The History of Woman Suffrage Volume II Part 117

C. Severance, West Newton; Rev. Phebe A. Hanaford, Reading; Stephen S.

Foster, Worcester; Rev. A. Bronson Olcott, Concord; Miss Ellen E.

Miles, Waltham; F. B. Sanborn, Springfield. Rhode Island--Col. T. W.

Higginson, Newport. New York--Mrs. Celia Burleigh, Mrs. Anna C. Field, A. E. Bradley, Miss Mary Hillard, Mrs. A. E. Bradley, N. Y. City; Mrs.

Jennie F. Culver, Syracuse; Ira E. Davenport, Buffalo. New Jersey--Mrs. Lucy Stone, Henry B. Blackwell, Newark; Mary F. Davis, Andrew Jackson Davis, Orange; Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Somerville; John Gage, Portia Gage, Vineland. Pennsylvania--John K. Wildman and Mrs. Charles Pierce, Philadelphia. Delaware--Dr. John Cameron, Isabella H. Cameron, and Samuel D. Forbes, Wilmington. Ohio--Dr.

Hannah M. Tracy Cutler, Mrs. D. R. Tilden, Miss Edwards, Mrs. Dr.

Merrick, Mrs. H. H. Little, Miss Deane, Cleveland; Mrs. M. V. Longley, Miss Helen J. Wolfe, Cincinnati; A. J. Boyer, Dayton; Mrs. M. M. Cole, Sydney; Jane O. DeForest, Findlay; Rev. H. J. McConnel, Yellow Springs; Mrs. Joshua R. Giddings, Ashtabula; Mrs. Esther Walters, Oberlin; Mrs. Lucinda Poole, Brownville; Rev. G. S. Abbott, Willoughby; Mrs. Jennie R. M. Eagleson, Cadiz; Mrs. Mercy B. Lane, Braceville; Mrs. C. T. Crain, J. J. Belville, Dayton; Mrs. E. D.

Stewart, Springfield; Mrs. Lyon Jefferson. Indiana--Amanda M. Way, Rev. Charles H. Marshall, Mrs. Emi Sw.a.n.k, Indianapolis; J. T. Sage, Danville; Miss Lizzie M. Boynton, Crawfordsville; Dr. Alice B.

Stockham, Lafayette; Nettie M. Pease, New Albany. Illinois--Myra Bradwell, Hon. James B. Bradwell, Mrs. E. J. Loomis, Mary A.

Livermore, Chicago; Rev. J. B. Harrison, Bloomington; Mrs. A. Steward, Plano; Mrs. M. S. Severance, Dixon. Michigan--Rev. Dr. J. B. Stone, Mrs. L. H. Stone, W. S. Blakeman, Mrs. D. C. Blakeman, Kalamazoo; Giles B. Stebbins, Catharine A. F. Stebbins, Mrs. Dr. S. L. Jones, Mrs. Booth, Detroit; Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Sanford, Ann Arbor.

Wisconsin--Lillie Peckham, Julia Ford, Milwaukee; E. L. Ca.s.sels, Lone Rock; Harriet Leland, Elkhorn. Minnesota--Mrs. Addie L. Ballou.

Iowa--Capt. Judson N. Cross, Lyons. Missouri--Mrs. W. S. Hazard, Mrs.

Ida S. Fialla, Miss Ellen Palmer, St. Louis. Florida--Henry S.

Campbell, St. Augustine. Kansas--Gov. J. P. Root, Lawrence.

California--Mrs. C. G. Ames and Mrs. Jennie B. Ritter.

[183] From Ohio--Dr. Hannah M. Tracy Cutler, Chairman. Florida--Henry T. Campbell. Indiana--Amanda M. Way. Illinois--Mary A. Livermore.

Ma.s.sachusetts--F. W. Sanborn. Rhode Island--Colonel T. W. Higginson.

New York--Celia Burleigh. New Jersey--Henry B. Blackwell.

Pennsylvania--Mrs. C. Pierce. Michigan--Rev. Dr. Stone.

Wisconsin--Lilie Peckham. Minnesota--Addie L. Ballou. Missouri--Mrs.

W. T. Hazard. California--Mrs. C. G. Ames. New Hamps.h.i.+re--Mrs. A.

White. Delaware--Dr. John Cameron.

[184] _President_--Thomas Wentworth Higginson, of Rhode Island.

_Secretaries_--Mrs. Myra Bradwell, of Illinois; Mrs. Mary F. Davis, of New York.

_Vice-President_--Hon. Nathaniel White, of New Hamps.h.i.+re; Mrs.

Caroline M. Severance, of Ma.s.sachusetts; Mrs. Annie C. Field, of New York; Rev. Antoinette Brown Blackwell, of New Jersey; John K. Wildman, of Pennsylvania; Dr. John Cameron, of Delaware; Rev. Charles H.

Marshall, of Indiana; Hon. James B. Bradwell, of Illinois; Rev. H. K.

McConnell, of Ohio; Mrs. Addie L. Ballou, of Minnesota; Miss Lilie Peckham, of Wisconsin; Dr. L. H. Jones, of Michigan; Mrs. Ida Fialla, of Mississippi; Mrs. Ritter, of California; Captain Judson F. Cross, of Iowa; Mrs. Henry F. Campbell, of Florida.

_Treasurer_--William N. Hudson, of the Cleveland _Leader_.

[185] The discussions were partic.i.p.ated in by Rev. Antoinette Brown Blackwell, A. Bronson Alcott, Messrs. Bellville, Foster, Gage, Blackwell, Marshall, Connor, McConnell, Mesdames Ames, Howe, Livermore, Cutler, Stone, and Hanaford.

[186] Rev. James Freeman Clarke, Rev. Oscar Clute, Mrs. and Miss Beecher, Lucy Stone, Henry B. Blackwell, Julia Ward Howe, T. W.

Higginson, Mary A. Livermore, Rev. Phebe A. Hanaford, Celia Burleigh, Antoinette B. Blackwell, Miriam M. Cole, Margaret V. Longley, Elizabeth K. Churchill, Margaret Campbell, Mrs. Oscar Clute, Agnes Kemp, Mary F. Davis, Andrew Jackson Davis, G. B. Stebbins, H. M. Tracy Cutler, Oliver Johnson, A. J. Boyer, Aaron M. Powell, Hon. George W.

Julian, "Grace Greenwood," and others.

[187] WHEREAS, the Democratic party, in the days of Jefferson, abolished the political aristocracy of wealth and established "a white man's government;" and

WHEREAS, the Republicans have recently abolished the political aristocracy of race and established "manhood suffrage;" therefore

_Resolved_, That the progressive tendencies of the age demand the abolition of the political aristocracy of s.e.x by a XVI. Amendment to the Federal Const.i.tution, extending suffrage to women.

_Resolved_, That pending the adoption of the XVI. Amendment, we urge the friends of woman to work in their respective States for the establishment of this reform by State legislation, especially as the ratification of any Const.i.tutional Amendment must finally depend upon the State Legislatures.

_Resolved_, That the American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation seeks a thorough organization of the friends of the cause throughout the country by the following method, viz.: A central organization (already existing), organized by delegates from State societies; they in turn being organized by delegates from local societies, and the whole originating in primary meetings of the friends of woman suffrage in every locality.

_Resolved_, That we remonstrate against the proposition now pending in the Senate of the United States to disfranchise the women of Utah, as a movement in aid of polygamy, against justice, and a flagrant violation of a vested right.

_Resolved_, That we congratulate the friends of woman suffrage upon the unexampled progress of the cause during the past year; upon the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of women in Wyoming and Utah; upon the submission of the question in Vermont; upon its discussion in eleven State Legislatures, in numerous public meetings and in newspapers; upon the introduction of the XVI. Amendment in Congress; upon the extension of munic.i.p.al suffrage to the women of Great Britain, and the pa.s.sage of a bill to a second reading in Parliament removing all political disabilities on account of s.e.x, and upon the rapid growth of public opinion in favor of woman's equality throughout the civilized world.

[188] Ohio--Mrs. M. V. Longley, Mrs. M. M. Cole, Mrs. J. O. De Forest, Mrs. R. A. S. Janney, Mrs. Mary Graham, Mrs. Harvey Sharpe, Mrs. Mary L. Strong, J. J. Belville, Mrs. H. M. Little, Miss Rebecca Rice, Mrs.

Currier Brown, Mrs. Emmett, Mrs. Esther Wattles, Mrs. S. E. Newton, Mrs. E. Calt, Mary A. Currier, Olive C. Atkinson, Rebecca Ream, A. J.

Boyer, Mrs. Hannah M. Clarke, Mrs. Agnes Cook; New York--Mrs. Celia Burleigh, Mrs. Rogers; Ma.s.sachusetts--Margaret W. Campbell, Mrs.

Hewitt, Lucy Stone, H. B. Blackwell; Rhode Island--T. W. Higginson; New Hamps.h.i.+re--Armenia S. White, Mrs. S. C. Pipher; New Jersey--Judge Whitehead, John Gage, Rev. Oscar Clute, Miss E. L. Bush; Missouri--Mrs. W. T. Hazard, f.a.n.n.y Holy; Pennsylvania--John K.

Wildman, Gulielma M. Jones, Dr. H. T. Child, Mrs. Ellen M. Child, Sarah Pearce, Miss M. W. Abbott, Mrs. E. S. Chapel, John Finlayson; Indiana--Mrs. Dr. Ellen B. Ferguson, Miss M. F. Burlingame, Miss Amanda M. Way; Michigan--Catharine A. F. Stebbins, Sarah C. Owen; Illinois--Hon. J. B. Bradwell, William D. Babbitt, Mrs. E. O. G.

Willard, George M. Campbell; Delaware--S. D. Forbes, Mrs Forbes; Louisiana--Laura L. D. Jacobs; Nevada--Mary C. Hart. Total number of States represented, fourteen.

[189] 1. _Resolved_, That the ballot in government means power and freedom for all; that adult citizens in this republican country can not be free without it, or be properly clothed with the necessary means for their own protection; that woman needs this power and freedom, and therefore should be enfranchised.

2. _Resolved_, That the primary object of the American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation is to secure the ballot for woman, and its general object includes the establishment of her equality of rights in all directions.

3. _Resolved_, That the officers of this a.s.sociation and of each of the auxiliary State a.s.sociations be requested to memorialize Congress for a XVI. Amendment to the Federal Const.i.tution, prohibiting political distinction on account of s.e.x. Also, that each State society be requested to memorialize its Legislature for a change in the organic law, so as to secure the extension of suffrage to women.

4. _Resolved_, That the ballot for woman means stability for the marriage relations, stability for the home, and stability for our republican form of government.

5. _Resolved_, That we recommend the appointment of a Committee of Conference, of like number with the one appointed by the Union Suffrage a.s.sociation, with a view to the union of both organizations.

[190] 3. _Resolved_, That it is the duty of every woman to resent the cowardly indignity which cla.s.ses educated, virtuous women as the political inferiors of the meanest and most degraded men; and that she should demand the ballot in order to help to make good laws and elect worthy representatives.

5. _Resolved_, That we recommend a concerted effort on the part of the woman suffragists to obtain from their respective Legislatures an act authorizing women to vote at the next Presidential election under the authority conferred by the first section of the second article of the Const.i.tution of the United States.

6. _Resolved_, That we cordially approve of the effort to obtain suffrage for women in the District of Columbia, in Michigan, and elsewhere, under the provisions of the XIV. and XV. Amendments.

7. _Resolved_, That we urge upon Congress the pa.s.sage of a XVI.

Amendment, prohibiting political distinctions on account of s.e.x, and also of a law conferring legal and political equality.

8. _Resolved_, That the claim of woman to partic.i.p.ate in making the laws she is required to obey, and to equality of rights in all directions, has nothing to do with special social theories, and that the recent attempts in this city and elsewhere to a.s.sociate the woman suffrage cause with the doctrines of free love, and to hold it responsible for the crimes and follies of individuals, is an outrage upon common sense and decency, and a slander upon the virtue and intelligence of the women of America.

[191] 8. _Resolved_, That the Executive Committee be instructed to address memorials in behalf of woman suffrage to Congress, and to the national conventions of every political party.

[192] _Resolved_, That suffrage means equality in the home, and therefore means greater constancy and greater permanency in marriage.

_Resolved_, That the agitation of the peace, temperance, and other reforms of the day is valuable as a means of creating a public sentiment in favor of woman suffrage, not only by convincing the men engaged in them of the necessity of co-operation at the ballot-box, but by educating woman to a sense of her obligation to avail herself of every power to secure their consummation.

_Resolved_, That the Executive Committee of the American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation be requested to appoint a deputation to address the Legislatures of the several States on the subject of woman suffrage, with the co-operation of the State societies.

[193] 3. WHEREAS women, as a cla.s.s, have special interests to protect and special wrongs to remedy, and, as individuals, have peculiar feminine characteristics and developments in which they differ from man; therefore,

_Resolved_, That a government of men alone is neither republican nor representative, but is an aristocracy of s.e.x inconsistent alike with the highest welfare of man, of woman, and of society.

4. And WHEREAS, The National Republican platform of 1872 affirms that the admission of woman to wider spheres of usefulness is viewed with satisfaction, and the honest demand of woman for additional rights should receive respectful consideration; and

WHEREAS, The Republicans have a large majority in both houses of Congress; therefore,

_Resolved_, That we call upon Congress to enact a law establis.h.i.+ng impartial suffrage for all citizens irrespective of s.e.x, in the District of Columbia and the Territories; also to declare woman eligible to all offices under Government, with equal pay for equal work: also to submit a XVI. Const.i.tutional Amendment prohibiting political distinctions on account of s.e.x.