Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-01-17
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. IS, 1872.

Wednesday. Thursday and Friday.
This convention has largely excelled all pre-
yious occasions Of the kind in the number and
character of It's speakers, and in the size and
responsibility Of the audiences in constant attend
ance II is evident that the cause Of female SUI
fruge is annually gaining many and Influential
cjnyerts-and that the American people at no
distant day will have to squarely meet and pass
upon this issue. Its advocates are already nu-
merous and well organized, and are animated by
those qualities which never fail Of eventual sue
cess, -earuestness, persistence and Jdih.
1t is but few years ago that the woman who
dared to express her conviction that women of
right possessed equal political rights and priyi-
cges with man, was denounced "a strong minded.
and therefore unwomanly, and looked upon as
moral If not "a mental monster, To-day, tens Of
thousands Of loving modest women, and earnest,
thoughtful men, acknowledge their devotion to
the new doctrine and such conventions as the
one just closed at Lincoln Hall, is the result
Although the hall Is the largest in the city.
from the hour Of meeting Wednesday morning,
until the close Of the last session Friday evening,
1t was crowded to the last limit Of is capacity
Friday afternoon the crowd was so great that the
aises were soon filed with people VINO could not
be seated, when with one common impulse all
those who were seated arose. BY turning the
swing seats up against the backs, more room was
made 50 that nearly twice as many could stand
as could be seated. Even then the vast crowd
continually arriving could not enter, hundreds
turning back FROM the already over crowded door
way. For four hours the immense audience stood,
q G. ~ ] g.
It was a notable fact too that the audience was
as intelligent, respectable and as well behaved
as amy ever assembled in the same hall at any
literary, musical Or scientific entertainment
The scores of private carriages in the adjoining
streets indicated that many ladies Of wealth and
high social position were in attendance Surely
something more than curiosity must have attract
ed all these people and induced them 10 remain
exposed TO all these condition Of physical discom.
fort The natural desire to listen to speech max
ing could not account for it., for Washington has
a constant surteit Of this. The only adequate
explanation is the interest felt in the subject un
der discussion, and the audiences were evidently
satisfied with the manner OF its treatment. In ad
dition TO those whose names have long been assn
ciated with suffrage reform, such as Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, Susan b. Anthony, Mrs. Dr.
Walker, Mrs Woodruff, Mrs Gage and others,
a score OF more of other speakers were upon the
platform. They were nearly all ladies, and dur
ing the convention the audience would scarcely
tolerate the presence Of man upon the stage,
much less listen to him if he attempted to speak
/ There was no need Of mans voice, for most Of
/ the ladies spoke with an inspired earnestness and
eloquence, with brilliancy Of wit, depth Of
pnthos, an incisiyeness Of sarcasm, and holiness
OF denunciatiJn such as few men could command
| \ Miss Laura c. Smith Of California was especi-
ally remarkable. Her gestures were singularly
/ graceful and expressive, and her voice. though
uttered without effort was rs musical as the tones
/ Of silver bell, and filed the immense hall like
the notes of trumpet 1t was n notable fact that
the discussion at this convention was more closely
confined to the simple question Of suffrage than
ever before, and that the subjects of spirtunlism
| free love, etc, were not prominently mentioned
/ The main object OF this convention was to secure
the passage OF decantory act enabling women
to vote, their right to do 50 as citizens having
been secured, as claimed, by the nth and 18Th
amendments to the constitution.
/ "" ii'u"S Sf'O'"' "eoN"s VI '"e oon""
judiciary committee was neid al the capitol Ia
eons'oer 'he memorial oil 'he Suffrage Oonven-
| ton. The convention was represented By Il com
,''''e 0o'''',."s VI "'s N"'"o"S .''S' ''a"'o"'
80 N'se "'S' "",''''s' WIS iiooAe' anu "'S'
" o'u"u' ""u .''e senate oo"''"'''ee y oenH'orS
Trumbull, Conkling Frelinghuysen, and Carpen-
ter The principal argument, which was made by
,''' ,''''' - -''''"o'''"' '1'e''''o e"'i' "ou'u
,'''' uo''' "O'o' " '.'Ne' u '"s 'io','r"' 9e''
.,,-,,,,',, Al rnc concrus,,r senator Tr',nbnli
thanked tho Indies far tho dircctness and nrnpn,
ness with which tbev Ind disnatched ,beir hnsi
ness which nr,f,s.i,not mon mi,bt odvo,,a,o.
ou.lv ipitnte and nrorni.od III, tho mar, NJ a..
senate Conmittes tbot tho matter should roceivs
resnec,G,l and earnest confederation The rriends
or the moyement evore.s tbemselve. "a holm,
bi,Ilv ple,ssd with tho Convention and ,be
propress Of nublic oninion unon the .ubioc, ol
q, Woman's suffrage
r u..... ,...-...,.
a.. -, =, =, 'l''' "o''i'''
w 80 -, 0',s.'9'' was '''1 Sp'''"''
;" '"e -'"''' I''1 ''o r''Su'''0u III vac must
s'o""s oD' W a,''p''' 'o',r', ','o,u'''n ae'
.,',.o.r p,.or ,v,,;.a,. - ~, -
"''"'"'' ~ ''o"''N - wv 'l"'
oil Rhode Island IL wall he remembered tha
some years ago, Mr. Morrill, Of Vermont, then
member of the House. conceived the beantir,
.d,.i,.;, IA. - ...,;. A.. o,4,,.,,
I''' p''''o'. 'ue" VI 'ou'o'N"s .ne O'u nun
representatives INTO a National GALLERY oi Stat
uary, and that each State should be requested t,
{ nace therein statues of two of ts eminent renre
.an,a,iro ~ TLo rro,,o,;,;.. y, ~.
L 'e''"'''' NV" i"0 P'oP'7'''o" was AZ oho
adopted by Congress, and several States hav
already complied with the request.
E p,l.t,.., i..,....,. ..-.e
Nnoue iS'a"t i'nneu'A'e'y sent Statue oi ne
revolutionary hero, General Greene, and subse
= quently of her priestly founder. ROGER W lliams
Tba Statue oxecn,ed M, ,.,,na ar,;s, b., a.,
- 60 IS wy
.. name OIL o'inmohs' Is most beautiful specimen
OF American Art Ii was formally presented il
the Senate on Tuesday by Senator Sprague. A
8 tho ooool,si,r IF bic sroaot ho ,,,, r'I,.,., \
3 o. "a 'P,'O ~ "'' ''''o"eu :"
MS cohengue, senator anthony IN one oil th
=, most graceful, beautiful, and appropriate littl,
, speeches ever uttered upon either 1,or of Com
gres. A, tho r;sL NJ ,,,. Ia,,ar -
i " 'N's ny '0''e' IVY ~"
IthsuhhOle proportion, venture 70 quote sam