The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-18

eRxcIly Bgxp AT THE BLLLoT.BoxlrHREE LOVELY
WOMEN srO0P 10 FOLLY.
Of the rev York World
MOUNT VERNON. N.

MOUNT VERNON, N. Y, Oct s.
Last night beheld the protomartyrdom OF the
Three Of the women of America offered their bal
lots to the inspector of election In Mount Vernon,
which his name, be IL held to neverdying &C orn,
s Lucas. Lucas being strict constructionist, re-
jected the boon, and the three women OF America
| went away. aa
This was the way of 1t: 1t happened In Mount
Vernon that the great proportion Of taxable pro-
| perty Is owned BY the women thereof and, &C
males, 1t has happened also that the disbursement
| Of the taxes laid upon this property has fallen
1 into the hands Of q set Of scapegraces, one OF
whom has distinguished himself by defaulting In
SIS 900, and another by absconding with sum OF
which the minimum estimate is $500. Withsl,
/ upon the same authority, these officers have the
additional demerit of being sots and Of besto wing
profound inattention upon their official business
| The school houses are said to be wretchedly Ill
| provided, the school teachers badly and irregu-
| larly paid, and the school children utterly un-
/ taught. These things had been fermenting for q
| long time In the Mount Vernon female mind, and
had come Quit in biiterewords in ct least one In
stance, that Of Mrs.. Mary H. Macdonald. who cried
| aloud continually and spared not but nothing had
| really been done, when upon this discomfort So
| perveDed, about six weeks ago Miss Susan B. An
thony, who touched the torch of her eloquence to
| the heap Of combustible grievance which she
| found in Mount Vernon, and the result has been
the exple sion of last night. 1t seems that In the
| contest for school officers the Pedil nytonans
were divided into two fierce parties who plscarded
tory and invective. One Of the former began
this to which the handful Of the women. hereto
fore published in the World. refers when IL sets
forth that they have been invited" to participate
in the election.
The officers who were balloted for last evening
were nominated on Saturday, and on that occa-
sion Mrs: Macdonald, Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. F. j.
Sheppard, and Miss Lucia Hall favored the caucus
with their presence. They were kindly received,
and had some voice In the nominations, and so
indirectly in the elections but not directly, as will
be seen.
The election was held in Laws Hall, which is a
paralelogrammatic apartment, occupying the Sec
ond floor of what has the appearance of q saloon.
Laws Hall is sometimes hall Of the Gospel also,
If one may judge from the highly tinted Scriptural
Autographs which Diversity its brown, bare walls.
a. is openly upon label stated to be the armory
of Company B, Seventeenth regiment N. G. g.. N.
w. the muskets of which rest under inglorious glass
in one corner. The room was divided midway Of
its length last night by barrcade Of benches,
practicable only for inspectors OF election and
reporters, and apparently intended to serve as a
breakwater against the foaming tide OF female
fury which was expected to hurl itself upon the
minions of an efiete order of things. The whole
fringes of the crowd were of men and boys OF the
baser sort, who obviously came to scof. Mount
Vernon, OF course, was stirred to Its prof0undest
depths by the expectation of seeing women at the
ordinary routine Of such an occasion, was beheld
with that dull disgust which marks the demeanor
Of the auditors at q spectacle, who bend cold re-
CARDS on Colombine and Harlequin while the
Transformation scene Is setting.
1t was about 1880 when at the head of the stairs
emerged the fore front of the future, incarnated
in Mrs. Mary H. Macdonald. Mrs. Macdonald IA
Mr.. Macdonald, We believe, also exists in small
way and by kind permission of Mrs. Macdonad)
is tall lady, with dark hair psppered little
with gray. which she disposes In slender curs
deep, dark eyes, very resoute face, and rather
an aggressive appearance generally. She had
surmouuted herself on this occasion with green
bonnet with long strings, and inclosed herself in
| q walking suit Of some sober color.
Close following was Mrs. Dorothy Ferguson.
| Scotchwoman OF mature years, who In her own
country has been an ardent advocate ofabstinence,
and seems determined to carry 1t on by voting or
otherwise, regarding suffrage as Q mere means
towards the end Of busting drunkards and tipplers
| from office, and otherwise contributing to their
unhappiness. She is q pleasant old lady, with
prominent and shiny forehead, talks broad Scotch
| and dresses very quietly. Mrs. Ferguson's
mon is respectable dealer in hardware in
Mount Vernon.
and presentable person Of forty or thereabouts.
who wears q dress Of the future, possibly, but
certainly q gay shawl and round hat Of the imme-
date present. There is a Mr.. Farrand. but he Is
in South America, and cannot therefore look after
the school officers for his children 10 Mount YER
non,
Last came Mrs. Catharine NJ. White. widow,
who has children of dOcile years. She is quite
pretty, and dresses demurely in black.
When these Roman matrens entered the hall OF
Law. though one or two irreverent youth ejacul-
sted chi, hi, T" for which they were forthwith
hustled and otherwise rendered wretched, the
temper of the majority of the crowd was not only
| good -humored but respectful. lane was opened,
down which the forlorn hope charged the EN-.
brasure of the ballot box at which stood the luck
less Lucas with his statutory Iinstock In his hand
| The other inspectors are Mr.. Rankin and Mr.. Van
| Court. Mrs. Macdonald charged ballot in mo-
| mentous silence.
Mr.. Lucas (hurriedly) -Ladies, we are glad to
see You out, but we can't receive your votes.
Semi-chorus of male voices-Shame
Mr.. Lucas Tin recitatve)-We have examined
the State law, but find there no clause whereby
the ladies' are allowed to vote.
Then Mr.. Lucas lifted up his voice and read
from the State constitution the passage appro-
pirate to the present occasion. Alas, 1t began,
q Every male citizen" Mrs. Macdonald faced ii
with unmoved front, and at the finale Of "shsll be
entitled to VOTE" retorted on the statute book
with sarcasm:
Eyes, gentlemen, drunk or SOBER
Lucas was silent. He wasn't there to argue
with people who disputed his axioms. So wnen
Mrs. Macdonald thrust her ballot into his inspec-
tive hand he took it and slipped it quietly under
the ballot box.
Mrs. Ferguson preferred her ballot. 1t was put
under the box. Ditto Mrs. Farrand. Result
ditto. Mrs. White became timorous and gave
hers to friendly male to please put in the box"
Result unknown.
Then the baf1ed four turned and went. But
from the lips Of Mrs. Macdonald escaped this
Parthan dart:
"well. gentlemen. we haven't disgraced you,
have we? We're going home sober"
Mrs. Ferguson-Weel, / dnna think we've dis
greeced oursels commin to the poll. Averything
was vara nice and orderly.
Mr.. +. subsequently remarked, in the freedom
Of conversation, boot, it's not much to vote,
| could ha' done you that Lucas doin' weel
enough"
Ii is stated that the party of the future POUNDS
its hopes of getting its vote accepted upon the
fact that the qualifications for voting 81 school
elections different to those for general suffrage
which the inspector read. So indeed they are,
quOGd the present case they but are equally in.
exorable and begin Every male person"
Ii is at least sweet to know that the ticket fo-
which the ladies would have voted was elected
by great majority. with one exception, q can
didate whom Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. White in
dig1anty scratched by reason of his notorious
addiction TO billiards and beer. Mrs. Macdonald
herself had FIVE votes for the school-trusteeship.
The would-be votresses proclaim that they in.
tend TO offer their votes, and to agitate till thew