The Portland daily press., 1869-05-27
[speelal plspateh to lhe paIly press.l

Especial Dispatch to the Daily Press]
BosroN, May 26-All previous meetings of
anniversary week were entirely overshadowed
by the immense congregation of the friends of
woman suffrage in horticultural Hall to-day.
Not only was every nook and corner of the
building supplied with an occupant, but the
lobbies and passage-ways were packed full of
people, until it was literally impossible to find
room for any more.
The Treasurer reported the amount of re-
receipts last year to be $1S61 90; expenditures,
Sl4O5.99; balance on hand, $456.
Mrs. julia Ward Howe called the conven-
ton to order, and, after prayer by the Rev.
olympia Brown, the Secretary, Miss Clarke,
read letters from John Stuart Mill, Lucretia
Mott, George William Curtis, Judge Hoar,
and lev. Robert Collyer, regretting their ina
bllity to be present and expressing their hear
ty sympathy with the objects of the meeting
A letter of a similar character was read from
134 female school teachers of this city.
Mr. Wendell Phillips was then presented to
audience. He said that the wcman's rights
cause seeks to drag the unheeded and almost
unappreciated power of woman to the light
and stamp it with the seal of political power,
not, as is said, to grant more power to the other
sex. He had reason to congratulate the asso-
citation on their past successes. They were
achieved by single and persistent concentra-
tion of their energies upon a single point, with
out any outlying ISSUE. This was the secret of
Napoleon's success as military chieftain, and
it has been correctly and successfully used by
4Ea of
woman acquires power, that moment will
every instrumentalty crowd about her to
make it intelligent power All the needs of
woman must Of necessity be supplied when
she possesses the ballot. Every avneue of la
Dor will be opened, and woman will not only
be invited but strongly urged to follow the
bent of her own inclinations. The foes now
most powerful and difficult to overcome are
the ;gnorances and prejudices of society Ex-
pediency, custom, innovation and a dozen 9TH
er paltry cries are uttered in default of argu-
ment to resist the sacred claim of woman for
her rights. Time only is needed to wear these
away; but it must be long time. Because
the educated classes are falling into line. be D
pie must not be too sanguine. Ignorance and
prejudice belong to the masses and to the
masses must we 60 for their eradication. Mr.
Phillips here alluded to the opposition that
genuine reform had always met from the evan
gelical church, saying that its cardinal princi-
pie ofvengeance was still directed against the
woman movement. He prophesied that the
almost unanimous report of the suffrage COM
m;ttee in the Massachusetts, Legislature would
not get vote, fhe Legislature cannot be
convinced before at least three years. 1t has
admitted the justice of the argument and that
is enough to begin with After we have pene-
trated the arena of resistance and met face to
face the orthodox clergymen, then we can say
that we have touched victory; we have met
Waterloo. The logic of events has put us for
ward to our present position. We must follow
it to its conclusion. From the great multiple
OF workingwomen in the land, like as in the
days when four millions Of slaves were held in
bondage, comes up diapason of murmuring
complaint that a0iN make itself heard Mr.
Philips secuted the generally accepted defini-
tion of "woman's sphere" The sphere of
woman is en- the same plane as that of man
and its limits will not be clearly defined until
for the same amount of labor performed in an
equally meritorious manner woman receives
the same compensation as her male associates
Labor is equally divided and the recompense
should be accorded in similar manner. No
man and no set of men have a right to keep
from woman's hands the power of protecting
her own rights
Ralph Waldo Emerson followed Mr.. Phillips
expressing his joy at the ripeness of the woman
movement The influence of woman silently
surely exerted for many long centuries had at
last worked a result which promised triumph
ant victory. He thought that woman was
really the superior of man in many particu-
lars. Their perceptions are keener and they
are equally capable of putting them into pre-
ticable shape. Woman influence upon soeie-
ty, even in her present limited sphere, works
with admirable effect; when she possesses the
ballot, that influence will be enlarged and ex-
tended and she will exert greater good. Mr..
Emerson concluded by asserting that woman
demanded only her rights and that man
acted cowardly part in denying her their
possession.
In the afternoon Rev. Gilbert Haven read a
long and somewhat dry essay upon the rights
OF woman, treated abstractly, and otherwise.
Resolutions were adopted to the effect that
woman is entitled to the ballot in the spirit of
the Declaration OF independence; that national
safety, public morality and the permanence of
free institutions alike demand woman suffrage
that the 10Th amendment should be followed
by 10Th, giving rights to woman, and that it
should lake precedence of all national ques-
tions; and thanking the Massachusetts, Legis-
lative committee for their action in regard to
this vital question.
Rev. Mrs Phebe A. Hanaford and Mrs Liv-
ermore followed. The latter speaker answered
the question, Being incapable OF fig hting
how can women enforce the laws which they
make?"-by saying that if this rule was to be
followed, we would disfranchise great many
men and enfranchise great many women
Among the men would lie VIM Lloyd Garri-
son and John G. Whittier, and the women
would be taken from the class that are daily
arraigned by the police courts for assault and
battery.
The speakers at the evening meeting were
Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, William Lloyd Garri-
son, Mrs. Phebe Cousins of Milwaukee, Isaac
Ames, Esq, and Hon. Whitney Griswold. -
Mrs. Howe read an essay upon the rights of
woman Mr.. Garrison said the question was
more comprehensive than that of slavery, and
Mrs. Cousins recommended woman suffrage at
the South, because, she said, the black woman
was more intelligent than the black man. The
convention then adjourned sine die
The Hutchinson Family of singers enlivened
the session to-day with their popular music
LABOR REFORM LEAGUE.
Tho c,leSino ne 41,o r - r, .f----
the Meionian this afternoon was unus ually in
teresting and attended by large number of
persons.
Mrs. Cora Adelaide Syme, lady who in
early life became indoclrinated with New Eng
land ideas, which, however, became sadly per-
verted by long residence in the Western coun-
try, took the platform and endeavored to i'm
press upon her hearers the majesty Of labor
Entirely Ignoring its dependence upon capital
and the almost utter helplessness of one without
the other, Mrs Syme launched forth recklessly
into an illustration of her peculiar ideas.
The end and aim OF the labor movement she
thought, was to entirely reconstruct society on
the principle of the volcano 1. e., throwing out
of the bosom of the masses ideas which would
encrust the world. In the speakers opinion,
the result of the work OF the Convention
would be new heaven upon earth. She fa-
vored the limitation OF the powers granted leg
islative- bodies submitting all laws to the judy
ment of the people Having relieved her mind