Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-10-23
Report Of Mrs. Ann F. Greedy, State supt
Of Franchise, ,,,,,u.

ton.
II affords NE great pleasure at the close
OF my first year as your superintendent of
franchise. 10 report that the seed sown by
bringing forth an abundant harvest, but
although the fields are white, the laborers
are few. In my experience Of more than
thirty years labor in the cause of equal
rights. have never known the reform to
make the progress in ten years that II has
in the past twelve months. | wish YOUR
superintendent could claim fail share Of
The credit for the progress that has been
made in her department, but She has been
/ ngularly unfortunate in her efforts to in
terest the Unions in our State in the en-
franchisement Of women have written
more than twenty letters and distributed
over two thousand pages of suffrage liter
allure and have received responses from
but six Unions. Two Of the six. Mrs. d.
Dewitt superintendent of Aroostook
county, and Miss Titcomb. superintendent
of franchise for Cumberland county, sent
very encouraging reports; others have
merely acknowledged the receipt of leaf
lets, but mNde no report of their work.
and Others have taken no notice of either nv
letters or the leaflets. This lack of in
terest on the part Of the Unions would
have been very disheartening had not
realized the cause was gaining in every di-
rection without my aid, and knew the
hand of our Heavenly Father was leading
Us out of the wilderness of ignorance and
prejudice into the promised land
June 18th, at the Washington county
convention held in Cherryfeld / spoke to
good audience the first words in the
cause of equal rights ever presented to
the people of that town, and was much
pleased with the reception they received
May 20, at the Hancock county conven-
ton held in Surry, | spoke again on the
acknowledgements of women, and although
1t was the first public address on the sub
ject ever given in that place, it was well
received. Circumstances have compelled
ME to decline speaking in East Bluehill
and in Hancock where have been invited. |
Five years ago it would have been impossi- |
bic TO induce an audience in either of these |
towns to listen to lecture on the enfran-
chsement of women.
So marked has been the change in the |
sentiment of the Ellsworth Union within |
uaQ i'm nar1t b.
equal rights and so successful the eff
forts that have been made to accomplish
the change, | will record it with
the hope that the Unions that have
neglected the franchise department of the
W. c. T. L. will profit by the experience
of the Ellsworth Union and do likewise.
Three years ago your superintendent was I
the only pronounced suffragist in our I'm
ION. SO averse were the members to lis
tening to that subject, l have been told
many times if ! persisted in talking on
that reform, should break up the Union;
but prohibition and equal rights were so
interviewer, in my mind, that could not
disconnect them, and In every meeting
where had chance to speak, endeayor-
ed to prove to our people that all efforts in
the cause of prohibition were abortive
without the ballot, and that the enfran.
chisement of women is the right arm of
The w. c. 7. U. At last, their ears be-
coming accustomed to the sound of nv
pleading for equal rights, light dawned
Upon them and we are now a unit on the
subject, and last June our Union voted
to devote the first and fourth
vening of every month to the cause of
quail rights, and as we have not the means
o employ lecturers. we read selections
rom the best lectures on the subject and
rom the Womdns Journal and the Wo-
san's Column, edited by Miss Alice Black
yell, and close the evenings exercises with
iscussions suggested by the readings. /