The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-29
WOMEN WHO WANT TO VOTE
Annual Meeting Of the State Suf.
frage Association.
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT,
MRS. HANNAH j. BAILEY.

What Mrs. Bailey Has Learned from
Town Officers i'll Maine CONCERNING
Women as Taxpayers-Mrs. Mary A.
Livermore Among the speakers-The
Perils of the Republic Her Topic-The
Business of the Session.
The annual meeting of the Maine
Woman Suffrage Association was held at
the Second Advent church on Congress
place yesterday afternoon and evening.
Mrs. Hannah ]. Bailey, president of the
association, presided with great dignity
and ability. The afternoon meeting was
largely devoted to business, and the at
tendance was chiefly of members, though
few persons availed themselves of the
invitation extended to 'sall who are in
terested." The meeting was largely
representative. Among the ladies from
out of town were noticed Mrs. Sara F.
Hamilton of Saco, Mrs. Z. S. Burling-
anne Cheney of Lewiston, Miss Merritt
of Houlton, Mrs. O. III. Merrill of Cum
NJ. Blanchard of Lewiston, Miss Kim
ball of Chicago, Miss Lolita Neal of Au-
burn, and Miss Helen Staples of Bethel.
Promptly at 2.30, the president opened
the meeting with few well chosen
words of welcome and congratulation.
The audience, led by Miss Elliott of
Philadelphia, sang America. A brief
but fervent prayer was offered by Mrs.
Dwight NJ. Pratt. In the absence of the
recording secretary, Miss L. F Donnell,
Mrs. Ms. Gardiner was elected secretary
pro tenn.
The report of the
Corresponding Secretary, Mrs e. FL. os-
good,
while showing less aggressive work owr
ing to the past year being the non-legis-
latiye year, was of an encouraging ma
ture. Public sentiment grows year by
year more favorable. Those who were
Indifferent are Interested and many of
those who who were openly hostile are
the warm friends of woman suffrage.
The report included brief outline of
the resolutions adopted at the represen-
tative meeting held at Chicago last May
to consider the best way to improve the
opportunities afforded by the Columbian
Exposition for the advancement of
woman suffrage. Meetings will
be held every day in some central build
ing, to be addressed by prominent
friends Of the cause. Headquarters are
to be maintained in the Woman's build
ing, literature distributed, and congress
will be held at the Art ralace.
The report of the treasurer, DR.. Jane
l.. Hersom, shows balance in the treas
ury of 1922. 70, and the dues to tho Ma
tional Association are paid up to 1895.
The president called Mrs. E. S. Bur
lingame Cheney of Lewiston, to the
chair during the delivery of the annual
address which was listened to with the
closest attention.
Mrs. Hannah j. Bailey's Address.
After few general remarks on the
ment in this state, Mrs. Bailey went on
with very interesting address, copious
extracts from which are here given:
INQUIRIES were sent recently to the
collector of taxes in each town in Maine,
asking him how many women in his
town were taxpayers, and the amount
for which they were assessed. Two hum
dred of the 500 written to have replied.
and more returns are coming in by every
mail The aggregate number OF those
already received shows that 1856 women
pay taxes on property valued at S4,627,
Isl.
ssI also asked each collector if he
should not have the privilege of voting
at municipal elections. One hundred
and forty-six answered no, II answered
yes. and 43 were non-committal
ga healthy and favorable moral senti-
ment in regard to woman's ballot is, we
believe, steadily and rapidly gaining
ground in our state and being promul-
gated throughout the nation.
Voting members of every political
party have told me that they had ceased
to see any reason why women should not
vote, and also hold Office amenable to
her, and that they believed the time near
and coming on apace when these rights
would be acknowledged by the voting
people through Lnelf legislatures, anu
thus woman's influence extended, en-
HANGED and recognized.
ssWhen the mother element is felt di-
rectly, as well as indirectly, in the gov
eminent, there will be less war and less
prize fighting, drinking, gambling, pat
ronizing social evil and other vices
which legislation can prevent.
In earlier days of this movement peo-
pie often associated the advocates of
sswomen's rights las they were called
with coarse, masculine, strongninded
women with ugly wills and domineering
tempers, but those who have seen our
sweet Lady Henry Somerset, beautiful
and lovely in every respect, are doubly
armed to contradict the silly tradition,
1t is true our philanthropic women are
strong-minded but they are not peculiar
| in disagreeable sense. Their minds
are strong in being set to the accomplish
ment of aims that they know will
| alleviate human suffering and raise the
standard of men and women. At our
| last national convention in Washington I
| saw many such who believe that all
men and consequently all women were