The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-01-24
AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING.
Reception Hall Filled to Overlooking
with Woman suffraeists.
A Letter from United States Senator
Hoar,
Read to the Meeting Addressed by
Mrs. Mary A. LIvermore.

convened this winter In Reception Hail.
Mrs. Mary A. Livermore delivered an adj
dress on woman suffrage under the auspices
OF the Maine Woman Suffrage Association,
and that was sufficient attraction to ill the
hall to its utmost capacity with an audience
composed mostly of women. The hall
would not hold seats enough to accommo-
date all who went to hear Mrs. Livermore's
lecture. The standing room was all taken,
and many stood in the doorways who were
unable to get inside. Rev. Henry Blan-
cbard, president of the association. called
the meeting to order promptly at 8 o'clock.
He said in SO doing, 1--WE believe the Maine
Woman Suffrage Association is engaged in a
work that God himself approves" Rev.
Marion Crosley then offered prayer
Before introducing the speaker. Mr.. Blan-
chard read the following letter from Hon.
Geo. F. Hoar, United States Senator from
Massachusetts,
SENATE CHAMBER,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81, 1888.
My Dear Mr.. blanchard;
am glad TO learn from your letter that there is
no abatement of interest in the cause of woman
suffrage In Maine. We hope that the gratifying
result of the late municipal election III Boston,
and the important contribution made 10 that re-
suit by the influence Of women will enable us to
take long forward step in Massachusetts.
am, faithfully, yours,
GEO. +. HOAR.
To Rev. Henry Blanchard
After reading the above letter Mr.. Banch-
ard read an extract of onel of Mr.. Hears
speeches, which was strongly in favor of
woman suffrage. He said he was glad pc
titlon was being circulated by the remon-
strants and would be presented to the legis-
lature for 1t is just that both sides should be
heard. II congratulate the Maine Women
Suffrage Association" said Mr. Blanchard,
upon the suspicious hour in which we meet.
One thousand names of those in favor OF
granting municipal suffrage to women have
been introduced into the Senate from Penob-
scot county. and suppose that today list
of names 10l feet long has been presented.
From all parts of the State petitions will go
in asking that suffrage be granted to women.
know of only one remonstrance, and that
is from our own city and is signed by 600
persons. l congratulate the Maine Woman
Suffrage Association upon the opposition. Z"
After referring to the following resolutions
Mr.. Blanchard called upon Mrs. l.. NJ. N.
Stevens, who read them, and they were
unanimously passed by the meeting:
Resolved, That the Maine Woman Suffrage AS
ISOLATION desires that an educational qualification
shall be inserted in the bill to be introduced into
the Legislature granting municipal suffrage to
women.
RESOLVED. That, in view of the fact that such
qualification is not demanded for male voters and
that many OF those who favor woman suffrage
deem it therefore unreasonable to ask for this
qualification, this association, while strongly
recommending, will not absolutely instruct its
executive committee to secure the Introduction of
la ed qualification
RESOLVED, That while the M. W. s. A. will cheer
fully accept the decision of its officers and the
gentlemen OF the legislature who favor the bill it
desires to put itself strongly on record as being in
favor of the Massachusetts qualification viz that
each vo er shall be able to sign his or her name
and read the constitution OF the United States.
Mr.. Blanchard then introduced Mrs. Liv-
ermore, who was greeted with applause, and
who spoke in brief, as follows:
MRS. LIvERMoRE's ADDRESS.
IF the experience Of the Maine Woman
Suffrage Association should be like that of
the Massachusetts, Woman Suffrage Associa-
ton you will by and by hail the day when
the remonstrants entered the work as one of
the most fortunate days you ever lived. Let
us have fight. Then we are aroused and if
we believe in our cause we go to work in
earnest. The remonstrants of Massachu-
sets have given us power. Now they have
retreated. They could not afford to help us.
read the remonstrance in the papers this
morning. l read all the names, and read be-
tween the lines.
/ was talking with one of the -emonstrants
and she told me her objection to woman suf-
frage. do not know one of the persons
whose names read in the remonstrance.
have no personal feeling in the matter. The
remonstrant told me that her objections
were the same as those of Mrs. Kate Wells.
who headed the list of remonstrants la Mas
sachusetts. Now Mrs. Wells is a personal
friend of mine we have worked together in
other matters, and regard her as large
hearted, noble woman. l do not desire to
say anything against her, but l will answer
the objections that she makes to woman suf-
frage. What are her objections to woman
suffrage? Women don't know enough to
vote. Do they not exaggerate the amount of
ance question is up. Don't women know
enough to vote on that question? They have
made the temperance sentiment in this
country. They are called fanatics, they are
called cranks, they are called lunatics and all
this. If so, George Washington was
fanatic, Abraham Lincoln was fanatic, the
apostles were fanatics, William. Lloyd
Garrison was fanatic, and be il
reverently spoken the Lord JesusChrist was
fanatic. Grant the women of this land
suffrage and they will vote overwhelmingly
IL
ton that shall prevent the manufacture of
liquor. What are some of the other ques-
tons that come up. The terrible increase of
emigration. Never have emigrants come
here as know. Never have such class of
emigrants come here as now. Shut down
the doors on all the sweepingsIof the old
world. Americai is not to be made a penal
colony. Look at New York city under the
control of the worst sort of foreigners. Bos-
ton was under their control until the women
rose up and helped the men to dislodge
them. IApplause.l Look at Chicago under
the control of foreigners. Do not women
know enough about these things to know
how to vote? Cannot they be trusted with
the ballot. Carol d. Wright, chief
Of the national bureau of statistics,
more Protestant women in New York than
Catholic; that in the entire South there are
more white women than black women and
men combined. We need not fear that if the
women were given the ballot the foreigners
would oyerpower us. Do not know enough
woman Is much better educated than the
average man. The girls stay in school
longer than the boys do. More girls gradu-
ate at our high schools than boys. Then
after girls leave school they join clubs and
seek for more enlightenment. There is net
work Of woman's clubs all over the country.
So there are mems clubs. Yes, but don't
know a wOman's club where there is a bar
If we don't know enough to vote there Is an
inference on the other side that will leave
you to draw. Laughter and applause
Mrs. Wells says that if the women are al
lowed to vote all the bad women will vote
Massachusetts has 10000 more women than
men. In her jails and penitentiaries are 1886
men and 1856 women. In State where there
are 10000 more women than men there ought
to De more women in the prisons than men.
Ii the bad women were allowed to vote they
could not overpower the men. Women are
not given to deeds that send men TO State
prison. Of the women at the Massachu sets
reformatory prison 97-100 were sent there for
crimes committed while drunk. Shut up the
grog shops and 81 out Of every 100 of these
women will not go there. SO you see you
need not fear bad women.
Finally Mrs. Wells says it will take women
away from their homes. They are over
whelmed with cares at home and cannot be
taken away.
Mrs. Wells has recently been put upon
board of education which has been holding
meetings of three or four or five hours per
day for three or four weeks. She is contin-
ually called away from her home to lecture.
IL she would drop all Of these things and at
tend to voting, she would not have to be
away from home SO much. There is some
inconsistency in this. Women are frighten-
ed needlessly. These remonstrants who
have sent in petitions. If they do not want to
vote, there is very good reason why the leg
lslature should exempt them. l want TO
vote; What right has any woman when |
reach my hand up for the ballot, to strike il
GOWN. was opposed to giving the negro
I4e Daiiot at the time just after the war
Henry Wilson, happening to be in Chicago.
came mr. cafd - fTf q