The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-09-30
Taxation wi.heut Representation.

We had occasion few days since W iei0 - |
q meeting held by the women taA-pase'' VI
the village of Mount Vernon, Ne" horh' ior
the purpose of declaring their right TO vote ON
the augmentation of moneys for town pur-
noses Considerably more than half the taxa
ble property of that town is owned by women,
and not liking the manner in which the money
raised for school houses, roads, sidewalks, &C.,
-A~A they called an indignation
d a voice in the matter
few days later, the regu-
ayers to vote on approprl-
by a Board of Trustees
men, to the number of one
a themselves and claimed
the right to vote. Mr.. r. j. Law acted as their
spokesman. When the vote on the nrst APP
preparation was to be taken Mr. Law came ior-
ward and said he held in his hand paper
signed by one hundrei women, who own real
estate in Mount Vernon, and he asked that
the names of those present be called with the
roll of taxpayers. The roll was read, and only
the names of men were called The vote stood
56 for the appropriation opposed by the women
and At against it. The announcement was re-
ceived with loud applause by the men present
of Mrs. Harriet Seaver, property-owner to
the amount of $4,000, who desired to have
voice in this matter. She called attention to
the fact that men who did not own one cent of
property in the town were voting in this meet
ing on the disposition Of money which was to
be largely collected from the women. We
quote from the Tribune's report: 5
The chair man stated that he had looked in
to the matter and quoted several sections OF
the village charter, and State laws on the sub
iect which clearly defined who were and who
were not legal voters; and he therefore decid-
ed that the women, although property owners
and taxpayers, were not emitted TO vote al
that meeting The decision against the
men was hailed with applause by almost the
entire array of masculine voters present. Mr..
Wingate here appealed from the decision of
the chair in behalf of four women, whom be
claimed to represent as their attorney. Sew
eral citizens protested against Mr.. Wingate's
interference, contending that be was neither
taxpayer, nor resident of the village, and cries
of put him out, put him out" resonnded
from all parts of the crowded hall. Mr.. G.
w. Barnes made a very conciliatory speech,
conrending that the women had come there in
respectful manner, with the conviction that
they had right to representation IN meetings
where the expenditure Of their money was in
volved; that feeling difident in appearing con
spicuously before the meeting they had deput-
ed Mr.. Wingate TO speak for them. All they
desired was that the meeting should say
whether they were entitled TO voc or not, so
that in case of decision against them they
might take the necessary measures to bring
the matter before the proper authorities. I
Finally. the President decided against the
question: first reading the clause of the State
Constitution which makes only male citizens"
voters, and then reading from the State Act
for the incorporation of villages, which defines
oil III U
stitution. No appeal was taken from this de-
cision, as it was held that the President sat as
an inspector reflections.
There was a good deal of confusion at IL q
meeting, whistles, cat-calls, and other demon
STATIONS being freely resorted to for the pur-
pose of driving the ladies in disgust from the
room. ! They stood their ground however until
the decision of the chairman was given. This
decisioni is taken as settling the question Of
woman suffrage in New York under the exist
ing constitution Of that State. N.'@
But the question is very far from being set
tied. 1t is destined to come up in thousand
other places and forms, and to keep coming
up until a widely different solution is reached
The wrong these women complain of is the
very wrong to redress which our fathers fought
through the Revolutionary war, taxation with
out representation. With their good swords
and brave hearts they won for themselves the
right they demanded. To-day these women
ask the same and it is refused them with de-
rision. We do not suppose they will be likely
to go to war about it, but they are bound to
haze 1t for all that Old fogyism may buster,
roll its eyes and hold up its hands in horror,
but this thing is sure to come. And unless the
signs of the times are more than usually de-
ceptive it lies in the not far distant future.
There is one point which we especially de-
sire to call attention to in connection with this
demonstration. The practical objection to the
movement for woman suffrage has always been
that the women didn't want it. Only few
uneasy ag;tators, we were told, who could not
think how else to make themselves conspicu-
Gus, were DESTROYS of the suffrage. The mass
of women were quite content to let everything
be managed for them. But when in one
small town like Mount Vernon, we find re-
spectacle women to the number of hundred,
;. including some who are taxed on such respec-
table sums as 900, declaring that they do
wish to vote on the expenditure of the taxes
they have paid, isn't it about time to stop that
kind of talk? s.aal I'D