uld be; and Mrs. Mott moved that Mrs. Stanton write out
her thought, and that it be accepted as the preamble of the
Constitution.[65] The motion was adopted. Miss Anthony proposed a
list of names as officers[66] of the Association. Mrs. Stanton thanked
the Convention for the honor proposed, to make her President, but said
she should prefer to see Lucretia Mott in that office; that thus that
office might ever be held sacred in the memory that it had first been
filled by one so loved and honored by all. "I shall be happy as
Vice-President to relieve my dear friend of the arduous duties of her
office, if she will but give us the blessing of her name as
President." Mrs. Stanton then moved that Mrs. Mott be the President,
which was seconded by many voices, and carried by a unanimous vote.

Mrs. Mott, escorted to the Chair by Stephen S. Foster, remarked that
her age and feebleness unfitted her for any public duties, but she
rejoiced in the inauguration of a movement broad enough to cover
class, color, and sex, and would be happy to give her name and
influence, if thus she might encourage the young and strong to carry
on the good work. On motion of Theodore Tilton, Mrs. Stanton was made
first Vice-President. The rest of the names were approved.

Mrs. STANTON said, It had been the desire of her heart to see the
Anti-Slavery and Woman's Rights organizations merged into an
Equal Rights Association, as the two questions were now one. With
emancipation, all that the black man asks is the right of
suffrage. With the special legislation of the last twenty years,
all that woman asks is the right of suffrage. Hence it seems an
unnecessary expenditure of force and substance for the same men
and women to meet in convention on Tuesday to discuss the right
of one class to the ballot, and on Thursday to discuss the right
of another class to the same. Has not the time come, Mrs.
President, to bury the black man and the woman in the citizen,
and our two organizations in the broader work of reconstruction?
They who have been trained in the school of anti-slavery; they
who, for the last thirty years, have discussed the whole question
of human rights, which involves every other question of trade,
commerce, finance, political economy, jurisprudence, morals and
religion, are the true statesmen for the new republic--the best
enunciators of our future policy o