Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-12-29
The Mock Session Again

Some one-Mr. Henry B. Blackwell, we
suppose-sends us marked copy of the
Woman's Journal containing an article
headed "Woman Suffrage needed in Yer
mont" and signed "H. B. b. in which
Mr.. Blackwell recalls the fact. which
somehow he does not seem to Fave forgot
ten, that Vermont rejected woman suf
frage last summer "by an almost mani
nous vote"--that astonishing un nimity,
by the way, being chiefly the res!tt of an
| industrious canvas of our State conduct
|, ed BY H. b B" aud his s-sn"ia''s md
announces the somewhat snrpri-iny N
| clusion that "the cIuSe snS Consequence
of that fatal mistake are 18th painfully
evident in a scandalous AID indecent
mock session of theVermont Legislature.
held last week, immediately preceding its
| adjournment.
| Mr.. Blackwell adds that the Legisla-
ture was "largely composed of the mem
| bers of the Constitutional Convention
| which condemned Woman Suffrage" and
| proceeds to quote from commune alton
in the Montpelier Fireman., concerning
the mock session, which he garbles, with
equal ingenuity aud dishonesty, to serve
his purpose We quote from "H. B. B.:
We are told that hundreds of ladies,
who were unable to escape in consequence
of the crowd, were compelled to witness
a scene and listen to expressions so OBJ.
scene that even
A disting uished lawyer in the gallery, hims eli
more noted for his ability and GENIAL good nature
than for any special refinement of language, turn
| ed upon his heel and swure by mighty power, as
| he went out OF the door, that he couldn't stand
| that" y The browning act of meanness of
the whole two sessions was reserved for promi-
nent and otherwise worthy member, rejoicing in
| the prefix of the Rev, who, not content
| with aiming his poisoned shafts at Mr.. Bull had
| the hardIhood to lug in the name of the wife OF
| chat gentleman, So did we the
ranF lasa Inages into the NTH OF bar-room bal
derdash in the presence of hundreds OF ladies'
Needless of the rules of de eney, they
| grew worse and worse until a bill come from the
| Senate so bad that bnth Clerk aud Speaker of
OF even that House refused to read it etc, etc.
All this filth, be it remembered, was uttered
by the legislators of Vermont, and in the pre-
ssnce of hundreds of ladies' unable TO escape
| from the hall by reason OF the crowd of specta-
tor
While We cry shame on the members of the
Vermont Legislature who have thus oisgraced
themselves, do not let us forget to cry double
>h1me on the system which m kes such a scene
possible IN America IN the 10Th century For it
| the exclusion of woman fran the polls and
from the halls of legislation which esables thes-
des picable men thus to insult with IMMUNITY the
| wives and mothers of Vermont. Does any one
mrgiue that even these ra-cals, who ventured
thus 10 outrt age the feelings of woman, because
elected by the votes of men alone, would have
doue 80 if the women of Vermont had votes ?
Never! HBB.
We do not propose to palliate the in
decenoies of the mock session. This paper
was among the first to characterize them
as they deserved. Neither do we propose
to see them exaggerated, amplifed and
made means in the hands of those who
| hate Vermont, of CASTING opProbria M,
upon our whole State, without a protest.
The truth. bad as it was, was not bad
enough to serve Mr.. Blackwells purpose
| IN this matter, and he proceeds by piecing,
| Inversion, and omissions, to make the cor
| respondent he processes to quote, describe
| u much more indecent scene then took
place, or than he originally represented.
| To show how this was done, we copy the
major part of the communication in the
Freeman. 1t was as follows
The proceedings of this assembly consisted
| manly, in fact almost entirely, of abortive at
'empts at running saw upon ''the gentleman
| from Hancock" who has been the butt Of r,di-
| Guile for the Legislature and press of the State
| Tor TWO years. And for the two reasons Frs,
that by some peeuharity of that gentleman's
makeup, he seems Cd believe in everybody 3
| sincerity, when it Is not quite 20 apparent-and
second, that, to an honest purpose, he brings q
capacity unequal TO the task of resisting the
toe of ridicule which is the only arguu ent that
can be urged against his prouosed measures OF
needed reform. But even in this unequal contest,
wherein he has been so sorply and parsistently set
upon by legion of malicious foes during two ses-
sioDs, Mr.. bull has shown himself to be about as
sharp as any one of his numerous tormentors.
Many and irritating as have besn the petty an
nDyauaaS hpaDpl ZEN the gentleman f,pT
cock, and shameless as has been the warfare thus
wsged against him, the crowuing ct OF mcaneness
Of the whole two sessions was reserved for a pro-
minent and otherwise worth member rejoicing in
the Orefx of Rev. who not content with
aiming his poisoned shafts at Mr.. Bull, had the
haraihD"a 20 log 10 tho narnS of the Wife that
gentleman, introducing bill which provided that
She should hereafter be called Mrs Taurus; or
that she shall be known by the name of Vacca
which is the Latin word for GOV. Whereupon a
distinguished lawyer in the gallery, himself more
noted for his ability and his genial good nature,
than for any special refinement of lanausge,
turned upon his heel and swore by q mighty
power as he went out of the door, that he couldn't
stand that. 80 do we see the clerical putting the
| legal profession to the blush, by such reckless
plunges into the filth of bar-roem balderdash in
| the presence of hundreds OF ladies' said that
| this was the meanest of all and So in my Judge
| rnent it was, but not the most reckless of the
rules of decency. In this respect they grew worse
and worse; until bill came from the Senate sc
| bad that both Clerk and Speaker of even that
House refused to read it. / know what it con.
| tanned, and know the name of the honorable
Senator who drafted the bill but many years age
| when was but boy, and "dog poor" he al
lowed me to become his debtor, in consideration
of which kindness. and for which | am greatly
obliged to him, 1 refrain from mentioning hi
name in this connection. NEMFsIs
. We think it viii occur to some of out
readers that the specimen of garbling, by
one of the editors of the WOman's Journal
is about as indecent as anything that oc
CURED at the mock session. Our readers
will observe exactly how obscene" wa'
the allusion to the wife of Mr.. Bull, which
the distinguished lawyer could not stand
Even that is less Objectionable in view o
/ the circumstances which led to it. A few
] days before bill had been introduced in
cooperating young ladies literary asso
g citation in one of the academies by the
! title of the Ge1nadn0 Sclenti0 Dilectie
] Mr.. Bull of Hancock objected t.
r chartering anything under such al
! outlandish name; and when Mr.. Drake
of RoyAlton explained that it was suit
: able title enough in English, translated
into Latin, MIR. Bulls Iepiy was the blus
tering out the question, whats my
wife's name in Latin?' The answer tt
this powerful rejoinder was reserved by
e Mr.. Drake for the mock session, when, al
. he explained at the time, he put it into
, the form of bill. Mr.. Drake is a re