Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1853-09-28
The Worlds Temperance Convention.

iaues is &c Gerlal it dd rot fan aR
of its friends. 1t commenced its sessions with fifteen
hundred persons- closed them with barely one hun
dred and the greater part of its time occupied in
discussing points of order, in srife contention and
acts of rowdyism.
The immediate cause of the dsgracefu disturbance
was the attempt of Antonette i. Brown to address
the Convention. She was the only woman who at
tempted to speak in that assembly, and if she had held
her tongue there would probably, have been no trou
ble On her and her sympathizers, the Providence
Tribune vents its wrath; they and only they, the
persons justly open to censure and condemnation =
If Miss Brown was an oJtruder theIe-if she had no
right in that Conventional it was in violation of the
rules of the Convention for her speak-then is she
responsible for the bedam enacted during the
''three days. at Metropolitan Hall, The only impor
ant question is, had the woman right to speak in
that Convention? If so, then those who opposed the
woman were the wrong doors, and on them rest the
disgrace and odium of the rowdy proceedings.
The Tribune has been exceedingly careful TO keep
this, the most important point in the whole matter,
entirely concealed. Wen bring it out into the light
and let the people at whose door lies the shame
of these disturbances
Rev. John Marsh, a letter Horace Greeley,
published in the New York Tribune of May 18th,
says -
w no mas SAID word ABOUT excluding w omen
from the Convention and all its entertainments! No
one. The basis of the Convention has not been set
tied. IL ,ciH probably be as broad as the loOrH.'
John Marsh we consider pretty good authority and
he declares that the platform would ''probably be
broad as the world" and nobody had said word a.
bout excluding women from the entertainments of the
Convention.
Again, ex-Mayor Barstow declared to us in the of
fee of the Advocate, after the call for the Worlds
Convention was issued that women entitled by
it, to sit in the Convention and speak the platform
And furthermore, the Providence Tribune which is
generally considered his organ, published, in its
editorial columns the first day of September, the
following construction of the aforesaid call.
''From what we know of the men TO whom the
preliminary arrangements of the meeting have been
entrusted, feel authorized to say that all the priv
leges of membership will be extended to every dele
gate whether rich poor, male or female, black or
white"
The call, then. according to the showing of its own
friends and sgners fairly included females in its in
vitaton. Miss Brown was not therefore excluded by
the call, and those who camored her down could not
Justify themselves by appeal to its letter, even if
they could by its spirit Was Miss Brown delegate
within the intent and meaning of the Gala delegate
as truly and really as John Marsh or ex-Mayor Bar
sowi She had precisely the same kind and the same
amount of evidence TO prove her membership as had
these two gentleman, vz-her credentials from reg
ularly organized temperance society In fact, she was
admitted as delegate, and not until she rose to speak
was her right to the platform called in question
Neal Dow the President of the Convention, declared
that she had the right TO speak and that she was IN
order. An appeal was taken from the decision, and
the Convention sustained him in his position. Miss
Brown then attempted to proceeds but the minority,
consisting as the reports state largely OF cergymen,
some of whom were from slavehodng states, scream
ed, yelled, and cried out, "down with the woman, p"
turn her out and with the fury Of bedamites. con-
tnued their opposition until the police cleared the
hall.
If these are the facts aud we challenge contradiction
what is the inference Who caused the disturbance
Who disgraced the meeting Who deserves the