New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-09
BOSTON TOPICS.


ovrR A CIuB-GREAT PIECES AT The FEsTl-
VAL
The friends of the Woman Suffrage move
ment in Massachusetts feel much encouraged
by the work of the past Winter. The st.
Botolph, the new club in Boston, Will
open it's rooms next week with an
exhibition of paintings; lively Oratorical
war has been going on, on account OF this club !;
Joseph Cook and Wendell Phillips have been
savage in their attacks upon it. The statues
of Boston are to be reinforced soon
by one of Left the son of Eric, the
Norseman it will be made by j. Q,
A. Ward of New-York City. The festival
of the Handel and Haydn Society is in many
ways highly successful; among the pieces
performed this past week have been opohrs
aIast Judgment" Rossini'S "Stabat Mater"
and Saint-Saen's Deluge.'
STATE AND MUNICIPAL CONCERNS.
WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN Observation-Disclosures SPRING
TOWN MEETINGS AND THE LEGIsLATURE-THE
NEW ST. BoTOLpH CLUB AND WENDELL PHIL
IIPs's FREE AND PIERCE ADVERTISEMENT OF
Ir-A NEW STATUE IN BOSTON.
fFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
BosToN May 3.-THE TRIBUNE has heretofore
been we'll advised of the Woman Suffrage movement
MaS9aCnu56tVS anu has ulSCuSoCO CHN NA'A'"
which are also being made in other States by the
friends of the cause. 1t may be of interest there
fore to describe the latest developments of the eff
fort in this State and to indicate briefly the pres
emit aspect of affairs and their expected
issue. Massachusetts, has always been prom
ineat in urging the claims of woman to voice
in the government, and at present can show as
many able and intelligent workers in the cause as
can be found in almost any other popular reiorma-
tory effort Such names as Lucy Stone, Mrs Liver
more. Miss Louisa NJ Alcott and Miss Abby May
Colonel HgginsOn. James Freeman Clarke and
Others are vouchers for the strong intellectual and
moral power brought into the work, and talk with
any of the leaders conclusively shows their integ-
rity and dsinterestedness. 1t is probably largely
due TO the confidence which the public feels IN the
motives of these vigorous workers that the argu-
ments advanced by them in legislative committees
and elsewhere are 80 respectfully listened to- and
that our General Court has already granted women
the right to vote for school committees. The gen
era interest taken in this privilege Throughout the
State at last Fall's elections and in the town meet
ings which have Just closed encouraged the friends
of Woman Suffrage to make another attack on the
last LEGISLATURE with petitions for several other
fayors-among them the right to vote on the ques-
ton of granting licenses for hQuOrselling, and to
have the poll-tax for women reduced to lower
figure than that imposed upon men. The latter re-
quest was inspired By the conviction that, since
women were allowed to vote for Onyone unimportant
Office they should not be assessed at as high rate
as men, who were allowed the widest political priv
ieges. The Legislature, however, declined to
change the law until it had ceased to become merely
experimental, and the influence of the liquor in
terest-which is here, elsewhere great power
prevented the extension of wOman's ballot to the
control Of license.
WOMEN IN THE SPRING ELECTIONS.
The leaders of the movement feel greatly cheered
by the result of their Winters work. notwihstand-
ing the hostile decisions of the Legislature, for the
cause which used to be sneered at and cOntenptu-
Ously thrust aside is now listened to and discussed in
friendly ard respectful way, and growing ncllna-
ton is visible on the part of the lawmakers and
the press to allow women increased political rights.
The result of the Spring town meetings has shown
condition of affairs in the State at largo quite SINH
lar to that prevailing in the city election last No
yember. In the towns where the women voted
decorum quite unusual and admirable was shown.
Every effort was made to make tie new voters COM
Portable. The town halls and waTd-rOOms were
cleaned M in their honor and the clouds of tobacco
smoke and the eXpectOration of the juice of the
chewed weed-features to which generations OF
male voters have become accustOmed-were for
once conspicuous by their absence. 1t cannot be
denied that the privilege of voting for
school committees was rot as generally ex-
erc;scd as could be expected although the
polling was large when the difficulties and
the stranCeness of the new law taken
into consideration. Much trouble was caused in
some places by what was papably misconstruc-
ton of the law. 1t reads that woman desiring to
vote shall present to the assessors list " of all her
property both real and personal" its intent evil
IDENTIFY being confined to the taxable property, as in
the case of men. Many women, neglecting to give
account of all their property, whether taxable or
not. were thus disfranchised and were not permit
ted TO vote and other discrmipatiOns were here and
there made against them. AS a rule, however, they
were treated with great respect and fairness. To
carry on more completely the work thus begun. an
association called the massachusetts School Suf-
frage Association" has recently been formed. under
direction Of Hiss Abby May, with headquarters in
this city, to extend information regarding
the new law and to increase the interest
In the movement, and fOrtnightly meetings are
held with occasional gatherings in other parts of
the State. The association has no intention beyond
that above mentioned, the broader principles of
Woman Suffrage being left to those more ambitious
refOrmers Of whom Mrs. Stone is the energetic
leader These latter workers feel much encouraged
BY the condition and prospects of the movement in
other States as wei. as in Massachusetts In view
of these facts, there seems no reason to suppose
that the cause will languish
DOsTON'S NEW CLUB.
The founding of Il new club is not an event which
usually excites much attention, and the occasion is
still more rare when it becomes the subject of Wig
orous and somewhat acrimonious discussion. The
new St. BOtolph, however, which is to open its
rooms OH May IL with an exhibition of paintings
by its artist members, has been distinguished by
this vigorous advertisement, aud has already gained
q local fame which many another similar and older
organization might well envy. As various errors
hoyo hoa, N, ode in describing the "rumpusD q cor