The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-02
The W0men'S Convention.

pOnOcHCe. - NcHI " ahc "oA@h
Rights Convention on Thursduy night
and had much entertainment. The
ladies in the audience boisterously
enjoyed the wholesale denunciation OF
the monster man, while the men Wig
orously and chivalrously applauded
the many hard hits at their sex. Miss
: Susan B. Anthony, small, grim, en-
ergetic old maid, presided, and dearly
relished the multiform compliments
paid her by her vociferous sisterho ID.
Miss Anthony is sometimes called
"Colonel Susan,'' but this is the dcsig-
nation Of some masculine wretch. In
the audience, Frederick Douglas stood
up, like great bronze giant with a
forest of coarse gray hair In old days,
Douglass used to preside ut these meet
ings, bat seems to have fallen into dis
repute since he turned his back on the
the negro and married white woman.
All Of the speakers were quite old or
mature. except the last, German
American lady, who had comely fnee,
splendid voice and the true fire Of elo-
quence.
Miss Anthony. in prim, starch
way. like veteran campaigner, told
her oit-repeated story Of the wrongs Of
persons who happened to be born of
the female gender. The old lady
punched and cuffed her misguided
brethren and warned them that her
spirit would haunt them until justice
was done.
A buxom Boston lady, rising SO years,
sententiously pursued the same theme,
and severely rated statesmen who tried
to make woman q nonentity. She Said:
"When Sara Bernhardt came to this
country. people were Curious to see her.
She was exceedingly thin and was
joked abont her attenuation. One day,
man was told to look in IL carriage
window If he desired to behold the IA
NOUS actress lie did so. but declared
that he saw nothing. 'Then you saw
Bernhard, was the instant reply"
The Boston lady proclaimed that denial
of suffrage made women nothing.
The fun commenced in earnest when
Mrs. Meriwcthcr, who announced her
self as a Southern woman from the
crown Of her head to the tips Of her
toes, took the stand. She was consid-
erably advanced in middle age. but full
Of fight. She went from Memphis to
S.. Louis A novel Of hers. 1.-The Mas
ter Of Roseleaf," was lurid attack upon
the Yankees and their reconstruction OF
the South, but the last chapter was so
horrible and revolving that it sunk the
book out Of sight, | understand. AS
Mrs. Meriwcthcr expressed sorrow that
her husband was Democrat, presume
sEe has modified her opinions, but she
and her son created something Of a dis
turbance by calling forth and prodding
ont the traditional ''ncgro in the wood
pile" The idea Of black brute hay-
ing the franchise to the exclusion Of the
most exalted white woman reused the
indignation and wrath Of Mrs. Meri-
wcther and her "baby boy,' clipper
and cheeky lad of 10 or 90 years OF age.
This lady made a rafting harangue, full
os wit, sarcasm and bitterness. Argu-
ment was lacking somewhat but illus.
tration abounded. She read letter
from Senator Vest, who uncompromis-
ingiy opposes the woman movement,
and then, bit by bit and line by line,
held him up to ridcule as no man has
ever yet dared to do. She had not read
the minority report Of the Senate Com
mittec on Woman Suffrage, signed by
Senators Brown and Cockreil, but heard
about it; and yet she assaile d it all the
same, with little spice Of blasphemy,
in the beginning. and concluding offer
to teach better Bible doctrine to the
two Senators, whom she invited to go
to Sunday school. She discussed the
Utah bills Of Senator EdrauDds and
gave patent recipe for extcrminating
polygamy, which is worth attention.
81 would" she exclaimed, allow the
Mormon women to keep their suffrage
and disfranchise the men. Then
would send strong minded members Of
our association out there as missionaries
to teach Utah sisters to be strong g-In,nd.
ed, too. Thena Mormon man would
not want more than one wife, as one
Strong. minded woman would be all he