The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-04-09

The Springfield Republican gives long and
graphic account of scene which took lace at
the town meeting iu the quiet town of Glaston-
bury, which has become famous on account of
the efforts of two women to have voice in
voting the taxes which they are called upon to
pay, and whose Jersey cows were seized and
sold for taxes last January. These sisters. Alb
by and Julia, appeared at the town house and
asked of the moderator the privilege of speak
ing which the official refused on tho ground of
illegality. Of course there was no appeal,
though these ladies had paid more money to
bui the hall than any person in it, and they
retired. The love of fair play caused the crowd
to follow the women out of the bnlding. When
outside there were cries that the women ought
to have chance to speak and they we're inyit-
ed to do so out-of-doors The women accepted
the invitation, and mounting an old wagon,
Abby drew forth from her pocket the speech
she had prepared and read it to her fellow
townsmen, as follows:
We come before you, gentlemen, ia no spirit
of defiance, but as fellow-citizens with you of
the same place, having the same interests with
yourselves and the same love for the prosperity
OF the town. We wanted to see you and reason
with You. desiring that the difficulty viii Oh has
selves as brethren and sisters of the same fam
lily, to the satisfaction of both. We shall agree
that towns should be regulated as families are
regulated, that natural feeling of affinity may
exist among all that compose the household.
1t we are all of one family, would it not be well
to look to onr own individual families to see
how its members are dealt by? The first thing
you Will observe among them is, that each
claims his or her own things, with which the
other is not allowed to NEEDLE. Unless this
right is accorded to every one, there will be no
peace among them, there will be no living to-
gether. The first thing a child says is ''ft is
miner and will scream and fight to have it
taken away from him by violence though he
will give it up by persuasion. There is no diff.
ference between boys and girls in this respect;
the girls will yield their things no sooner than
the boys. There is the same mind in both; for,
being born of the same parents, they must have
the same mind-like produces like throughout
the world. 1t is the mind we value. One is as
necessary to the whole family as the other; their
advice and counsel must both be sought, for both
are equally interested.
What do we say. of these young men that for
sake the society of their sisters and counsel to-
gether without them? We all know their way
leads to ruin. But what should we say if the
brothers should by agreement without consult
ing their sisters take their sisters property from
them whenever they chose, and as much as
they chose. alleging as an excuse they had
made law among themselves they would do
It. Are their sisters bound by such law? Are
we bound by such a law? The case is precisely
the same. You all know it is not just. 1t is
not doing as you would be done by We are
perfectly willing to share the expenses of this
large family equally with you, but as unwilling
as you are to be ruled over and have our proper
ty takeu from US by force.
We have had sad experience of this power
that rules over u.s. to take whatever we own
from us, and as much as it chooses to take. We
have had sad exnerience of being under no law
but the irresponsible will of the men of the
town, whose interest it is to take our property.
We thought they would allow us to own our
cows, that we had raised with our own hands.
put they tied up those young animals, seven
Gays and seven nights in close place; seven of
them having never been tied before, without
nay or water near by, and whether they were
supplied with either could not be known by
those that put them there, living several miles |
off, and at last driven to the 81 yn-post TO be sold
to the highest bidder.
All this was more trying to our feelings than |
any act that was ever dOue to us. Aud to |
whom was it done? To two lone women |
standing by thenseves-the last of their fam |
lily, among the towns oldest nh bitants, hay- |
ing no relatives to take their part, and none to |
stand up for them. And by whom was it
done? BY their natural protectors (they bav.
ing had no brothers) into whose hands they
Were paying more in money, as appears by the
collectors books. than any other of the towns
5000 inhabitants were paying. And these man
knew, when doing il, there could be no redress
for US, ana no appeal And for what was II
done? Because we refused to give them anv
more money till they allowed us to stand on aS
equality with with then themselves. No such deed as as
,ince the Declaration of Independence maLin
hat instrumental nulhty. "s
Ard how was it looked upon by the men of
he nation?-to say nothing of the women
men who possess the same power that YOU
ave- for this case has gone from Maine to
and to Oregon, throughout the land
nd the men have shown the same spirit of our