Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-02-02
won,un Suffrage Association.

The opening meeting of this Association, held
in Village Hall last evening, was very fully 81
tended, the house being packed and all available
space even for standing room. being fully oc-
cupied,i ial .u,R laa sist ta,o. ,.s.. Sos. ..l
The Convention was called TO order about half.
past seven BY Hon CHARLES REED, President Of
the Vermont Woman Suffrage Association, who,
after an Invocation in song by the Hutchinson
Family, proceeded to Introduce Mrs. Lacy STONE
BLAdswEli, who addressed the Convention. b.
Mrs. Blackwell commenced BY congntulating
the people Of Vermont that woman had not in this
State been obliged to demand the ballot Mt the
hands o.. the men,, but that, the indications now
were that men were about 10 accord TO woman the
franchise, her natural, inalieuable right, without
asking. She insisted that woman had n right TO
a voice in making those laws BY which she was
taxed, tried and hung. She held that Republican
institutions wero imppssibIeon any plan Of limit
ed suffrage, and that the ballot was necessary 10
woman for her protection, and 70 insure her the
same wnges for the same labor, that Is paid 70
meu. She then proceeded To show under what
n'enstrous and oppressive laws the women Of Yer
mont have unconsciously suffered 40 long; hppar-
emily forgetting that for nearly every wrong 20
enumerated by her, there is full and ample proyis-
ion made under oar statutes and at the hands OF
our Courts. Mrs Blackwell then proceeded to
discuss some Of the objections urged to woman
suffrage. H-. .4 s..i.
At the conclusion Of her remarks Mr. Black
well was introduced. lie commenced by stating
that he should much prefer being citizen Of
Vermont to New Jersey, (the State in which he
resdes) because New Jersey had once adopted
womnn suffrage and subsequently repudated it,
while Vermont had never enacted it, but he
tlattered himself was about 10 do 80. lie then
explained the dilfcaites which were encountered
in giving the ballot b woman in New Jersey
which mainly arose from the large ignonnt for
eign population in that State lie then declared
himself in favor Of universal suffrage, andaseribed
the prosperity Of this country to the fact that we
had adopted it. lie thanked God, there was nU ed
vocational test Of citizenship 10 the United States
Ilethen argued that wjmea being naturally more
intelligent and yirtuous than men, should be en-
lranehised 10 couuterbalance the Acknowledgement
Of the Indian, the Chinaman and the negro
though we did not understand in precisely what
ci,egory he placed the squaw, the Chinawoman
and the negress. tl..-
| lie ufgued that the purity and virtue Of tho
woman was the complement Of the strength and
enterprise OF the man, both needed to complete
1 the government as well as the family, and painted
in utopian colors the benefits to bo derived from
giving them the b,ll1t, lie closed by declaring
that 1t the State Of Vermont would simply follow
his instructions, she would at once become glori-
Gus, noble and honorable
The Programme for tJ-day's entertainment will
be speaking ia the forenoon by Mrs. Ada G.
BJvles, Mr.. Henry b Blackwell, and Mrs Mar
garet Campbell; in the alternoJn by Mrs. Julia
Ward Howe, William Lloyd Garrison, and Mis-,
Lilly Peckham, and in the evening by Mrs. Mary
A. Liyermore, William Lloyd Garrison and Mrs
julia Ward Howe
We understand that the Hutchinson Family
have come to Vermont 70 attend the Meetings and
Convention in behalf Of " oman Suffrage, and en-
lliycn it with their songs.
They will give series of Concerts in behalf OIL
Woman Suffrage and Temperance, in different
towns OF the Stale, clusing with aTemperanct
Convention already arranged in Rutland, on the
llth inst
They will be at Montpelier on Tuesday apt
I "Wednesday, February list and ID, and in Water
barry on MondAy,the 9Th. inst. 80 AN