Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-02-11

time, gentlemen, to fulfil your obligation.
If the ballot is thing to bo earned, which |
1t Is not, for it is a right, women have earn
cd it,"
But the most interesting speech of the |
whole Convention was the final one of Mrs. |
Livermore. This lady is noble looking |
woman, and is by far the most able speak |
or of all the female advocates of womans |
suffrage.
She began: "Thc duty assigned to me
this evening is to answer some of the OBJ
jections to woman's suffrage advanced i'm
paper hold in my hand, the Vermont
Waterman and State Journal" The lalv
then took up each of the objections Ia the
now reform stated in the last issue a,rie
paper referred to, and submitted Il 10 thor
ough and, it seemed, fatal analysis.
When she came to the charge that this
movement is found in low company.
and that many of its advocates scorn tho
Christian idea of marriage, and announce
tho broadcast doctrine of FREQ love,--shc
said, turning to her associates upon the
platform, "you hear ladies, lor comDd-
nyl Free lovers, arc you ?" Laughter,
applause, and cries of Poland, PolaudJ
This, sir, is serious charge, so if you
are here, stand up and give your names
and persons" The editor was there. but
the audience was with the speaker. 50 Mr.
Poland, sensibly considering discretion the
better part of valor, did not show his head.
"lf you arc true man, you will reply"
(Long pause and no answer, but cboersl
"If you are not coward, you will reylv."
tremendous chcoring.) az pronounce
the charge utterly and absolutely h,isc.
The editor of a religious newspaper Sares
make this charge and then darcs-no}ty,
the music" cloud choers.) ain iup tfat
way the Rev. j. ID. Fulton used 10 SANDER
our women in his lecturing tours. bat he
never dared assail me, for was following
close behind him. These false and slan-
dcrous charges l fling at editor Poland's
feet Great excitement and applause.
1--WE are all married women, and happily
| married women. Five of our sisters IN
advocating this cause, are native OF Yer
mont, are distinguished women, and church
members. Get n copy of this paper each
one of you, and one of the days that lrc to
come, when this editor says he alwavs was
an advocate of suffrage show him this ar
ticlc. (Chcers.) All little difficulties and
objections connected with the subject will
settle themselves. Don't be fooled by any
such contemplate scribbling as this"
Great applause.
SPEECH or LUCY STONE.
As each of the speakers had tallcn her
seat she must ask herself how much she
had done by her remarks 10 change The o.
pinions of the men of this audAsnce on this
subject. She knew by the change in their
faces that much had been done; many men
had gone from the room ready T. vote for
the cause. She advised the won n to get
up a petition to the Legislature to grant
them their rights. If the men knew how
much they wanted suffrage they would
give ii to them. She remembered the first
time she had to pay taxes on real estate
She was indignant, and could not but write
a little note to the Collector, saying that she
knew he would legally be bound to collect
the tax, but that she would not pay it. SO
they came and took enough Of her property
on refusing to pay it, for she would sooner
go day by day earning but enough to subsist
upon than be as she is, without owning
her own earnings, without owning even
the baby on her knee. Suppose the boys
should say with the girls that they had all
the rights they wanted-they didn't want
TO vote. You'd think them idiots. Girls
are made for something better than to sit
and make little dogs in perforated paper
apAworking cats I'm footstools until tleil
sot1s Nare dwine4ed to the size of rHrI
crochet noodles. ;
Do you like such life girls? don't he
lieve you do. If you mothers give notn.
ing to your daughters but little bad
French and mem music, as nothing from
nothing comes, so your postcrty will a.
mount to nothing. When the young WOO
man tells you that she has all the rights
she wants, know in my woman's soul she
is dissatisfied. God never made n soul to
be satisfied by such things.
Emers on says, The apple tree is very
foolish tree, but if you take load after load
OF loan from its roots, and draw on sand
the tree will find it out after while. If a
girl was to attempt to hew her way through
Cancels Hump with jack knife, she
wouldn't have harder task than the carly
advocates of this cause had. But the cause
is progressing and will succeed. If / am
to be taxed, then ii is an easy doctrine to
accept, that have right to help make the
law that taxes me. If | am to he hanged,
to have a voice in making the law that
hangs me.
Trust God. The path of justice is the
only path of safety.
Mrs. Stone was warmly applaIded and
deserved to be. This speech was the clos
ing exercise of the Association.
The reporter of tho Free Press makes the
following observations at the close of his re-
port, which seems to be written with can
dor and fairness:
The Convention was undeniably a sue
cess. The audiences were large and grew
TO be enthusiastic. The exercises were
conducted with admirable tact, being re-
lieved from all tediousness by short, pleas
ant little speeches by Mrs. Livcrmore and
Mrs. Stone, and by frequent songs by the
Hutchinsons. About one hundred and fif-
ty persons subscribed to the pledge which
made them members of the Vermont Wo-
mans Suffrage Association, only some 25
of the sgners residing in Montpelier. Both
friends and enemies of Woman Suffrage,
expressed themselves rs agroeably disap-
pointed to find the speakers so quiet, sens
ible and lady-like. The exercises in the
evening were greatly disturbed bX>slasss
scurvy boys and loaferish young n,erlSlr
the back part of the hall. Montpelier had
better bury some of its hopeful youth, or
find means to make them behave.