Penloe and Stella did not consider the work finished yet, and they
called for a congress of representative workers to meet in the
Auditorium in Chicago at a suitable date, which would give all time to
be present. Each State and country were to send two delegates, one man
and one woman. Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales,
Ireland, Canada, and every State in the Union were all represented at
the Congress.
When the Congress assembled, it was unanimously agreed that Stella
should preside.
After the meeting had been opened and some preliminaries had been gone
through, Penloe said: "In the call for this congress it was stated that
its purpose was to consider how best to carry on this great work in
foreign countries, but before doing so I think it would be best to
change the name of the work. It seems necessary that some names, as well
as races, should pass through the period of evolution. The reason why I
will briefly state, as follows: In some countries where it is necessary
to carry on this work, they are not in bondage, and the name C.I. would
not convey the meaning of the full scope of our work; for while it is
true they do not discriminate between the sexes, yet they are in bondage
in many other different ways, and while the work originally started with
the idea of freeing men and women from the shackles of sexual bondage
with the name of 'Sex Reform Movement,' yet afterwards it was called the
'California Idea,' and the name included Woman's Suffrage, so as to make
her free before the law, before man, and before the whole world. And as
it grew its name changed to 'California Movement.' But now that the work
has grown to such gigantic proportions, having about taken in all the
English speaking countries, the work has also grown in its scope of
usefulness and its object now is not only to free the mind from sexual
bondage, not only to see that woman holds the same place as man in the
eyes of the law of the land that she lives in, but still more, to FREE
HUMANITY FROM ALL BONDAGES OF EVERY KIND OR CHARACTER. Therefore, I
propose that the name to be given to the movement shall be '_Reform
Forces_,' for under this name and banner all can work."
After a little discussion the name given by Penloe was adopted
unanimously.
The next business was to hear from some of the delegates in regard to
plans for carrying on the work in foreign countries. After hearing many
different plans proposed, and listening to various suggestions from many
of the delegates, the plan mapped out by Penloe was finally carried
unanimously.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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