "sauce for the goose" lnt his section Is also "sauce for the gander! so we have no com plaint to make against it for woman's sake; but we do object on man's account (we're a man's rights woman), for there Is here a strong tempta tion plaml before woman , to ipduce her to take a.! ivanta&rr her wparftyTrf rOBfMM!J ,n H,k, to pit spider, in hn.bands' dumplings , l"Jh 'tty of the Anal under its o not a vicious man, nor is he in any accepted sense dissipated. He is simply visionary and Idle. He likes to sit in the bar-room and tell about "my" ' THE ritESIDENPS MESSAGE A President Arthur's message. Is a lengthy docu-' men t of fair, ability. Its language is plain and good.. Reference Is feelingly made to his prede- r censor's death. a "Ilelations with foreign countriesare first men tionetl, .We are at peace with all nations. As regards the Panama canalt the President doe. not affirm the Monroe doctrine In a way that can give offense to other govern men tst but what he says nevertheless distinctly conveys the Idea that the v aectir- own pro tection. In discussing financial and home affairs, he recommends that silver certificate, be called In and that the act requiring their issue be repealed. Discontinuance of the coinage of silver dollars is also recommended. It is suggested that all inter nal revenue rates be abolished except the taxes on liquors and tobacco and the special lax on manufacturers of and dealers In such articles. . The President thinks the -army should be re cruited till Its strength reaches 80,00t antT then maintained at that figure. The old story about the miserable condition of. the havy Is once more recited, and Congress. Js urged to take means to .. i - ' kin to this Is consideration of the condition of our merchant marine. Congress is asked to make Inquiry why it is that our country, rich in re sou rces "and products, has lost the ocean carry !njc trade, and Is actually dependent on foreign bot toms for exportation of its own products; but he offers no explanation himself. The President views with concern the Immigra tion to the Hawaiian Islands of outsiders, but say. uothlng regarding the misnamed "reciprocity" treaty '- Two recommendations are made In regard to the Indian question :. The passage of an act mak ing the laws of the various States and Territories applicable to the Indian reservation, within their borders ; and the enactment of a general law per mitting the allotment of lands in severalty to such Indians as deserve It.. - . . The Mormoauuestion fiTtreated plainly. He la I particularly severe on polygamy. After mention ing the fact that for year, the Executive ha called business is prospering, jrtc., etc., but he has noth ing whatever to do with It except to collect and "control' the .money-The-famIly-ll vo-harmoni ously so far as the world sees, but jt will be a great wonder if the "Wife with her minor children" does not conclude, under the provisions of Section 18, to "live separate from her husband" in future in order to secure some separate- property. Of course she could not renew (he conjugal copart nership, for the husband would again have the "management and control, with ft like power-of disposition,"' and her only relief could be founjd In court, against which she has such-strong relig ious convictions that shesl-U-.il It a an unholy terror. . . . Were every iuaTrmiideVefywo"man in the land so wise and benevolent, so enterprising, capable, pure, conscientious and true as to rise above the need4of any laws whatever, there would be no complaint urged against Mr. Evans' bill. It is hard, indeed it seems lmtxsslble, for a thoroughly i- . a- Z : t i . ..- A uenevoieuv niau w cm jrenenu iiie ueeu n laws that will recognize, woman's equality janU indl vhltiallty wi th himself. He does his duty by his own family; he would not so much as jftjtire a hair of theif. heads; he. confides In and trusts IhemTand l6VeF7tIFwIfeas Wsrtfer seU. Such a man will do hl duty as he understands it, law or no law. He feel, that he protects, his family, and other 'men must do the same. HI. mistake result, he demands better laws in regard to evi dence'' I nj-oly gamy "casesT' lie says the "duty is Imposixl 6n Congress jjidthQIxecuiive of. an fta--sault iipon the barbarous system with all the power which, under the Constitution and the law, they can wield against it." The Immediate establishment of a government for Alaska is urged, and also the passage of law. to carry the Chinese treaties Into effect. . Improvement of the Mississippi Hlver Is recom mended, but the Columbia is not mentioned. Civil service, reform Is discussed at length. A trial of certain features of the English system I. recommended. - What would Mr. Evans think of a bill "to de fine the rights of copartnership," similar in all respects to thejblll under review, except that it related to blondes and brunettes among men? Suppose the blondes were considered in law the resjKnsible class, and the brunettes the protected one. If he will read his bill from beglnuidg to end, precisely as It stands in law, substituting "blonde" for husband and "brunette" for wife in allscclton perUtntnff to the sole interests of two partners in a life-long business, and report hfs v I ntilnlrin id It f. F iip r-a.---.ri -a4 will Im. r mitnk tnntir.flfi'il-II.M tr,.il. fe 1.1t. iTii T ' " ' ' ' "v w v s j v v ".swssb --w 4 a v a n uivil J wlfl obliged to him for the favor. . We have been so long engagetl In sketching Mr. Evans and his bill that it is almost time to go home, so we rapidly note the pleasing fact that thetiihthctla I prwvUlt greets the Honorables of both Houses, as is evidenced by their endeavor, to secure each other's autographs and post office addresses in gaily glided and elab orately embossed ladles' albums. ' With this parting comment, we bow ourself out can will away "one-hair thereof" to somebodv -?lsi-T-iryotrre-T grand iv1TT"fr "tty w me i iswcracj vi sex, ivi'iing use ascnooi- " I inJ.m 1.1,4.1 1 I,-.. I A !. S II sua mum viuuiiik "r "'B "J SI CHU I I C W T 1 1 , and honinir anma riav In thofotilra In mju (ham . - - - O J mmm - " W v - mmf. W II all af ain. - A. H. II. Ai S. r4. - .The earnest attention of Congress is asked to ft consideration of the "lnablIlty".-questIon raised during President (larfleld's sickness. consists In imagining that woman', position and individuality are secondary ; that her Judgment Is weak, her conceptions narrow, as compared to men's, and her rights .must be undr Jhe control of her husband as the head of the firm. The truth 1. that men and women, are-equal, endowed by their Creator with equal Inalienable rights; that they should be at all times left free to make their own contracts and control their own Interests in the mutual copartnership of marriage, the same as if unmarried; the same as if they were making a business copartnership as between men and men, wherein the headship or responsibility be- i-ggrUj)l-----jhflyJl i Jd!LtaJ-heltiwaleotIoay4 cease tbe-watter Hm men t.Ther present 3VOMEN PHYSICIANS. It Is within the recollection of persons not far advanced In years when an educated Woman physician was a novelty as rare as a white black bird. Now there are no less than 300 of that class. In active practice, mostly in the State, of New Yorkr-Massachusetts amKPennsylvanla. Com- mentlng on this fact, the Mary svl lie Appeal says : "The change that has already taken place is probably only the beglnnlng of a new era. In a few years the number of women who are credit able doctors will be so great that their sex will condition of thing. Illustrates the mollified theories regarding marriage which are prevailing. Formerly , dtjvas thought that woman, chief aim and object waa marriage. Now multitude, prefer the independence which Is gained by avoiding It, Of the practitioner, enumerated above, seventy-five per cent were .Ingle when they began their studies, and it I. not probable that many of these have since taken' husbands. Tli us,-those women who aspire to ft career are leaving a more open field to their less ambltiou. and more domestically disposed sisters." ' . ". The Shakspeare Society of London has elected. -;H Mrs. Clarfleld its "first Ironorary member" as j-llghUjl-O-tfl-pf. a-lmlraUoaof thelovln Ue- votlon shown by her during the long and painful Illness of the late President." President Garfield was an active member of the society. ' the JYeshlngton TeitJxjLXeglslatareftd- Jtiurnrtl lant Frlilay mnrnlng at I a'aloekr-aftee-an- all-night session.'. The Orrgonian's excellent re port, of proceedings during the past couple of month, were furnished by Professor W. 11. Roberta. . R t u -J 1' ' f . V