The Portland daily press., 1870-09-09
A Look Ahead.

OUCH WIS Tue bltlc vi tut lecture QellNeTtu db
City Hall last evening before very fair sized
audience, by Mrs. NJ. "A. Livermore. Owing,
no doubt as the lecturer said, to the fact that
what she might say on the subject would occu-
py two evenings, and she must compress it into
an hour, she was led into a rather hurried de-
livery, which we believe is not customary with
her. She was very easy and graceful, but pos
sesses the fault common to all speakers be
they man or woman, who do not use notes. of
employing great many unnecessary words
and running off of the track every now and
then to tell story. The lecture was highly
interesting, contained great many home
truths, and should have been listened to by as
many as could have gained admission to the
hall.
Mrs. Livermore divided her subject into three
heads, temperance reform, labor reform and
woman suffrage. All reforms, she remarked,
were necessarily disturbers. The introduction
Of Chinese labor was causing great disturb
ance, and the reason was because it was ascer-
tanned that the Cinnamon would work for half
the price that other na.iouaties would. The
Introduction of temperance into politics, call
ing for a temperance reform, was also causing
Il ulStuTDduCt, uub IL WOillu WOTk out purll-
cation of the country; aud the woman suffrage
movement was causing third disturbance.
These three reforms are now organized and fee
bly, perhaps but none the less surely stretching
out their feeble hands towards each other. aud
sooner or later they would form trinity in
unity which would sweep away all opposition.
In considering the temperance REFORM she
spoke of the motto OF this State as "Dirigo,' or
Il lead" The country, she said, was chequer-
ed with grog shops and the people enslaved by
strong drink. Figures in the aggregate made
little impression on people, like the statistics
of a battle field. but wounded man in the street
at once commanded sympathy. She then gave
the statistics of the amount of liquor sold and
drank, the number of people employed in the
sale in New York alone, and asked who shall
give the statistics of the broken hearts and
hopes, and the wives and children beaten. per-
haps murdered. In Illinois man don't lose
caste in society if he gets drunk, but law is
enforced against the introduction of Texan
cattle because they disease the native cattle.
In Chicago hundred thousand dollars is TAX
en- in licenses for selling liquor, and $4,000 of
it given to the Washngtonian Home, in other
devil" She drew vivid picture of the evils
of trusting the power of the State in the hands
of drunkard. in the case of the Governor of
Illinois during the war, and asked if it was
wise to put the helm of the State in the hands
of a druukard. Mustn't we make it point
that our officials shall be sober men? She had
passed nine weeks in Maine, penetrated into
all kinds of queer hooks and corners, and had
not seen man drunk or smelt rum, and she
could not say this of any other State.
Although the labor reform movement is led
by many men who are demagogues. yet it is a
genuine reform. Our fore fathers at the North
started with the promise that every man should
have scope for his industry. The South called
labor degrading, and although we have got rid
of slavery, yet the faint rests with us still and
the prejudice remains with many that labor is
degrading. It is now becoming the practice
for corporations to be formed, monopolizing
aud controlling everything, and buying up all
great projects which tend to bailding up vast
personal fortunes for a few. as in the case Of
Jim Fisk, and Congress follows suit by its |
wholesale distribution of $50, 0OOO 900 acres of |
lands to corporations that belong to the people |
Eighty years ago, there were 200, 900 land own. |
ers in England, now decreased to 80 900, who |
made panpers of the yeomen, and yet these |
same paupers protest against free school sys- |
tenn like ours The real theory of the labor re- |
form movement is proper one. II means |
some OF the comforts, aye even the luxuries of |
life, as well as the mere shelter and bread. 1t |
means that the poor are the equals of the rich |
in the eye of the Lord, and must have equal |
chances. BY and by, when the friends of the |
movement have eliminated il from its crudities, |
have received the right hand of fellowship, |
nave secured combination and co,operaton |
md consider that there is no contest between |
abor and capital, then will the labor reform be
airly established.
The woman suffrage movement is the at.
empt to get the ballot-bo The ballot.box is
'nly symbol of equality, and all who possess
t are equal. Sugar-coated cEivalrv is not what |
woman wants. No right minded woman claims
hat she is oppressed or tyrannized over, but
he wants the right to battle with the many
wills that are injuring the country and debas-
ng those they love best Man possesses better
ogical powers and courage, but woman has
zeener instructions and tenderness. These
qualities both possess were meant to be united,
md the day that a man goes to the polls with
lis wife on his arm will be the best voting day |
he State ever saw. Then they can prevent
he husband or brother whom they see enter
ng life with fair prospects, from becoming
wreck in the prime OF manhood from strong
rink. She spoke of Horace Greeley's saying
women didn't want to vote. and the next day
5000 women, headed by Mrs. Horace Greeley,
sent in petition that they wanted to vote |
Spoke of the advantages in many places out
West that women now enjoy. The question of |
The right Of woman suffrage is now before the
D. S. Courts, based upon the 14th and 18th
amendments. Woman suffrage is an outcome
If Christianity, based on the golden rule.