The Portland daily press., 1881-05-12

was also voted to call meeting of all ladies
and gentlemen, citizens of Portland, to organ
ize city suffrage society, auxiliary to the
Maine State Suffrage Association.
AFTERNOON SESSION
The meeting was called to order at 2.3O p.
m, Mrs. C. A. Quinby presiding.
Rev. B. F. Bowles urged the extension OF
suffrage to women not so much on the ground
of intentional oppression inflicted by men and
endured by women as on the incongruity OF
excluding intellectual and conscientious citi-
zens from self-government on account OF sex.
1t was offensive to his sense of fitness aud har-
mony. A State which excluded women from
public life seemed to him unjust aud imper-
feet 1t panied him to have his wife deprived
of rights which he valued for himself
Mrs. Ada G. Bowles claimed equal rights for
women ON every ground Of scripture and of
reason She found the charter of woman suf-
frage in the first chapter of Genesis which de-
clares that "God made man in mis- own image;
male and female created he them and gave
them dominion" Not man dominion over
woman, nor woman dominion over man, but
Joint dominion; both were made in the image
of God and both equals in rights, duties and
responsibilities.
Rev. Dr. Warren, editor of the Christian
Mirror, asked Mrs Bowles not to give one
passage only, but to quote also the passage
which declared after the fall-"Her desire shall
be TO her husband and he shall rule over
her." d.. Warren was not opposed to woman
suffrage. He was friendly to it, but he pro-
tested against one-sided and untenabe argu-
ments drawn from isolated chapters OF the BIZ
BILE. He wanted the meeting productive of
good results, and thought the complaints OF in
justice and oppression made by the speakers
the previous evening unwise and unfounded.
The idea of woman's political subsection was
inherited We were not responsible for it.
Men were not guilty of any intention to de-
fraud women. Women were quite as much to
blame for he had never been able to interest
the women he met in questions OF political
economy. They preferred 1.-The fashion plates
of Harper'S Bazaar.
Mrs Jane P. Thurston took the platform.
She said the people who had come here to this
convention had just walked up from Rip Van
Wrinkle sleep. She had been working for the
enfranchisement of the women OF Maine for
the past thirty years and they had just at
tanned it through her efforts. She also re-
marked that Christ was born of a woman and
no man had anything to do with it.
Mrs. Stone enquired whether DIR. Warren
would feel that no injustice was done to MN,
if he was like herself DISTINGUISHED citizen?
Miss Eastman asked whether the DIR. would
feel oppressed if he had applied for admission,
to Harvard College and been refused, for no
fault of his own?
Mrs Bowles understood the passage quoted
by Dr. Warren to be prophetic and not manda-
tory. 1t should read ..Thy desire will be-" and
"He will rule over thee" a prediction which
had been most sadly fulfilled.
Rev. j. W. Bashford was willing to take
every passage of the Old and New Testament,
properly translated and understood, as IN favor
of equal rights for women. He quoted Paul
as sanctioning the preaching OF women and as
affirming that sin Christ Jesus there is neither
male nor female"
Miss Mary F. Eastman said she was sorry
that men should feel hurt by statements of
facts. If she had erred in her statement, or in
her logic, she was willing to be corrected, but
she was not to blame for the facts themselves
1t was true that men inherited laws and usages
which were unjust to women. But unless they
made haste to change these they became re-
sponsible for the continuance of the wrong.
Books of membership were circulated and a
number of additional names were obtained.
EVENING SESSION.
There was very good attendance in the
evening. and the audience frequently ex-
pressed their appreciation of the sentiments by
applause. Mrs. Quinby presided and opened
the meeting by reading letter from Mayor
Senter regretting the condition OF his health
prevented his presiding as he had intended and
stating that his sympathies were with all peo-
pie whatever their sex, color, or condition,
who were endeavoring to elevate and better
themselves.
DR.. H. b. Blackwell, well-known to our cti-
zens was introduced as the first speaker. The
doctor is not only fluent but logical, and d
capital speaker. He said Portland people had
been called conservative. Well, woman sui
frage is conservative. He claimed the history
of the human race pointed to the inevitable re
suit the woman suffragists were striving for
He showed that in the dark beginnings of the
world when barbarism prevailed then woman
was slave, and that as the world emerged
from barbarsm and advanced towards
civilization and progressed to enlighten-
ment, woman's condition was the best
took our own country and showed
how it advanced from the time when woman
was in the position of the Indian squaWs until
| she was made by education the intellectual
| peer of man. He then showed by the political
| history of the world how we had advanced
! from the condition of despotism, or one man
power, till the late rebellion gave the ballot to
| the negro slave. 1t was the natural feeling
| that right and justice should prevail which
had demanded this condition of things and the
people had been the gamers thereby. After
| the civil war an amendment was made to the
| constitution which did not diSqualify woman
| from having the ballot. By strange anomaly
every woman is taxed without her consent, no
matter how learned, how rich or how capable
| she may be. If government is right only when
| it rests in the consent OF the governed, then
the government of Maine, Massachusetts,, and
| other States is wrong, and women IN those
| States are today under despotism. People
say women don't want to vote. How do they
know? We don't ask they should be COMPEL
| ed to vote. We ask it as right and moi
as favor The speaker thought women
slow to want to vote because the mef
despise the doctrine of woman suffrage
The women don't want to array themselves
against the prejudices of the men with whom
they come in contact Now if men would let
women understand they could vote if they de
sired, the probability is they would want tt
vote. The question is not how many womer
want to vote, but, if one woman SO desires, i
she has not moral right to. Let us suppose
two men We're nominated for mayor in Port
land Does any man or woman believe that i
one was of immoral character, these woinel
would vote for him? or if he was an incompeten
person? He believed the different qualitie
| that distinguished men and women were i'm
planted in them by the Creator for good pur
pose. He believed the woman most unlike
man would make the best voter Women ar
naturally more peaceful than men, if the
were not our homes would soon be destroyed
Such an element introduced into the Nationa
Government would be peaceful in its tender
cies He thought it highly probable if wome
had been in Congress as we'll as men befor
the rebellion occurred the slaves would hav
been paid for, and 100000 lives and thousand
!. of millions of treasure saved. Then, agar
women are more temperate than men and les
influenced by appetite If that force they ca
exert was existant in the government prohib
tory laws would be unnecessary. Then agai
women's spirit of self sacrifice is needed
politics The number of male to female col
vvicts again is about 20 to l. Add women wit
: all their good qualities to mon and their e.
' cellent qualities in government and the resu
will be good laws well carried out. Wome
suffrage is not movement to antagonze me
: and women but to make them stronger allie
: The more women study the great questions
| the day the more charming they will becom
He believed our institutions in future wou
be based on the equality of both sexes.
Miss Mary F. Eastman wanted to know WI
i a woman shouldn't vote. When man has
:. social problem to work out he has to get
. woman to help him. She agreed with tt
p English Judge that woman was at the botto
j. of everything She believed not in women
g men ruling separately but in equal proportio
:, She gave an interesting account of the 1
81 diauapolis Female Prison ruled by wome
She believed women should be put on
boards. If YOU have, said she. difficr
school and bright school committee you
ways find woman chosen as principal.
u shall never have high toned government u