Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-17
Woman Suffrage.

The Convention in This City-Gathering
 Last Evening nt the Atheneum-Many
 Noted Advocates of the Cause Present.
 Interesting Speeches.
 A very interesting and well attended meet ing was held at the Atheneum last evening in aid of the woman suffrage movement, at which a number of the leaders in the move ment, well known throughout the country, were present, also several young women who have risen of late years to positions of prominence in the'cause. There was large attendance, although a fee of admission was charged, and the audience was largely com sprinkled in the audience number of men prominent for high culture and intellectual attainment. There were present upon the platform Miss Susan B. Anthony, Mrs Olympia Brown, formerly of Bridgeport, now of Wisconsin, Mrs. Ryder of Boston, Mrs. Rogers of Troy, Rev. Phoebe Hanaford of Jersey City, New Jersey, formerly of this city, Mrs Elizabeth Meriwether of Memphis, Tenn, and Mrs. Matilda Jocelyn Gage of Syracuse. Quite a number of gentlemen paid the ten cents cheerfully for the sole privilege of seeing the noted champions of woman suffrage present and the speeches were so interesting that they remained through the entire entertainment Upon the speakers desk was very fine bouquet of lovely flowers. The meeting was opened with spirited and very happy ad- dress by Judge Joseph Sheldon, who well comed the speakers and spoke of improve ments in the laws in this State with regard to women and of room for their further im- provement. He then introduced Miss An 1 thony, who spoke in her customary lucid, terse and dispassionate manner, indicative of much reserved force She is lady of a re- 1 fined and intellectual cast of countenance, | indicative of great frmness of character, self possession, an unyielding purpose and lofty l aims. She took the ground that the fifteenth amendment ought to have had broader in- depreciation and included the right of women to vote. She tersely rehearsed the efforts made in the last 15 years to induce Congress to permit women to vote. She spoke of the Connecticut statute, a long time in force, which, she was under the impression, was enacted through the efforts of Governor Baldwin, by which colored men were exempted from tax ation because non-voters. When they were allowed to vote then the law taxed them. But it was not so with regard to colored women, who, if property owners, could not vote So in New York State ministers of all denominations were exempt from taxation to the amount of $1, 300, but when the breath left their bodies the tax law applied to the ! examples were cited.
 Mrs. Olympia Brown was introduced and made speech full of spirit and of telling character, frequently exciting applause. It gave her great pleasure to again visit the city of New Haven with her associates in the woman suffrage movement. She spiritedly spoke of woman suffrage principles as ad- vancing. Whereas heprofessions were almost closed not many years ago to women, and only two colleges then admitted women, now the medical, legal and theological profes- sions were open and Harvard had opened it's annex and she was thinking Yale would soon open her doors also. The adherents of woman suffrage ware increasing and wo- men formerly afraid to identify themselves with the cause were now learning to speak for it. She touched on the divorce law agi- tation, eloquently holding that women should be asked to cooperate as one of the parties vitally interested. She had never heard, she sad, of a mans entering into the marriage relation without woman's cooperation. So it seemed to her if woman was requisite for the consummation of marriage, the reform CTS will want the voice of woman in this i'm portant social matter. She eloquently pie tured what a true state of married happiness ought to consist in, in mutu- al tender regard and confidence and cooperation, and closed with a fine perora- tion She was followed by Miss Rachel Eos ter. 8 stylish young lady, who wore fash ionable spring hat and light spring suit, and seemed to be as yet far from being worn or in the arduous work of reform, who read 8 poem entitled ''The Pole and the Vine" which was very well recited and pleased the audience.
 She was followed by southern girl, Mrs. Elizabeth Averill Meriwether, who was listened to with much interest, and spoke of the old common law and it's distinctions against the sex, quoting from Coke and Blackstone, and making many points showing the possession of natural rhetorical powers and close req soning faculties. She quoted from John Bright, Senator Eaton, John Stuart Mill, in illustration of her argument that the women were not favorites in the eye of the law.
 The meeting continues to-day, sessions this afternoon at 2:30 and evening at 7:45. The meeting is part of a general campaign move ment in aid of woman suffrage.
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