Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-12-22
Progress offhs V'omen's Rights
1f'0utfn.


Conventiclcs and meetings of the
w0mcn's rights women are increasing
East and West, and they are widening
the sphere Of their discussions from
women's rights in the matter Of suf
frago to "cverythingin heaven above,
in the earth below and in the waters
under the EARTH But at tho Woman's
National Suffrage Association meeting
in this city on Wednesday evening
last, the Mcfarland. Richardson tragc.
dy, with all its shocking details and
teachings, was the engrossing subject
of the evenings debates and resolu-
tions.
Mrs Norton led off on a resolution
against the manufacturing of public
opinion in behalf of an assassin, de-
claring that "had Sickles and Cole both
suffered the Just punishment of their
crimes this (Richardson) murder new.
er would have been committed" Up
on this hint n woman's rights man of
the free love order named Poole, took
up the subject. He contended that
the divorce laws of New York were
not free and easy enough; that the
death-bed marriage Of Richardson and
Mrs. Mcfarland upon that Indiana
divorce was n glorious thing, though
in defiance of the laws Of New York !;
that women arc loaded down with
laws, and he objected TO all laws ailec-
ting women because they are women,
and so 'on. Next came Mrs. Blake,
Who having husband of her own,
did not admire these lax divorce laws,
of the Western States In France
during the Reign of Terror, when the
divorce laws were relaxed, woman
could not 60 TO public assemblage
without seeing six or eight different
husbands, and Mrs. Blake didn't want
anything Of that kind. Mrs. Norton,
for her part, thought that state of
things which allowed woman six or
eight husbands was much better than
the order Of society under which a poor
woman was obliged TO live with hus-
band she detested This surely was
"speaking right out in meeting" Mrs
SummerOy, horriied, no doubt, at Mrs.
Norton's ideas of woman's rights, sug
gested that the real question before
the society was woman's right to the
ballot.
A certain DIR. Hoeber here put in
his oar, contending that womens
rights in matrimony were dependent
upon their possession Of the right of
suffrage In the depIorable fact that
none Of the newspapers had come
forth to the defence Of Mrs. McFar-
land you could see how women are
treated In fact, he pronounced our
present system of marriage as nothing
but prostitution. Mrs. Norton backed
up this free love doctor, and conten.
ded that the question Of suffrage and
the question Of the divorce laws were
mother and child. This simply means
that the ullimatum of these woman
suffrage associations is free love and
easy divorces.
This, then, as the upshot of woman
suffrage, is tho entertainment to which
the American people are invited
free love and free and easy divorces
comprehending the abolition Of the
family, and the substitution Of the
Fourieritc phalanx or the juvenile asy-
lum for the children of the community.
What a horrible mess Of darkness, dia.
bolism and chaos, to be sure ! In the
face OF such impudent and startling
revelations free love men in petticoats
and these old women in breeches, and
in view Of their atrocious designs up.
on society, Mcfarland will be apt to
be considered the avenger OF an ont
ragged community, rather than an Of.
fender against the laws. Indeed with
a few more Of these outspoken free
love womans rights meetings on the
Richardson assassination il will bc i'm.
possible to obtain jury on thocasc.--
Nelc York Herald.