suppression
of intemperance, and closing: "It is absurd, therefore, to argue that
the community has no power to control this great evil; that any citizen
has the right to inflict it upon society, or that society should
hesitate to exercise its right and power of self-protection against
it."

Many other letters were read from friends, among them Abby Kelly
Foster, who said to Miss Anthony: "So far as separate organizations for
women's action in the temperance cause are concerned, I consider you
the center and soul, without whom nothing could have been done
heretofore and I doubt whether anything would be done now." Strong
addresses were made by Rev. Channing, Frederick Douglass, Lucy Stone,
Mrs. Nichols, Antoinette Brown, Mrs. Bloomer and others.

When this association was formed a clause was placed in the
constitution allowing men to become members and to speak in all
meetings but making them ineligible to office. There were two reasons
for this: it was desired to throw the full responsibility on woman,
compelling her to learn to preside and to think, speak and act for
herself, which she never would do if men were present to perform these
duties for her; and it was feared that, on account of long habit, men
would soon take matters into their own hands and gain control of the
society, possibly to the extent of forbidding women to speak at the
meetings. Many of the ladies, however, objected to this clause, among
them Antoinette Brown, who refused to join the society on account of
it. So, yielding to the pressure, Mrs. Stanton, on this first
anniversary, said "as this seemed to many a violation of men's rights,
and as the women had now learned to stand alone, it might perhaps be
safe to admit men to all the privileges of the society, hoping,
however, that they would modestly permit woman to continue the work she
had so successfully begun."

[Autograph:

Very respectfully yours
Neal Dow]

Miss Anthony, chairman of the committee on revising the constitution,
brought in a report in favor of admitting the men, which was vigorously
discussed. Before the close of this meeting the serious mistake of such
action was apparent. The men present monopolized the floor, tried to
have the name changed to the People's League, insisted that the society
should have nothing to do with any phase of woman's rights, and showed
their hand so plainly that Miss Anthony at once took the alarm and in
an indignant speech declared the men