Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-02-22
The Day nj the Canifal.

MRS. ISABELLA BEECHER HOOKER BEFORE
THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON PRIVILEGES
AND ELECTIONS.
Notwithstanding the announcement. through
the press, that only Senators would be admit
ted to hear the argument of Mrs. Hooker
before the Senate committee having under
consideration the question OF woman suffrage,
large numbers OF ladies assembled in the halls
and about the door urging admission. AS it
was understood that the wives of Senator's
We're the most effective opponents of woman
suffrage, every one of them was personally in
vlted to be present, in dainty little note from
the National Woman Suffrage Association. At
eleven o'clock, before the hearing began. the
doors OF the committee room were opened to
all, and the room was filled Immediately.
Or the committee there were present Sena-
tors Wadleigh, Cameron of Wis, Merrimon.
Mitchell, and, little later, HOar OF Mass, who
remarked as he took his seat: :. l supposed you
ladies came not to call the righteous, but sim
neIs TO repentance, so 1 did not hasten"
true, but we want Aaron to hold up our
hands. and did not mean to speak until you
came, There were present also, Vice Presi-
dent Wheeler, Senators Beck, Bruce, Jones;
Representative Morgan, Mrs. Beck, Mrs. Nor
gan, Mrs Stanley Matthews, Mrs. Bro0kes,
Mrs. Fayette c. Snead. Mrs. Hereford, Mrs.
Folsom, Mrs. ellison. Mrs. Olcott, Mrs. Julia
A: Holmes, Mrs: Julia M. Holmes, Mrs. Bart
lett, Mrs. Sweet, Mrs. Myers. Miss Blodgett (of
the Irish World, Mrs. Teresa Juan Lewis (oi
WOn,an's Words, Miss Foster, Miss JennisOn
and about fifty. other ladies. Many went away,
uJ6Dle 10 OBTAIN seats.
Mrs. Hooker dealt in fOrcible, eloquent
manner with the objections to woman suffrage
we have too many voters now. But diSfran-
chiSement is not humiliation. She once
thought twenty years not too much to keep
foreigner from the ballot-box but she had
learned the spirit of our institutions better
now. 1t is Gods own doctrine of personal
liberty and personal responsibility. Liberty
is the steam, responsibility puts on the brakes
and election day is the safety valve. The for
eigner thinks this land an elySium until he
comes here, and here he finds a ladder reach
ing to the skies but resting on the earth. and
he is on the bottom round. But for election
day. when he is as good as any other man. he
would burn our barns and make desOiate
Onr homes. That inStructS him what free
dom means, and how to make things better.
She said If women, Lucretia Mott and others
had dealt with the Indian question, we could
long ago have called IN our standing army cut
down appropriations, and civilized the major
lty OF the indians of this land. She presented
a Womans view of the Utah question, the
Chinese question, the labor question, the sub
lect OF compulsory education. kindergartens
Tor the little children of the poor, a WOman's
police, and many other topics, showing how
men needed the loving wisdom of women in
their efforts at legislation. Thirty-fOur thou
sand women, the large hearted women of this
country join in asking for sixteenth amend
meht from this Congress, as an expression Of
opinion to educate State Legislatures to their
duty. Millions more of women want it, but
dare not brook the insults and abuse men have
heaped upon the women who have led in this
reform