Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-07-01
Universal Suffrage Conventions

alive audience 10 listen W "iia0 iAiS Nv ~
said or sung in favor of universal sui
frage.
Mr.. John Landon called the meeting to
order, and in few remarks stated the
object for which it had been called. He
said that our country was to-day in a
state of unrest and the people were con-
scious that something wrong existed in
the enactments or execution of the laws
Of the land ; that the time had now ar
rived which required all the talent and
philanthropy of the nation to devise the
means by which better state OF things
could be inaugurated, and it was the OBJ
iect of this Convention to draw out such
thoughts as should aid in producing TINS
result He was of opinion that more IN
teliigence and virtue was requisite to
perpetuate improvement, and he knew no
better way to secure these than to adopt
universal suffrage.
He then introduced the ITutchinsons.
who furnished excellent and appropriate
songs for the occasion.
Mrs. Lucy Stone was then introduced
and i'll clear, musical but earnest voice,
presented facts and arguments in favor of
the rights and duties Of woman For
more than an hour the audience listened
with undivided attention to her irreest-
able arguments in favor OF woman - suffer
age. We are not ah}n ia give anything
like n fair summary of her remarks.
They should he heard to be. appreciated.
She commenced 10y abiding to the preiu-
dioes and common law of .the land fifty
years ago and compared them with those
OF to-day. She made allusion to the
prejudice then existing against those
women who veutured to appear in public;
10 the law which then deprived woman
of her own earnings. or the property
which she might inherit from her parents ;
10 the law which then confscated to the
State one half of the property Of which
the husband might die seized provided
there were no children; and to ether in
stances Of womau'S serviie condition as
compared with her situation to-day.
She was rtioiced th1t SO much progress
had been made by her -.N by this greater
measure Of ju,tica. Bat she insisted that
injustice was still visited upon them, an
injustice similar to that which led our
ancestors to declare their freedom from
British authority.
She fully eoneuTel III sentiment with;
the trainers Of our constitution, that all
power being originally inherent in, should
consequently he derived from the people
.ud have their full consent. She insisted
hat'taNa,ion without representation was
wrong that in "a free government
that was founded on Justice those
" ho were to be subject 10 the laws should
aid III their enactment. Inuamuch,
therefore, as women are portion Of the
people, taxed equally with men when
they have taxable property, and are alike
subject TO the laws Of the land, she in
sisted that they, in justice, should have
equal rights with the men in their enact
ment
She intimatrd that it was ungenerous
and unwise III men to withhold that right
from ,ba wntn.,, Of the I.n1 after having
..;r.;, :, ,.r,-l,,3 q, .h,ral,l. 49, ,,,..u.oa
me Ci'He"h' or otAet foreign people VINO
lock to our country, with their ignorance
of our institu tions, and Oft ntiIne. even
unable to speak our LANGUAGE.
She paid beautiful tribute to those
noble, self-secr-fcinr women who sent
their husbands and sons to crush out the
Late rebellion. and portrayed in a bcautl-
iul manner the great service that they
rendered the country in many charitable
acts which rhey performed during the
treat struggle.
She can1J not h.I;,va ~. ,a,,.1, If tbo
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