The Portland daily press., 1897-01-28
, the sex by giving it the responsibility

would raise their wages because they ask
for an hour of to vote on election, AS
for helping the temperance cause Mrs.
Ogden said that official records show that
LIQUOR and drug habits are increasing
faster ON the percentage basis among
women than they are among men.
Women have crushed men on t, be-
cause the latter have families to support
and cannot remain and compete with
women, and the speaker applied her in
dustrial arguments to politics. She said
that the burden of proving that suffrage
was needed by women rested on the
suffragists and she argued that women
should attain their rights through the
men instead of by voting.
Mrs. Stevens of the petitio ners, again
urged the opposition to argue the gu es-
tion. but no more responded at that
point
! Mrs. j. E. Mcdowell of Portland spoke
encouragingly to women who say they
are afraid that they will have to give
too much time in going to the polls.
| She said that with state elections only
once in two years and to Portland Ia
dies, prospect that municipal
elections would come only once in two
years they need not have fear of the
| kind mentioned.
| Mrs. j. Nj. Wyman of Augusta spoke
| in very spirited manner. She scored
the men who went to the women and
professed to be favorable to suffrage and
then voted against it. She limited that
one man in Cum berland had been elect
ed to stay at home because he professed
friendliness last year and voted 'no,
and announced this year, just before
election, that he was going to make
half-hOur speech against the cause. She
said that because seven devils had been
cast out of one woman years ago and
mona had been cast out of other women,
was sometimes used as an argument to
| show that all women had seven devils
in them and the speaker expressed it as
her opinion that the arguments against
woman IS suffrage were in line with tn is
one. She did not believe that because
some women did not want to vote the
others should be robbed of the privilege
no more than one woman should be
compelled to iemain indoors 10 f oul
| air because others preferred to going out
and getting some pure air.
Mrs. Stevens said that If WON ans
| suffrage in municipal elections was not
granted this year, the halls, galleries
and corridors of the State House would
be filled two years hence as they were two
years ago. 1--WE made no effort to get
out q big representation this year, but
You know what we can do when we
try.
Rev. Mr.. Hayden of Augusta was
called by Mrs. Stevens, and he mentioned
the fact that very large proportion OF
church members are women and he
honOred women on that account especial
". He favored woman's suffrage because
he GOULD never see any obj ection to let
ting women vote. He said he noticed
that men do better in matters in which
they are associated with women and
that when men became isolated
they become more brutal and in
ligently than when they have been
associated with women.
Regarding tho argument that vot ing
PLACES are not fit places for women Mr.
Hayden said that they should be made
ut for anyone by the presence of WON
en-. that this alone ought to be sufficient
to bring about women suffrage.
He described the scene at some caucus
rs that he had attended ana advanced
the character of such affairs as AN ar
gument in favor of woman's suffrage
contending that these events would be
purified to make them what a gathering
including women are in meetings. outside
of politics.
Mr. Hayden spoke eloquently on the
disgrace caused by the buying of votes
and urged Intelligence as qualifica-
ton for voting instead of sex.
Mrs. Charles T. Ogden of Deering said
that she did not believe it was possible
to restrict suffrage, for that no matter
how ignorant man if he enjoyed the
right Of suffrage he will always have it.
Therefore she concluded that the present
right of men would have to be taken
just as it is and consider the question 4
as one of doubling suffrage only.
Mrs. Stevens in introducing the next
speaker, prefaced her remarks by calm G
attentiOn to the fact that there was only
one woman criminal to rs men. She
also said: "We believe that If the won
formatory prison for women and that
we would have not been turned away for
II years in succession when we came
here with this request.
Mrs. E. S. Fogg Of Augusta said
"You ask us why we come here and ask
for the right to ballot. Have you men
one reason for wishing to vote that we
do not have? You tell US Gf the small
percentage Of women who vote In states
where they have the right. Would You
rob, say % per cent of them of that
right because the Others do not care to |
take advantage of it in any one year?
You give US the power to vote in the |
parish and in some PLACES in the school |
board and have yet to learn that any |
woman has left her modesty and dignity |
behind. We realize that petition signed |
by women has little power because it has |
no ballot behind it and we come to |
you for the only power that can be CIV |
en- Us in protecting our homes and or
families
Mrs. Fl. M. Smith of Rockland spoke |
of the fact that thousands Of women
signed petitions for the freedom of the |
negro and for negro suffrage. She said |
that it was argued that to bar negroes
from voting would create an undssira BILE |
aristocracy and applied the same rule to |
the present situation regarding womans |
suffrage.
Mrs. Wyman apoke again and said the
only way for men to find out what the |
result will be if women voted is to let |
them vots.
Mrs. Stevens spoke in complimentary
terms Of the author of the "Woman's |
Bihle,' but said that she would like to |
hnya IL undarstond that the women n |