The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-09-06
8irllntond 1ispatttr
WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 6, 1871
THE CIRCULATION OF THE DISPATCH
Is LARGER THAN THE COMBINED CIR
CULATtoN OF ALE THE OTHER DAILY
NEWSPAPERS OF THE CITY.
The Women's Rights MOvement-Pre'
paratiOns for Raid ON Congress-.

paratiOns for q Raid ON Congress.
Especial Correspondence Of the Baltimore SUM-
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4.-The leading isms
Of the country VIII make bold demand
upon Congress for recognition rs soon as it
assemblies, and will send here the foremost
advocates OF their theories. Woman's rights,
national prohibition Of the liquor traffic,
and the recognition Of God in the Consti-
tution," are all moving advance guards
hilhcrward, and recorfAoitering for posi-
ton. Pref. Tayler Lewis, who leads the
movement in favor of q national religion,
Will make q flying visit here early in the
session. \ halt dozen delegations of pro-
hibitioniSts have made arrangements to
come, and last, though far from least, the
advocates of woman's suffrage will main
tain here an able and determined lobby
throughout the whole Of the session.
The leaders of this latter movement have
prepared for vigorous onslaught upon all
| ihc branches Of the Government at once.
| They claim to have substantially won the
| Executive. rs woman'S rights are now fully
recognized in the executive departments !;
but the effort in this direction will be to Sc
cure the appointment of some woman to Il
prominent executive poSltion-at least to
the headship Of bureau.
| Upon Congress the main pressure will he
brought to bear. Thc surprising vote in
the House Of Representatives upon thcmo-
tion TO strike the word "male" out of the
section of the District OF Columbia bill
regulating suffrage has unduly excited the
hopes of the sanguine aud impreSsible la
dies who lead the movement, or has at least
given them an opportunity of impresSiDg
| the notion that the new doctrine has now q
far chance of being recognized by the Ma
tional Government.
The case for the courts is already pre-
lpared, and two suits ut law for damages
have been entered against certain registers
and commissioners of election for refusing
to register or allow to vote certain ladies
who in May last applied to them for that
purpose. The suit against the registers is
brought by Mrs. Sarah j. Spencer, and that
against the commissioners Of election by
Sarah E. Webster. MessrS. Riddle and
Miller have been retained as counsel for
the plaintiffs in these causes, and, by con.
sent Of parties, the trial in the Circuit
Court has been waived, and the cases are
set down for argument ut the coming gen.
eral term Of the Supreme Court of this Dis
trct, which begins its term on the 25th
instant. AS yet no appearance has been
entered by the defendants. Should the dc.
cision there be adverse, the cases will be
carried at once to the Supreme Court Of the
United States, and an effort made to have
them advanced on the calendar so rs to be
heard this winter.
The argument in favor of the right
which will be urged before the general
term. is substantially this: The fourteenth
amendment declares that "all persons born
or naturalized in the United States are sub
icct to the jurisdiction thereof. are citizens
of the United States and Of the States
wherein they reside" Women being per.
sons, thus become, by birth or naturaliza
ton, citizens Of lhe United States aud o
the States. In the fourth article Of the
Constitution it is declared that 1.-THE cit
zenS of each State shall be entitled to the
rights and immunities Of the citizens of the
several Sta,eS," and the fourteenth amend
mcnt fOrbidsany State TO "mlke or enforce
any law Which shall abridgc the privilege:
or immunitieS OF citizens of the United
States" That these constitutional "privi
leges and immunities" include suffrage wa:
decided in the Circuit Court Of the District
Of Columbia many years ago, and, remain.
ing unqucstioned to this day, is to be re
garded as u decided principle Of the court
Whatever fallacies may exist in this argu
ment. it is in substance the one which vii
bc relied upon in the coming argument.
| There Will, however, be technical diff
Guilty in procuring Il decision of any appel
late tribunal upon these cases rs they now
stand. AS neither the judges nor commits
sloncrS of election entered an appearance
in the suit, judgment by default has beer
taken against them, and the ordinary
method of proceeding would be too nu
merous for n jury to assess the damages
which the ladies had suffered in the deni2
OF suffrage alleged in their declaration
The case baying been certified to the gene
,.,1 f.r, hose nrr ing (
difficult TO sec how that court can make
any decision ut all in the case, and without
Il decision of the district general term il
will bc impossible TO carry the case to tho
Supreme court of the United States. Lega
acumen may, however, discover al un
beaten path for this purpose.
While the question is before the EXecu
tive, Congress, or the Supreme Court, 6
grand demonstration will be made by q
Woman's Rights Convention, which viii
meet on the 10th of January at the Young
Mems Christian Association building, Mrs
Victoria Woodruff will keep open house
during the whole winter, and thus make 4
social and political centre, from whence
will radlate the ideas that vivify the move
meut, and where will be arranged the
demonstrations that will, the sanguine
among its friends believe, eYentuate in lts
success.
It is expected that Miss Anthony, Mrs
Beecher Hooker, Mrs. Pauline Wright,
Ernestine L. Rose, Mary Jaslin Gage, Miss
Cozzens, and others will be here during nc
inconsiderable portion OF the time, while
the active support of Senator Carpenter.
General Butler, George W. Julian, and
others is relied upon to support the move
ment. Il.
| Miss NILssoN's JEWELS RECOVERED
From the Missouri Republican, Sept. L. J.
Last spring we had occasion to chronicle
the loss by Mime. Nilsson, mother Of Mile