The Portland daily press., 1900-09-21
Mrs. Chapman-Catt on the Great
Fight.
Humorous Thrusts at
Fair Remonstrants.
And Gentle Dig at President
Eliot.

The chief interest in the Woman Suf-
frage convention at Friends church, yes
teray forenoon, was occasioned by reso-
luton offered by Mrs. Zenas Thompson,
Of this city, and proposing that the asso-
citation abandon Legislative work this
winter and devote Itself to strengthening
its own organization.
After debating the subject briefly, the
National President, Mrs. Carrie Chap
manCatt was asked to express her opin
ion. In repsonse she said she thought
they ought to continue legislative work
If they kept away from the Legislature
1t would be thought that interest was dy-
ing out. Although the Legislative work
in the last fifty years had not been es-
peoially productive of practical results,
yet the Legislative hearings, with good
speeches and faithful work, were very
productive OF public interest and did
much TO mould public sentiment. But,
in Mrs. Chapman-Caut's opinion, it was
a mistake to ask too many things or the
legislature at one time. 1 was better to
concentrate on one particular thing, and
on that put all energy. The speakers then
should be asked to concentrate on the
particular subject under consideration,
and on that give the best arguments pos
slble. II this was done the results would
be much better tnan II general speech
es on the whole subject had been made
At this point Miss Laura A. De Mer-
ritt, OF Ocean Park, Old Orchard, asked
Mrs. Chapman-Catt what she would do
were she a resident of Maine
III lived in Maine, said Mrs. Chap
man-Catt, would go to the legislature
this winter and ask the submission Of
an amendment giving full suffrage for
women And 1 would go the next win
ter, and the next winter after it, until
got 1t. 1 would ask for the whole loaf,
and would be satisfied with nothing else.
Above all, do not let the legislature get
the idea that you simply go to the leg
isIature for agitation.
Mrs Zenas Thompson said that her
reasons for Offering the resolution were
that the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union would go before the legislature on
the subj ect OF prohibition. And, al
though it was probably true that women
wanted the ballot chiefly in order that
rum power, yet the woman suffrage
cause might be best promoted by not
combining 1t with the w. Q. Il. u. work.
Mrs. Fairfield, Of Saco, favored visiting
the legislature this winter as usual.
Mrs. Hannah j. Bailey was for asking
full suffrage. 1.-The men have it and we
ought to have it, - she declared, while
the delegates applauded. Mrs. Bailey
said that the general officers OF the Maine
". &. 4. U. had determined, If their
convention should ratify the programme. |
to 20 to the legislature at the opening Of |
the new century and ask for the full |
suffrage for women. 1t might be well
for the Woman SutTragists to go and ask
municipal suffrage. They had already
come within two votes Of getting it.
Mrs Eta H. Osgood called attention
to the fact that municipal suffrage might
be granted by the legislature while only
the people could grant full suffrage.
Mrs. Chapman-C Gait said that an unfor-
tunate complication seemed to exist be-
tween the W. c L. U. and the Suffrage
organization, both in Maine and in other
states. The W. @. L. U. had done a
great work, and by getting women out
Of the seclusion of home had assisted the
suffrage movement. But yet the women
sufragists had been first IN the field, and
their movement should not be absorbed
in the other.
The woman suffrage movement was
for technical subject which could be ap-
preached only by logic. You could make {
no one cry with woman suffrage spaech.
There was nothing to appeal to the emo
tlons, and men and women were led by
their emotions The w. G. Il. u. had
temperance, social purity and other sub
ects, which appealed to popular feeling.
Mrs Chapman-Catt then said: For
the first time you have secured a prohi-
bton sheriff, and have only done so be-
cause your law, always violated some ]
what, had recently been more hagrantly
violated. She inferred that the general
sentiment or Portland, while for temper '
ance and prohibition, did not work at 1t
very actively until aroused.
Therefore it seemed that while there
was q sentiment for prohibition in this
State that sentiment was not strong
euolgh TO much more than go alone. !
Therefore there would be an advantage t
having Che woman suffrage amend a
nent stan1 alone, on it's own merits.
Mrs, Chanman-Catt explained that she G
had been /. sght up IN the prohibition q
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