National Republican., 1883-01-24
ELONUENT WOMEN,
Who Advocate the Right Of Female
Suffrage.
First Days Session Of the Fifteenth
Annual Convention
Lille Deveroaux Blake and Phoebe Couzins
COnhastd.
Discussion OF the Different standpoints
From which They View the Cause.

Suffrage association was held yesterday morn
ing at Lincoln hall for the transaction of
necessary routine business. Committees were
appointed, among which was the committee
on resolutions, composed of Lille Dcvereaux
Blake, of New York Virginia l.. Minor, of
St. Louis Harriet Il. Shattuck of Boston
May Wright Sowall, of indianapolis, and
Ellen II. Sheldon, of the District of Columbia.
The regular session was opened with prayer
by Rev. w. j. Mckcnncy, and Miss Anthony
then addressed the audience in her character
istic vein, full of the terse logic, the caustic
wit, the bright originality, which so cminently
distinguished her in the years gone.
"wHY WE COME TO CONGRESS"
was the theme of her address, the answer to
which being that. MS uniformity of action on
suffrage being necessary and state action not
being distinguished for unanimity, n resort
TO constitutional amendment is necessary.
After Miss Anthony had concluded Mrs.
Ellen II. sheldon, the recording secretary,
read her report of the associations work dur
ing the past year. Briefly mentioned, this
work consisted in having gained the appoint
ment of a special committee of the United
States senate to consider the question of the
enfranchisement of women. The proper ac-
ton was taken by the association before this
special committee, and u special committee
of the association appointed to attend TO the
WOfk DcIOle inc senate committee. Agents
were appointed to take charge of the work in
states where constitutional amendments
were pcnding-Nlay Wright Sewell for In
diana, Clara Colby for Nebraska, Abigail
Scott Dunniwuy for Oregon. During tho
conventions two hearings We're given the
officers of the association by the senate COM
mittec. majority report
IN FAVOR OF a CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENT
en,,r;pc, In rtpbt nf sufraoo IN al ritiynpg
was presented TO the senate by Senators lap
ham, Ferry, Blair, and Anthony, all republi-
cans. A minority report against such amend
ment was made by the others of the commit
tee-SenatOrs George, Jackson and Fair, all
democrats. Before the adjournment of con-
gress select committee of the house of repre-
sentatives on woman suffrage was appointed.
The association sent some of its most earnest
workers to Nebraska to assist in securing the
passage of constitutional amendment en-
franchising women. This was during the au-
tumn of last year. The vote upon the amend
ment was lost, but the lesson learned by the
effort has been Of service.
The report of the corresponding secretary,
Rachael Il. Foster, says that agents for differ
ent states were appointed, especially for Ne
braska 366 mass meetings, and two COnVcn-
tions held in that state. Five hundred thou
sand pages of woman suffrage literature were
distributed in Nebraska The repor; of the
$4,000 were spent in Nebraska during the
efforts to carry u constitutional amendment
comforting suffrage ON women.
MRS. MAY WRIGHT sEwALL
then made an interesting speech, wherein she
reviewed the condition of things from the
woman suffrage standard in Indiana, where
there was hopeful outlook for the cause.
The lesson to be learned from Nebraska, she
thought, was twofold. Men having eyes to
lao inJn hn fnt ln trn
the wisdom with which the campaign was
conducted, and the cheerfulness with which
its disappointing results were borne, should,
for their own hOnors' sake, withdraw the ac-
cusations with which they have been wont to
assail women. Men have charged women
with inability to conceive large projects
with an inCapacity for entertaining any I'M
personal interest, and with u further unfit
ness for sinking their individual whims and
uniting upon u definitely outlined method
The Nebraska campaign shows that women,
in the project of securing political freedom ia
the women of II state, combined and worked
with dOCiity and unanimity yet unattainCd
by the men of the republic. by hard work
and great self-sacrlice of certain women ovei
$1,000 wero expended in holding meetings
Great quantities of suffrage literature were
distributed The work was not the mere spurt
of moment, or of day, but covers sevcra
months, and illustrates in women the posses
WHAT SHALL WOMEN LEARN?
That power gives power; that intelligence
alone can appreciate or be influenced by intel
ligence that justccalonc is moved by appeals
based OH Justice. More than anything III tn,
course of suffrage labor does the Nebraska
campaign justify the primary method of thii
national association. We have a right to eX
pcct that each state legislature will be com
posed of the picked men of that state and tha
mi hp In n
the picked men of all the states. We have
right To believe that as the intelligence, wis
dom, and Justice of the picked men of th'
nation are to the same qualities in the mass o
men, SO Is the fitness Of national and stat,
legislators to consider the demand for thu
ballot, to the fitness of the means to cOnsidc
this question. The lesson is, let not the w0rl
in the states be abandoned, but let all th'
states unite in the national method and le
the women of all section, rs equal citizens o
the nation, demand the nations protection il
the fundamental right of citizens Of the re
public, the right indeed upon which u rcpub
lie Is built-thc right of franchise.
Mrs. Mills here sang II beautiful solo, ant
the convention adjourned until evening.
EVENING SESSION.
At the evening session the hall was ever
more densCly crowded than during tile after
noon. As il is in the evenings Of these con
VentiOns that the most eloquent orators ant
logical debators of the cause put forth thei
strongest efforts, so the attendance is gen
orally greater than at the purely busncs
meetings of the days. Last night tw
of the most prominent Of the younger gen
Grafton Of womanhood-equality advocate
appeared in behalf of their cause, an,
amply sustained their reputation a
interesting and thoughtful speakers
Lille DevercauX Blake and Phoebe w. COuzins
Both these ladies are eloquent, brainy, an,
earnest, giving there whole lives to the caus
with fervCnt conservation of their utmOs
powers. But here the parallel closes. I'm
like in appearance, in manner, and il
character, they are toils on the stage
each heightening the effect of the other
efforts. Mrs. Blake is n blonde, Mis-
CouZins brunette. The former eschew
the fanciful, and takes her audience along
path strewn with no flowers of rhetoric. Th
latter looks with the eyes of poet upo
humanity and its surroundings and clotho
every argument in robes of beauty. To Mrs
Blake the elevation of mankind is desirabl
because useful. To Miss Couzins the contras
between the shining glory of soul at its bes
and that souls polluted darkness when dc
graded
sTIRs EVERY PULSE OF HER NATURE
to lift il up to her own high plane. Mr.
Blake is impetuous and hasty, and her fact
crowd so fast upon her memory that she fro
auently stumblcs over them in her eagernes
to present the fullest side of her case. Mis-
Couzns is "A trained logician, whose sylosism
are carefully wrought out, and reach thei
mark with the accuracy of rifle bullet
Smoothly gliding to its objective point, he