Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1869-04-23
CORRESPONDENTS.
LErrEn rasOM DUBUQuE.

Iowa has OF late been somewhat agitAted
on the subject Of woman's rights. Anna e,
Dickinson has been in the leading cities, and
"broken ground in the matter. Mrs. Brink,
crhotr and one or two other able lecturers
have spoken in varicas parts Of the State.
Two or three newspapers have taken a de-
cided-aud two or three Others half,deci,
ded-.ssnd in favor cf WOMAN suffrage. This
agitation has done and is dong . good work
for men and women with brains in their
heads and sense Of Justice in their soula,
need only to have their a,:en,isn and redsc>
ton awakened, to SEQ that any position il
opposition to woman's right TO every bcnef,
and blessing which God has conferred upon
his children, ID relic Of -barLarism. . re>
voting Tyranny, disgrace to civilization, .
uons,rous and unparalleled Injustice.
Agitation is the 6rst step in reform; the
secoud i organisation. This step, also, has
been taken in Iowa and our nuch.maligned
Dubuque city has The honor Of being the
first in this State to organize . "woman's
Suffrage Association And this has been
accomplished under she NEST happy and
promising auspices.
Not for years has 90 tempting theme
been offered as mark for the coarse Wit and
con,emptuous derision OF the brainlsss buf.
fcous and brutes Of our cny, Is when it be-
came known that womAn's suffrage meet
ing was 10 contemplation. I, was accepted
az . matter Of course. BY these generous aud
sympA,hizirg souls, that nobody would be
connected with anything Of the sort exeersa
10, Of "scrawny old maids" few nimb'e>
,ongucd Zausippes, vixens Al home and
gcssips abroad, with spriukling Of d,asat-
isfed wives, grass. widows, half,insane she,
fanatics, and perhaps females Of a more
doubtful character.
Friday morning last . can appeared in the
morning papers for = meeting Of oil women
in the city in favor Of woman Suffrage. This
call Was surprise aad sudden damper to
the hilAr:ty Of these jocular individuals. Fox
TO The call were signed the names Of num-
Der Of ladies occupying the very highest SO,
cial position in the ci,y (; headers in literary
aud fashionable circles, concerning whom
no man, nor fend, dare breathe disrespeet.
full word. Then il was prophesied that the
project would certainly prove failure that
- Few Of The "aristocracyr were " running
the thing and that their interest in the mat
ter would last - long, perhaps, as the veloc'
ipede mania, or till q new style Of spring
bonns,s arrived to create fresh "ssnsa,
,ion."
The meeting vas held on Saturday after
noon. Its projectors, unable to help feeling
Q little anxious and uncertain rs 10 the re,
sul,, made up shsir mids that II dozen wers
present they would no, call the affair fall
ure. Twice that number were present; be-
sides which. Numerous Letters Of sympathy
and hearty cheer were read from those whom
basiness or illness prevented from attending
There we're unlooked>for meetings there. Of
persons Who never had suspected each Other
of any sympathy with this hitherto "unpop-
| slar" movement.
But the bes. and most promising feature
Of the affair vas the character of those who
took part 10 it. Here we're representatives
Of every respectable class in society; the
wives Of our leading lawyers; our largest
bankers; our heaviest merchants; oar bes,
known business men our army officers, aad
our city officers. Nor was the least faint o.
"cas,e" anywhere pereeptible. Rich and
poor, school-teaeher and seams,ress, the wife
OF the millionaire and the wife Of the ne
chanic. mingled on equal footing as sisters
and co-laborers in common cause.
There was . sudden end to the sneers o.
the sphere>prescribing lords of creation
who had oil along been asserting that mt
pure woman ever wanted to vote, and nc
virtuons woman would ever ask il. These
we're precisely the women who, j. had beer
oil along declared, would not unsex them
selvss" aud outrage dseeucy BY touching
that unholy ihing-ths ballot. The woman
suffrage movement leaped At bound from
disgrace and scorn to respec.abiliiy and pop
ulArity. The cause that On Saturday morn
ing had thirty timid followers in the city, b,
Sunday sighs had three thousand devoted
adherents.
That il VS. meeting Of eoTking womsf
Wa manifest b. ths amount Of business tia
Vas dose. A temporary, and afterwards ,
permanent organization was effected; l
consultation and code Of by>lavs were adopt
Cd COMMITTEES was appointed with powe
TO select > delegate to attend the Naiiona
Womsn's Suffrage Convention to be held j,
New York, in May; and several resolutions
we're adopted, to one Of which wish 10 cal
the special attention. of your readers:
Resolred,f That we fequest those womei
movement, to cooperate by organizing As
soeiaiions, and communicating with on
Corresponding Secretary.
/ The Corresponding Secretary Is Mrs. Aus
tin Adams. She Is the wife of one Of Du
bnqses ablest and best known lswyers, witt
whom many Of your readers must be &C
quaiuied. She is eminenily fitted for the pa
sition she 30 reluctantly accepted, and Ia
dy Of ability, energy, aid earnes. enihusi
asm tempered by excellent judgment. An
my main purpose 10 this communication il
to call the attention of the BuLLErrg and j;
readers, and through il, other papers an
people in Northern Iowa, TO the organiza
ton OF this Northern Iowa Woman's Sui
. frsgs Association" to urge the formation ,
branch or cooperative associations in ever
county, land better JET in dozen places
every eounty); 70 request the secretaries
such societies., Or isolated women sympash
zing With the movement, to write freely an
.. without waiting % bs written 70, lfor BIO
/ are thsis ssstimsnts or their Whereabouts
; Be discovered unless they make themselv'
known y to the Corresponding Secretary
the Association, 1t Dubuque.
. neutrality-suspicious. Henc'
1 forth be that the watchvord. And befol
another ysar shall pas, We hope 70 zee Il
NJ. W. s. Association, outgrowing It's K
: col origin and limitations, bscome, what
l = IL H. l. 4 IL I 4