he following votes. In October, 1872, it was voted, That
any invitation to speak at Republican meetings, extended to our
agents by Republican committees in this State, be accepted by them
until the coming election, their usual salaries being paid by this
Association; that Miss Loud be notified by Lucy Stone of our
arrangement in regard to Republican meetings, and be requested,
after the 15th instant, to hold her meetings in that manner as far
as practicable; that the balance of expenses of the woman's meeting
held at Tremont Temple be paid by this Association. [This was a
political meeting held by the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage
Association to endorse General Grant as the presidential candidate
of the Republican party.]

[125] The National Association of Massachusetts at its executive
session, August 23, passed the following:

_Resolved_, That while we respect the advice of our leaders, as
their private political opinion, we deem it worse than useless to
"stand by the Republican" or any other party while we are
deprived of the only means of enforcing a political opinion; and
that we advise all associations, to concentrate their efforts
upon securing the ballot to women, withholding all attempt at
political influence until they possess the right which alone can
make their influence effective.

[126] At the executive meeting of the New England Association, May,
1874, it was voted that a circular be sent to the friends of woman
suffrage, requesting them to meet in Boston, May 25, to consider
the expediency of calling a convention to form a political party
for woman suffrage.

[127] The call for this convention was signed by Harriet H.
Robinson, Rev. A. D. Sargent, Rev. G. H. Vibbert, William Johnson,
Mrs. T. R. Woodman, Helen Gale and Mrs. M. Slocum. Judge Robert C.
Pitman was the candidate for governor.

[128] This "Woman Suffrage ticket," the first ever offered to a
Massachusetts voter, received 41 votes out of the 1,340 cast in all
by the voters of the town, a larger proportion than that first cast
by the old Liberty party in Massachusetts, which began with only
307 votes in the whole State, and ended in the Free Soil and
Republican parties.

[129] Election day dawned and it rained hard, but the women braved
the storm. There they stood from 9 o'clock A.M. till a quarter of 5
P.M. and distributed votes, only leaving their positions long
enough to get a cup of coffee and