. Silence being restored, I went on to
show them that the original constitution recognized women as
citizens, and that the word citizen includes both sexes, as is
proved by the phrases, "male citizen," and "female citizen"; that
women from the beginning had been unjustly deprived of the
exercise of their constitutional rights; that they had for years
been petitioning those in power to restore them to their
political freedom, when the emancipation of the Southern slaves
threw upon the country a class of people, who, like the women of
the nation, owed allegiance to the government, but whose
citizenship was not recognized. To settle this question, the
fourteenth amendment was adopted. Its first section declares
emphatically who are citizens, and guarantees to them the
exercise of all their natural rights under the equal protection
of the law. (Here I read to them the section.) No distinction is
made in regard to sex; the word "person" being used, which
includes both men and women.

"And now, honorable gentlemen," I said, in conclusion, "I am a
'person,' declared by the fourteenth amendment to be a citizen,
and still further, I am a native-born citizen of the same race
and color of these gentlemen by whom I am surrounded, and whose
votes you do not hesitate to receive; and, had our territorial
law failed to give me the right to vote, this amendment would
protect me in the exercise of it. I again offer my vote, and hope
you will not refuse it." No hand was extended to receive it; but
one of the judges threw himself back in his seat, and with great
dignity of manner and an immense display of ignorance, exclaimed,
"Women have no right to vote; and the laws of Congress don't
extend over Washington territory." This was too much for even the
strongest opponents. On every side was heard, "Oh, Mr. Alvord!
why, yes, they do!" "Mr. Alvord, you are mistaken, the laws of
congress do extend over our territory"; and some tried to explain
to him that the territory belonged to the United States and was
under the jurisdiction of the national government, and that of
course the laws of congress extended over it. But still more
pompously, he again declared, "It is no such thing, the laws of
congress don't extend over Washington territory." A look of
disgust and