The Portland daily press., 1886-09-30
MAINE WOMAN suFFRAoIsTs.
Annual Meeting of Their Associate"
Last Evening.
The Election of Officers Followed oy
Interesting Addresses.

The annual meeting of the Maine Woman ;
Suffraqe Association was held in Reception
Hall, City Building. last evening, the presi
dent, Rev. Henry Blanchard, in the ehaii'
The hall was about two-thirds full, the au-
dence being mainly composed OF ladies'
After the meeting was called to ORDER prayer
was offered bv Rev. DIR. /. p. Warren MI
blanchard then spoke briefly upon the ioIhi
alton of the association and its labors our
ing the past year. Speaking OF the course
10 be pursued in the coming year. the fresi-
dent said IL had been decided to hold IN ad-
dition 10 the parlor meetings public meet
ing in this city during the month Oh january
and. also, public meeting IN Augusta. a
petition will be presented to the legislature
and a bill providing for woman sunrage IN
troduced. Four of the five Portland repre-
sentatiyes to the Legislature have told Mr..
Blanchard that they are in favor OF woman
suffrage and the remaining member Is be-
Iieved to favor it. Mr.. Blanchard hopes that
the bill will pass at the coming session. He
closed his remarks with O few words OF
good cheer and eongratulation for the work
already accomplished.
The report Of the last annual meeting was
read by the corresponding secretary. Mrs.
Eta Fl. Osgood and accepted. The old
board of officers was then unanimously re-
elected upon motion Of Mrs Geo. 5. Hunt.
The officers are as follows:
President-Rev. Henry Blanchard, Portland.
Vice Presdents-Hon. Josiah II. Drummond,
Portland; Gov. Frederick Robie, Gorham; tx
Gov. Nelson Dngley, Lewiston DIT; Sarah W:
Samuel TitcOmb, Augusta; Mrs. Usher, Bar
Mills; Rev. DR.. 1. P. Warren, Portland;
Corresponding seeretary-Mrs. Eta H. oseood'
Recording secretary-Miss Louise TitcOmb,
Treasurer-Rev. Marion Crosley, Portland.
Executive Committee-Dr. i. ii. Gerrish Rev.
J. A. Bellows, Mrs. L. NJ N, stevens, MIS- L. j.
O'Brion, Mrs. j. w. Bashford-
After the election OF officers, Mr.. Blanci-
ard introduced the Rev. Samuel Longfellow
as the first speaker Mr.. Longfellow had at
first thought that he should be unable to at
tend the meeting on account OF his health
and was only able to speak briefly. He said
that he was present to bear testimony to his
abiding sense of the justice of the cause
and his confidence in its final victory,
although he did not dare to predict that sue
cess would come soon. Mr.. Longfellow said
that the point of right touched him deeply:
the women of the country who feel
that they are denied a right. There are
obstacles in the way of success and obJec-
tions to woman suffrage which must be met
by argument and it is a good thing that an
onward movement has to be defended. In
concluding the speaker said that with the
president of the association he desired 10
say words of good cheer and congratulation
to the members.
Rev. @. j. Clark was the second speaker.
He said that if there were any arguments
against woman suffrage he had not met
them in his consideration OF the subject.
An objection is made to. the movement that
the suffrage is not desired by women, but
today women are coming more and more
into active life and should be made to feel
their duty in this matter. The speaker
referred to the fact that women are capable
of filing the highest positions with credit,
instancing the successful reign of Queen
Victoria, but that to today in this State they
are denied the right to vote for the select
men of a town or the sheriff of county.
DR.. f. II. Gerrish spoke of the argument
used against woman suffrage, that the ballot
should be denied to women because they are
incapable of bearing arms. He said that as
the right of suffrage is not extended TO men
because they are of the age to do military
duty. and is not denied to them when by age
or physical disability they are not called upon
to serve as soldiers, it is neither decent nor
just to use this argument against extending
the ballot to women. Dr. Gerrlsh called at
tentiOn to the classes with which women are
placed without the right of voting, the same
privilege being denied only to the shiftless
Indian, the convict, the pauper and the idiot.
w. II. Looney, Esq, was next introduced
and said that his position in favor of woman
suffrage dated from his college life, and he
had not been able to find any argument wor-
thy of the name which can be used against
it. He spoke of the position of woman un-
der the law and claimed suffrage for her on
the ground of equal representation under
equal taxation. Mr.. LoOney referred to the
position of woman in the affairs of the world
today, and the fact that the movement for
woman suffrage is not a new one. The elo-
quent Daniel O'Connell, said Mr.. Looney. as
early as 1910, had defined his position in favor
of extending the right of the ballot to women.
Miss Harvey, one Of the teachers OF the
| Greeley Institute, was the last speaker She
| spoke briefly, referring in few earnest
words to the debt of gratitude owed to the
, pioneers in the movement, and the aSpira-
| tOns which she says exist in the girls Of to-
day different from the girls Of fifty years
ago. Then a girl was taught to believe that
marriage was to be her aim in life, while
now the wise mother educates her daughter
to be able to take position in one Of the
professions Miss Harvey was glad to see
so many in favor of woman suffrage.
This concluded the speaking, and after the
President had extended an invitation to non
members to join the association, the audience
dispersed. The speakers of the evening had
received close attention and their remarks
1xy 6ad