Year: 1871

4 tr4F

 We extract the following from letter to the Bridgeport Farmer from the Rev. Olympia Brown. pastor of the Bridgeport Universalist church:

 Again you state that the advocates of the cause in this State are carrying out plan or programme marked out by Mrs. Woodruff last spring" This is wholly untrue and you have no authority for any such assertion. That Connecticut is closely balanced State politically" is no secret revealed by Mrs. Woodruff. It is certainly manifest to the most careless, when for weeks it is impossible to decide which party has elected the Governor, and yet this is all you mention as having been suggested by her. Again you say:

 Although the movement here is really made under her eye and sin accordance with her programme, and although she goes to Hartford to lecture for it's success, yet 1t IS quite worthy of notice that those who publicly give direction to the move ment, disclaim all connection with her and try to ccny yine6 the public that their organization has no stock in the Wood hull wing. :"

 Now it is we'll known that Mrs. Wood

 

 the interest of any plan which the friends nor did she go there by invitation, or advice of any member of our Association. But as this is free country and all people may travel where they please, provided they have money to pay their fare, and each is at liberty to lecture when or where he or she may please, provided the people will hear, Mrs. Woodruff went to Hart ford and gave lecture on her own re- sponsibility, and for her own purposes, as she has done in Philadelphia, Boston, and other cities, and the people by going out to hear her, seem to say that they are determined to patronize her. If this is wrong it is not the fault of the ad- yocates of suffrage, but of those papers which by constantly talking about her and insisting that she is more important than all the other woman of the country have aroused public curiosity and awakened an interest in her behalf. / You, Mir. Edi- tor, had as much to do with her lecture at Hartford as any of the women advocating suffrage, and you have a far greater re- sponsibility than we in regard to it, for you have voice in the government of this commonwealth which we have not, and you have paper by which to create that public curiosity and interest which sus- tain her. e

 As to your assertion that those who are directing the movement here are trying to convince the public that ''their organi- zation has no stock in the Woodruff wing, while at the same time we are car- rying out her programme under her eye, I know not whether to be most astonished or indignant at such statement. As the chairman of the Executive Committee of the State Association, it belongs to me at present to publicly give direction to the movement" in this State. And you ac- cuse me in your paper of working under false pretexts, of trying to convince the public of what is not true! My whole life will falslfy your representation. Bnt what object can you have in this? Is it to show your opposition to suffrage? Surely you could better do this in some other way than by slandering one of your subscrib- ers, and that too, one who has never in- jured you, but has always spoken well ot your paper Your action in this is anoth- CT instance of the determination of the press of this country to fasten the odium attaching to Mrs. Woodhull's peculiar ideas upon the advocates of Woman Suf- frage, an attempt which seems to me most unjustifiabie and iniquitous. Mrs. Wood hull has never been member of any suf- frage association. She began to publish her paper and she presented her memorial at a time when she had no acquaintance with any prominent advocates of the cause. She has never asked their aid or recognition, nor has she ever been put forward or endorsed by any body of suf- fragists. Whatever she has done has been done independently, and the respon- sibility is her own. Her ideas are peculiar to herself, and she stands to be judged. not by us, but by One who knows her al- together

 The Democratic or the Republican par ty have as much to do with, and are as much responsible forherideas or her char acter, as the advocates of woman suffrage and more so, because their papers are con- tinually bringing her forward, advertising all her movements and publishing all that she says. Our cause rests not upon the character of individuals but upon the jus tice of it's principles, and is destined to triumph, whateveris said or done, because 1t is righteous.