History of Woman Suffrage Volume II Part 36

Rev. Dr. Blanchard, of Brooklyn, opened the evening session with prayer; a resolution was proposed and adopted, on the death of James Mott, husband of Lucretia Mott, President of the first Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls.

Rev. OLYMPIA BROWN: It is said that Nature is against us. In the Ma.s.sachusetts Legislature, Mr. Dana, Chairman of the Committee before whom we had a hearing, said: "Nature is against it. It will take the romance out of life to grant what you desire"! If the romance of life is a falsehood and a fiction, we want to get back to truth, nature and G.o.d. We all love liberty and desire to possess it. No one worthy the name of man or woman is willing to surrender liberty and become subservient to another. Woman may be shut out of politics by law, but her influence will be felt there. Some of our leading reformers work for other objects first; the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of the negro, the eight hour law, the temperance cause; and leave the woman suffrage question in the background; but woman will be enfranchised in spite of them. It is no use to tell us to wait until something else is done. _Now_ is the accepted time for the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of woman. The abolition of slavery was thought to be premature, but that mistake is now clearly seen. Now is the time for every disfranchised cla.s.s to make known its wants. The Republican party is no better than the Democratic. It sacrificed principle and nominated a man for President to _save the party_, whom they were afraid the Democrats would nominate if they did not! The Republican party controlled Kansas, and yet repudiated woman's rights in the canva.s.s of last year. We want a party (and would like the Republican party) who will adopt a platform of Universal Suffrage for every color and every s.e.x. "The Republican party must be saved," is the cry; but its great danger is in not being true to principle. We will push on, keeping in view the rights of our common nature until woman is the peer of man in every sphere of life.

ELIZABETH A. KINGSLEY, of Philadelphia, CHARLES BURLEIGH, Rev.

HENRY BLANCHARD and Mrs. ROSE made brief addresses.

FREDERICK DOUGLa.s.s deprecated the seeming a.s.sertion of Rev. O. B.

Frothingham, that one good cause was in opposition to another. I champion the right of the negro to vote. It is with us a matter of life and death, and therefore can not be postponed. I have always championed woman's right to vote; but it will be seen that the present claim for the negro is one of the most _urgent_ necessity. The a.s.sertion of the right of women to vote meets nothing but ridicule; there is no deep seated malignity in the hearts of the people against her; but name the right of the negro to vote, all h.e.l.l is turned loose and the Ku-klux and Regulators hunt and slay the unoffending black man. The government of this country loves women. They are the sisters, mothers, wives and daughters of our rulers; but the negro is loathed. Women should not censure Mr. Phillips, Mr. Greeley, or Mr. Tilton, all have spoken eloquently for woman's rights. We are all talking for woman's rights, and we should be just to all our friends and enemies. There is a difference between the Republican and Democratic parties.

OLYMPIA BROWN: What is it?

FREDERICK DOUGLa.s.s: The Democratic party has, during the whole war, been in sympathy with the rebellion, while the Republican party has supported the Government.

OLYMPIA BROWN: How is it now?

FREDERICK DOUGLa.s.s: The Democratic party opposes impeachment, and desires a white man's government.

OLYMPIA BROWN: What is the difference in _principle_ between the position of the Democratic party opposing the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of 2,000,000 negro men, and the Republican party opposing the emanc.i.p.ation of 17,000,000 white women?

FREDERICK DOUGLa.s.s: The Democratic party opposes suffrage to both: but the Republican party is in favor of enfranchising the negro, and is largely in favor of enfranchising woman. Where is the Democrat who favors woman suffrage? (A voice in the audience, "Train!") Yes, he hates the negro, and that is what stimulates him to subst.i.tute the cry of emanc.i.p.ation for women. The negro needs suffrage to protect his life and property, and to ensure him respect and education. He needs it for the safety of reconstruction and the salvation of the Union; for his own elevation from the position of a drudge to that of an influential member of society. If you want women to forget and forsake frivolity, and the negro to take pride in becoming a useful and respectable member of society, give them both the ballot.

OLYMPIA BROWN: Why did Republican Kansas vote down negro suffrage?

FREDERICK DOUGLa.s.s: Because of your ally, George Francis Train!

OLYMPIA BROWN: How about Minnesota without Train? The Republican party is a party and cares for nothing but party! It has repudiated both negro suffrage and woman suffrage.

FREDERICK DOUGLa.s.s: Minnesota lacked only 1,200 votes of carrying negro suffrage. All the Democrats voted against it, while only a small portion of the Republicans did so. And this was substantially the same in Ohio and Connecticut. The Republican party is about to bring ten States into the Union; and Thaddeus Stevens has reported a bill to admit seven, all on the fundamental basis of const.i.tutions guaranteeing negro suffrage forever.

OLYMPIA BROWN again insisted that the party was false, and that now was the time for every true patriot to demand that no new State should be admitted except on the basis of suffrage to women as well as negroes.

LUCY STONE controverted Mr. Dougla.s.s' statement that women were not persecuted for endeavoring to obtain their rights, and depicted in glowing colors the wrongs of women and the inadequacy of the laws to redress them. Mrs. Stone also charged the Republican party as false to principle unless it protected women as well as colored men in the exercise of their right to vote.

_The Tribune_ said the resolutions adopted declare that suffrage is an inalienable right without qualification of s.e.x or race; that our State and National Governments are anti-Republican in form, and anti-Democratic in fact; that the only way to decide whether women want to vote is to give them an opportunity of doing so; that the Republicans are bound to extend the application of manhood suffrage to women; that Reconstruction will fail to secure peace, unless it gives women the right to vote; they invite the National Conventions of both parties to put a woman suffrage plank in their platforms; pet.i.tion[107] Congress to extend suffrage to the women of the District of Columbia, and to propose a Const.i.tutional Amendment prohibiting political distinctions on account of s.e.x; a.s.sert that the laws depriving married women of the equal custody of their children and of the control of their property, are a disgrace to civilization; and thank the men of Kansas who voted for Woman Suffrage.

FOOTNOTES:

[92] Following this hearing, Mr. Folger presented a resolution in the Senate for the women of the State to vote for delegates to the Const.i.tutional Convention, and nine members voted in its favor.

[93] The _Albany Evening Journal_ of January 24th, says: "Mrs. Stanton had a large audience to hear her argument in favor of so amending the Const.i.tution as to permit women and colored men to vote and hold office. She said all that could be said and said it well in support of her position, but it is still a problem whether the Judiciary Committee were convinced. Like most men of old-fas.h.i.+oned notions, they are slow to believe that women would be elevated, either in usefulness, or dignity, by being transferred from the drawing room and the nursery to the ballot-box and the forum!!

[94] Horace Greeley, Westchester Co., Leslie W. Russel, Lawrence Co., William Ca.s.sidy, Albany Co., William H. Merrill, Wyoming Co., George Williams, Oneida Co., John G. Schumaker, Kings Co., Isaac L. Eudress, Livingston Co.

[95] _June 20, 1867._--Mr. CORBETT presented a memorial from citizens of Syracuse for securing the right of suffrage for women on equal terms with men.

Mr. GRAVES--Pet.i.tion of Mrs. F. D. Fish and 180 other citizens--worthy and intelligent men and women--of the city of Utica, asking equal suffrage for men and women.

Referred to the Committee on Suffrage.

_June 26, 1867._--Mr. RATHBUN--Pet.i.tion for universal suffrage for women as well as men.

C. E. PARKER--Pet.i.tion for citizens of Tioga County.

Mr. CURTIS--A pet.i.tion from Mrs. Daniel Cady, of Johnstown, and 200 others, asking to have "male" stricken from the State Const.i.tution.

E. G. LAPHAM presented a pet.i.tion.

Mr. EZRA GRAVES presented thirty-seven pet.i.tions--Brooklyn, 1; Mt.

Morris, 4; Troy, 1; Lima, 1; New York City, 8; Buffalo, 3; Skaneateles, 2; Lockport, 1; Poughkeepsie, 1; Dutchess County, 1; Utica, 1; Fairfield, Herkimer Co., 1. In all, 2,040 persons asking for equal suffrage.

_Friday, June 28th._--C. C. DWIGHT--Mrs. Eliza Wright Osborn and 22 others, of Auburn, asking suffrage for women. Mr. COOKE--Mrs. Lina Vandenburg and 350 others. Mr. ARCHER--Sundry citizens. Mr. MEAD--Mrs.

E. A. Kingsbury and 20 others. Mr. SCHOONMAKER--M. I. Ingraham and others. Mr. HOUSTON--Lucia Sutton. Mr. RATHBUN--Mrs. A. H. Sabin and 20 others. J. BROOKS--Emma Suydam and 15 others.

Mr. GRAVES--Two memorials. 1st. Schoharie County, 204 men and women for const.i.tutional amendment prohibiting sale of intoxicating liquors.

2d. Lucia Humphrey and 30 others for equal suffrage. All went to Committee on Suffrage, except Mr. Graves' first, which went to Committee on Adulterated Liquors.

[96] Mr. GREELEY, June 26th, from the Committee on Suffrage, offered a resolution that "The use of this hall on the 27th, Thursday evening of this week, be granted to the Standing Committee on the Right of Suffrage, that they may accord a public hearing to the advocates of female suffrage," which was adopted.

[97] The _Albany Evening Journal_ of June 28, 1867, says, editorially:

WOMANHOOD SUFFRAGE.--The a.s.sembly Chamber was well filled last evening to listen to Mrs. Stanton and Miss Anthony. Mrs. Stanton made a stirring appeal, and Miss Anthony followed. In response to queries, she said she expected that women would yet serve as jurors and be drafted. Several hundred had fought in the late war, but when their s.e.x was discovered they were dismissed in disgrace; and to the shame of the Government be it said, they were never paid for their services.

[98] Mr. Folger offered a resolution--That the use of this Chamber be granted to the American Equal Rights a.s.sociation for a meeting on the evening of Wednesday, the 10th inst.

[99] GEO. FRANCIS TRAIN BEFORE THE CONSt.i.tUTIONAL CONVENTION AT ALBANY.--The Const.i.tutional Convention at Albany has not had many variations from its customary slate of topics, but it is a noteworthy fact that no New York paper mentioned that Geo. Francis Train addressed the Convention for two hours on the subject of woman voting and the financial policy of the nation. Mr. Train having been the only man to volunteer his services in Kansas and before the Convention, it is worthy of note, when the argument advanced by our chivalrous press is a sneer, a sarcasm, or an insult, that Mr. Train's defense of women voting was received by the Convention by loud and repeated applause.

The following was the resolution, pa.s.sed unanimously, offering the hall:

STATE OF NEW YORK, IN CONSt.i.tUTIONAL CONVENTION, } ALBANY, December 4, 1867. }

On motion of Mr. Ballard:

_Resolved_, That the use of the a.s.sembly Chamber be granted to Geo. Francis Train, Esq., at 4 P.M. this day.

By order. LUTHER CALDWELL, _Secretary_.

[100] In 1846 the question of negro suffrage was submitted to a popular vote, and negatived by 223,884 to 85,306; in 1850 it was again defeated by a vote of 337,984 to 197,503; a similar submission was provided for by a concurrent resolution of the Legislature of 1859, which by neglect of the State officer to provide for its publication, was defeated; but its fate may fairly be regarded as further evidence of the indifference of the public toward a change.

[101] _July 1st._--Mr. FOWLER presented a pet.i.tion from Miss Laura Bosworth and others for woman suffrage.

_July 9th._--From Gerrit Smith and 180 others of Madison County, for female suffrage.

Mr. ENDRESS--Emma C. Lawrence and 50 others of Westchester, for female suffrage.

Mr. MURPHY--Thomas N. Cashow and 20 others, of Kings County, for woman suffrage.

Mr. FULLERTON--Mary J. Quackenbosh and many others, from Newburgh.

Mr. VAN CAMPEN--Mary E. Mead and many others, of Westchester County.