Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1910-07-08
poIns the State Convention.

Il
ni"-d To attend my state eouv-rtion'
this would b- the nearest aI-
rroaeh | would ever II X to the goal OF
my drs,r-s ~, first finding female
affinity. (shr Nas the one dressed ia red.
Mr.. RishnI), We, attired in or gladd"st
toys sci out Tor our State Capital ou the
morning Of June 80.
Mrs AhiuiIy's husband knew We were
coming. 81 hr met us at the train aHh
said he would secure us admission tick
cts to Armory Hall. lie did this, aud.
as he said hr had not yet been allie {"
get breakfast because of the crowd, We
turned him loose aud told him he need
not burden his mind with any care OF
us, as We would shift tor ourselves.
The streets about the station aud
Pavilion we're crowded with men, ali
polite, we'll tailored aud well barbered'
aud the band certainly discoursed sweet
music. Ia the crowd, moving toward
the hall, we saw very few women aud
we feared we were to he unpleasanily
conspicuous. When We got inside the
hall, being very ignorant, we were about
to take seats in the main body, which is
reserved strictly for the delegates, came
an usher, with a courtly how, saying
"You ladies will be more pleasantly sit
uated upstairs, as it is quite NOISY down
here when the business commences.
Wasn't that the acme of politenesS
When we were finally seated upstairs,
we saw many of our own sex and were
relieved People kept arriving aud
crowdiug into the galleries, aud soon we
presented a sardiney appearance, but
every one smiling aud bland. The
daily papers have made you all familiar
with the statistics of the convention SC
| omit all that.
eagerly watched the section of seats
labelled "Essex", and was rewarded
: finally by a glimpse of tie handsome
: poetic profile of Mr.. Porter II. Dale
and later, in the Orleans section, located
4 the noble, rugged outlines of Col. Man
I sur; but have been so long an exil'
s from nv native heath none of the othe
+ men were familiar to me.
. Mrs. Affinity grew quite anxious ahon
e the delegation from our home town, bu
: when we remembered that Mr. Atfinit
;. was probably breaktasting we grew calm
: and presently the four came in. How
v good our own home folk always look
a and we whispered to each other "The
e are the flower of the flock " Such i
}, female prejudice
i At last every delegate had arrived
s The seats on the platform, reserved 10
d dignitaries, had been filed, and tn
r newspaper men had gathered about thel
l. tables. Certainly Vermont may h
proud of her men! Future generation
|. will doubtless look back and eXclail
"There were giants III those days !" W
had there not been so many bald head
but even they add the dignity of yea'
to an assemblage. No woman lookin
down on that crowd could wish to SUI
+. stitute for it a gathering of heads decke
with rats and puffs, "baskets" and cor
e. net braids which the female generatio
g now affect. hope the day never CONF
when state conventions will be compose
#. in any proportion of sutfragettes. Sut
,h cient for us the honor to so train al
develop the minds Of our growing DO.
IT. that when their time comes they ms
n fill the responsible positions of state
", grandly as do the men of Vermont t
mt day. Witness our governor, our co
as gressmen "Was there ever a nobl
of leader of more valiant banda Answ
he We suffragettes Where could be fou,
81 the woman who could preside over
* state convention with such dignity, SUI
", absolute fairness, such unfaiing chez
mt fulness, as Mr.. Joseph DeBoer d
ID, played? And in what logical, forcef'
of lucid and concise way he presented t
tenets of the party faith
es- Editor Greene was clearly the darlil
m of the convention. | heard man, |
Ply hind me, answer questioning neighb
ef- eyes, that's Frank Greene; he's o
nd boy; he wouldn't go wrong for a dolla
he Mr.. Hulburd's speech nominating n
all Fleetwood was jewel His well roun
AS ed sentences, his unlimited ard pict,
OF esque vocabulary, his forceful gestur
ne held our eyes; and the rounds of a
to plause afterward made high our hop
me and we whispered to each other, "The
re- other candidates are all right, but
He our Mr.. Fleetwood !" Victory to
OF seemed certain. But not so.
Fleetwood's supporters were mos
tee young and lusty hinged and we W,
deceived by the volume of the no
lily they made. After the first ballot
on came home to even our feminine mil
md that we were the supporters of forlc
ort. hope--we never we're good losers-a