The Indianapolis journal., 1890-07-26
Cannot Leave the Old Folk now, we'd
better Bide Wee.n
The next speaker was Mr.. Augustus L.
Mason, who spoke az follows:

We are met TO celebrate the glory Of equality.
From OF old Englishmen declared that all men
ought TO be free, but IL was FrenchInan whofrst
ADDED the words land equal" There 49, In these
days, movement in society, worldwide, which
sets toward human eql lity. The food is out. and
beyond the power of nen TO stop. 1t demands
the aDonton OF all conventional and arflncial
inequalities Ia the relations Of life. With us it
has already abolished kings, and hereditary
nobility, 1t has equalized taxation, and at
ueatn divides the property equally among the
children 1t has done away with liveries, and
clothes master and servant III the same dress.
o Pas SSandged the relation OF parent n anu chG
peS,. pew, on q level with the pulpit, has has
caused the State to provide equal education for
its children and equal charities for Its unfortu-
nate. OF this movement Burns is the poet,
Dickens the novelist, Millet the artist, and John
Stuart Mill the philosopher. The woman's
suffrage movements, therefore. only part of
tnis m y, modern revolution. sin unfinished: having
splendid but diseased genius famed across
Europe, by its light men Jaw that the "perpet-
ual natural, unceasing and indefeasible SOY.
government, both in America and France, were
to some extent recast in the old mold of barbar-
ism. The mounting wave could roll no higher.
The political unit was made the family and not
the individual. The subsection OF woman
strikes its roots into that ancient law which
gave the father despo,io power over over
managed to hand the fathers proprietorship
over to the husband. Trace back this notion far
hollow logs, the homes OF our naked forefathers.
There. with fOreheads an inch high and teeth an
inch long, club in hand, they founded the en-
pire of force, the despOtism of the family. The
freside was the first place for the spirit of mon
archy to enter. and Is the last place for the spirit
OF democracy to penetrate. The progress OF civ
iliZatiOn is q warfare. a war OF light with dark
ness, of truth with falsehood. of the illuminated
intellect and the rectified heart with the barbar-
ism of ignorance and the aninalism of
' US lies, "kei help to to- carry w forward civiliza
ton. Let welcome new ideas, and
every reform which seeks to destroy artificial
inequalities among mankind. Let us open to
woman every path in life, that she may freely
choose that for which her nature best fits her.
On the sun-burnt plains of the West this new
movement now is carried on by Drawer pioneers
than those who first penetrated its unpeopled
solitude. Let believe that the pioneers of this
reform no less than they Who crossed & the R plains
river side, are engaged in warfare with savage
barbarisn.
To these new pioneers let us tonight send this
message OF hope, BE OF good cheer; you will
overcome the world"
The next speaker was Mr.. Alfred +. Potts,
who said that an earnest effort is being
made to arouse public sentiment to q sense
of the injustice of withholding the fran
chise from women, and that there is no
greater enemy to the cause than the woman
who dismisses the subject with languid
protest that she already has more rights
than she knows what to do with. 'She
should remember" said the speaker. that
the influence of her Indifference does more
to retard the onward march of the cause In
which so many noble women are enlisted
than the opposition OF score of men,"
Mr.. Potts cited number of trivial Objec-
tions to female suffrage. among them the
grave husband who dweit upon the dlssen-
mestic circle by the introduction of pol
itics; next the timid female souls that sug-
gest the woman vote would count for moth
ing because she would have to vote as her
husband dictated; and lastly. an enemy
which. entering into a, psychological study
of woman's nature. clearly demonstrates
that she is of nervous temperament, acts
from impulse and intuition, and therefore
could not be trusted with the ballot.
Some one interested" said Mr..
ter Jus argument. Should '' gather from rom
the saloons. and slums, and river banks
few hundred specimens cf the dissolute,
depraved and sordid fioaters who hold the
balance of power in our elections. have
it to the learned author as phrenOlo gical
study of the typical voter, who always
acts from some motive and never from I'M
pulse OF intuition.
"And what will the women do when they
are enfranchised? They cannot be born
unto the one party or the other as we men
are, and thus be saved the trouble of think.
ing for themselves and will probably in
sist upon getting some comprehension of
the issues involved before swearing allegi-
ance to either side, and In that day will
the order of the mugwump greatly flourish
which harboreth those restless and
irritable souls who insist upon think
ing for themselves. Bat for this our
women could make their campaign a brief
one by pledging their solid vote to the party
securing their enfranchisement; but, az
this can never be, they must wait the out
come of eternal justice, which is near at
hand-hopIng that in the meantime some
danger, like the original package question.
will suddenly demonstrate the need of their
vote as a war measure as moral
agency. and then history will repeat itself
by another and last emancipation.
what man who is honest with himself
has not said: 'Wheni go to church with
my wife and see the higher spiritual mean
ing which she gathers from the sermon;
when she points out to me the subtler play
of expression on an actors face; when she
interprets the finer thought of some speech
or poem; when she brings to my aid the
rich stores of her memory; when she goes
with me hand in hand down all lifes busy
ways, sharing in full measure every right
and duty and demonstrating every hour
her full equality and titness-I would
gladly have her exercise an equal right to
vote upon those issues which concern us
both alike"
At the close of Mr.. Potts's speech Mr..
and Mrs. GLADDEN. sung duet, after which
the audience separated for refreshments,
which were served by the ladies'