Cazenovia group was against women voting

Several prominent community figures in Central New York took a stance against the 19th amendment.

This is the second of a two-part series looking at the history of women’s suffrage in New York state. This week’s column focuses on the antisuffrage movement; last week looked at the prosuffrage movement.

In July of 1848, a group of nearly 200 women met at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, launching the wom- en’s rights movement. One of their goals was to attain the right to vote for women. It was 69 years later that New York voters approved women’s suffrage. Three years later a federal amendment was approved. In between, both men and women were drawn into the debate of whether women should (or should not) have the right to vote. Today we are focusing on those who were against women’s suffrage.

While pro- suf frage groups in Madison County date back to the late 19th century, anti-suffrage societies do not appear until August of 1912 at the home of Mrs. Eliphalet (Jane) Remington. She hosted a meeting to “consider the advisability of taking some action opposed to the Women’s Suffrage work being done in Cazenovia.”

Some of the most prominent women of Cazenovia were at this meeting, including Mrs. Helen Fairchild, wife of former US Treasury Secretary Charles Stebbins, and Susan Blow, who opened the first kindergarten in the US. The women elected Mrs. Remington as chairman and decided to hold a pub- lic meeting featuring notable speakers, including Charles Fairchild and Miss Alice Hill Chittenden. At the time, Chittenden was the chairman of the legislative committee of the New York State Association opposed to women’s suffrage.

The event was largely attended and was a launching point for the “Organization of Women of Cazenovia opposed to the Extension of Women’s Suffrage.”

The organization met regularly and talked about events pertaining to suffrage both locally, statewide, nationally and even internationally. In one particular instance, Miss Stebbins spoke of being near an event in England where Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested, and militants had to be forcibly prevented from entering Downing Street. The organization would set up tables at local fairs, specifically in Morrisville and Peterboro, as well as special events. Members would occasionally speak to groups interested in hearing their arguments. The organization also kept up a regular di- alogue with the state society, regularly distributing their literature as well.

In the May of 1915, Mrs. Remington and Miss Margaret Stebbins spoke at the Higinbotham home in Oneida. According to accounts, more than 100 people attended. This was followed up during the summer of 1915 with an Anti-Suffrage Conference at the Baptist Church in Oneida. They also set up a display and handed out literature at the New York State Fair as well.

The last meeting in the minutes book took place January 1916 when it was decided “that it is not wise to agitate the subject as the votes in November had decided it for the present, as far as our state is concerned.”

On Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at County Building No. 4 ( DMV Building), we will be putting the original meeting minutes (transcribed as well as the original), photos and poster images on display as part of our Archives Day celebration. The Madison County Historian’s Office is partnering with the Oneida Community Mansion House, Madison County Historical Society and Cazenovia Public Library to bring forth the story of the role of both the pro and anti-suffrage societies as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York state.