Susan B. Anthony came to Cortland County in 1879 to deliver a speech on political equity titled “Women want bread, not the ballot.” Anthony’s speech argued that while winning the vote nationally would be a milestone, the real target of voting equality ensures that women would soon have political and financial mobility. Economic freedom was a major sentiment of this time. She also visited again in 1894 alongside Harriet May Mills. Anthony's speech included remarks on achieved suffrage in the states of Colorado and Wyoming as examples. She also went on to describe how the movement could have used more outspoken men, specifically young men. Additionally, many preachers, politicians, and editors silently supported the cause, but they seemingly lack the public courage to use their power to remedy a lack of equality.
Susan B. Anthony,
Courtesy of the National
Women's History Museum
Lillie Deveraux, President of the New York State Women’s Suffrage Association spoke at Cortland in 1885. She argued for female enfranchisement and co-education. In her speech, titled “New Republic” she spoke of women with the burden of taxation without representation.
Like Anthony, who spoke in Cortland in the late 1880’s, Deveraux enthusiastically endorsed political equity, whose argument was not just about gaining the right to vote but ensuring future rights and privileges leading to a more equitable society.
Lille Devereux Blake,
Courtesy of the Feminist Press, CUNY.
Harriet May Mills was born in Syracuse, New York in 1857. She graduated from Cornell University and became a school teacher. Later she would go on to be a prominent political activist. She took part in the 1894 New York Constitution Convention, which is right around the time when she visited Cortland on several occasions. Mills was involved in the Political Equality Club and even testified before Congress regarding the 19th Amendment. During this time, she helped establish the Onondaga County Women’s Democratic Club. She went on to work with the Democratic Party on a number of campaigns and initiatives. She was on the ticket with Alfred E. Smith as potential Secretary of State to New York. She eventually became a member of the Electoral College.
Harriet May Mills
Courtesy of the Historic Mills House