The Portland daily press., 1869-02-19
AGRIooLA.
women's suRraae

~-%~NA<@A@
Women's Suffrage.
ANIMATED DEBATE BETWEEN MISS ANNA
DICKINSON AND REV. ROBERT L. COLLIER.
AT THE LIBRARY HALL CONVENTION
IN CHICAGO.
The Chicago Tribune gives long report of
some exciting scenes in the Woman Suffrage
Convention, in the Library Hall, in that city,
on Friday last. We quote portion of its re-
port, somewhat condensed:
frequent and loud calls were made for Miss
1sIn.n Anna DICKINSON, who occupied seat on the
noUh' ,n1lo'na. one came forward and spoke as
have but word or two to saw Start a
woman's tongue and YOU do NOT Inou WHARF
the end is. had gone out of the room. NOT
because OF the discussion but hecauaa ;t was
too warm and the atmosphere so sitting. when
was recalled by hearing something 10 this
effect, that there had not been a sing7e logical
argument urged on this platform in behalf Of
woman's suffrage; that woman is abundantly
represented by some man of her family; that
when woman lifts herself up in Opposition
against her husband, she lifts herself up, il I
properly and rightly understand the deciara-
ton, against God; that the Bible, or that the
inspired assertion, is that the husband is the
head of the wife, Oh buf Mr.. Collier forkot
to say that the husband is the head of the wife
as Christ is the head of the Church In my
observation, and il has not been a limited one
Il copfess, though, am not an unpreiudiced
Observer have never yet discovered a man
who is the head of the wife as Christ is the
head Of the Church. Furthermore he an
nounces that these women, being represented
by men, If they lift themselves mp In opposi-
tion to their husbands, they lose that womanly
and feminine element which is so admirable
and pure and beautiful and nothing can pre-
serve them from the Contamination Of politics.
Woman is TO lift herself against God if she lifts
herself against her husband (?), and woman Is
abundantly represented (?) by this same hus-
band, or by some man in her own family.
There are multitude Of women who have no
husbands. There are multitude of women
who never will have any husbands. There
are great many women who have no men in
their own households to represent them, for
their wrongs or their rights. Mr.. Collier, L
suppose, however, is talking about women
who have husbands. He says the woman
loses her purity, her dslcacy, her feminine at
tribntes, when she lifts her voice and senti-
ments against the man whose name she bears
You have here, within the limits of your State
of Illineis, hundred thousand drunkards
Every woman who dares to lift her hand cry
out with her voice "Give me the ballot that
may offset the votes OF these drunkards at the
polls ard save my children from starvation
and myself from being put into the work.
house, this woman is lifting herself against
the laws of God and womanhood. The ballot
is to save womanhood and save purity, which
he says is in danger-the feminine element of
dependence and weakness and tenderness, of
clinging helplessness, which he SO much adores.
do not say this or want it tor the sake Of po-
litical power, that women may 60 into the
White House. 1t will take six generations Of
decent men to make it respectable for any wo-
man to enter. do not say it for the sake of
going to Congress. I can safely venture to
| put the ruling of this Convention to-day
against that of the Vice-President of the Unit
cd States the other day in the House of Repre-
sentatives But say it tor the sake of the
purity of womanhood for the sake of the rights
| of mothers; and let us allow, from one end Of
this State to the other, as well as from one end
of the country to the other, first, every black
man in America to have the ballot; second
and speedily, every man and woman, black
and white, to 60 to the polls to defend their
own rights and the rights of their homes.
Rev. r. L. Collier said he would to God that
every woman in America had such heart
and such voice for woman's rights. But
sympathy was one thing and logic was anoth-
er IT he thought the ballot In the hand of the
woman would cure the wrong she speaks Of
he would favor woman suffrage, but he was
| firmly convinced that 1t would only ae gravafe
their wrongs. He could not nght Anna Dick
inson.
Anna Dickenson-I certainly do not intend
| to fight, Mr.. Collier. believe have the
| name of not being belligerent woman, and
| it is too warm to make any desperate effort
| just at present. Mr.. Collier, however, says
| sympathy is one thing and logic is another
sand women in the State of Massachusetts,
who are wives Of drunkards, and as matter
which shall appeal to your sympathies or
move your tears. Mr. Collier says that these
women are to find their rights by influence at
home.
Mr.. Collier-That is what mean.
| Miss Dickinson--That they are to do il by
| womanly and feminine love, and tell him
| that is the duty Of this same feminine element
which is so admirable and adorable. have
seen men on your street corners, as have
| seen men on the street corners Of every city Of
/ America, with bloated faces, with maugled
forms and eyes blackened by the horrible vice
and orgies carried on in their dens Of iniquity
and drunkenness and sin. have seen men
with not semblance OF humanity in their
| form nor in their face, and not q sentiment of
| manhood in their souls. / have seen these
men made absolute masters Of wives and
| children; men who reel to their homes night
after night to beat some helpless child; TO beat
some helpless woman. Ara these women,
their wives, TO fnd their safety, their security,
security for themselves and their children, by
| influence, through argument and tenderness
| or love, when nothing can influence save
| drink? The law gives man the power to say:
4 II will have drink; will put this into my
mouth" If the ballot were given to women
| they would vote against drunkenness. 1t il
not sentiment, it is logic, if there be any logic
in votes and home saved.
Mr.. Collier-I wish to say that law never
yet cured crime; that men are not our only
| drunkards. Women are drunkards as well as
| men.
Miss Dickinson (excitedly lit s not 80. l.
Mr.. Collier-l wish to say not only that, but
/ that intemperance can never be cured BY law
Miss Dickinson-Very well. You tell me
that there are women in the land who are
drunkards. Doubtless there are. Then |
| stand here as a woman to entreat, to beseech.
| to pray against this sin, by woman's voice and
woInan's heart. For the sake Of these SHINING
| women, ask the ballot to drag them back
! from these rumshops and shut their doors.
| [Applause.] God forbid that / should under
| rate the power of love; that ! should discard
| tenderness il tenderness will suffice. Let us
have the ballot to eradicate the evil Mr..
Collier says he is full Of sympathy, and inti-
| mates that women should stand here aud sle-
vate love above law. So long as . man can be
influenced by love, well and good. When
| man has sunk to the point where he beats his
children and wife, and burns the house over
them, reduces them TO starvation, TO get this
/ accursed drink TO put down his throat; when
| q man has sunk TO such level as that, he is in
nine cases out Of ten no longer man, and is
to be dealt with inst precisely as the man is to
be dealt with who would burn your house over
i your heads. Are you to stand still and entreat
these men who burn your houses? Is this
| what woman is to do? Mol She is to have
| strength added to her hand to make it and her
/ arm stronger than they are. She is to have
/ the power that will drag tie firebrand out of
i his hand, and when sense and reason return;
when the fire is sxtinguished, then, say, let
keeping q man out Of sin is better than to
drag him out aftsrward by love.
Mr.. Collier then endavored to speak, but the
audience hissed. After about five minutes
| Mrs. Livermore restored order, and he said be
| was placed in a false position of prominence
| because unfortunately, he was the only gem
.teman on the platform who entertained sAri-
| GUS convictions on the negative side of the sub
l ject. He thought Mr.. Hammond was on the
| anxious seat. He felt uneasy lest be should
| become so, for he was always on the side of
| progress, and he was with Miss Dickinson.
| and every one else, in aleviating the wrongs
| of both men and women. The only question
| was would the ballot cure the wrongs? [Cries
of "Yes, yes,"1 II SO, he would like to hear the
reasons, philosophical and logical, set forth to
| enforce that opinion. [Cries of "That is
| right"l The appeals that had been made to
| the Convention were unlogical and sympathet-
ic appeals He believed there were as many
| men in America as women who would vote
against the wrongs of women. He believed
the prosecutors OF women were women. FASH
ion and the prejudice against women aud
their work, in the minds of women, had been
the barriers to their owa elevation. That the
ballot in the hands of women would cure these
evils he denied.
Miss Dickinson-Mr Collier says "the worst
enemies of women are women" that the worst
| opponents of this measure are fashion, dress
| and idleness. 1t seems true, and confess
that there are no bitterer opponents or enc
| mics of this measure than women. On that
| very ground l assert that the ballot Will prove
| woman's best friend. II woman has something
| else to think about than simply to please the
| men or the splendor of her diamonds, OF the
| ma0nifceuce of her carriage, You may pc sure,