The Press., 1886-02-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington D. O.. Feb,

The aQVOcaG0S or woman Sumrag0 are now holding lively convention here. They have packed houses, stirring speech es, and unabatable enthusiasm This is the eighteenth time in as many years that the association has brought it's forces to bear on congress to secure the enfranchise- ment of women. And they all believe that the realization of their dream of emanoipa- tion is not far off.
 Among the delegates in attendance may be seen women whose lives have been de- voted to the cause. There are many new workers also, and some of them are young and pretty. A few of them wear short hair, but but this is their only apparent affectation. of strong -mindedness, and most of them are suitably and tastefully attired la mode. Susan B. Anthony is still the leading spirit. She opened the convention with brief description of the origin of the movement, stating that 1t had pene- trated every civilized country on the globe, and that this question of woman's rights was talked of and practiced in some shape Ill every country in the world.
 She then discussed the difficulty experi- enced by women in obtaining recognition in the professions. Every woman who had started in the study of law, medicine,
 
 obstacles, but they had not given up, and now there were female members of the bar in almost, every state In eleven states women are allowed to vote for school super intendents, and in some states they are elected to office. In Iowa, Kansas and New York bills are pending to extend en- | franchlsement to women; the U. s. senate had favorably reported such bill the women were to be heard before the judi ciary house committee on Saturday, and, said Miss Anthony, ''the agitation is go- ing on in every possible direction" At last evenings session loud ripple of applause ran through the audience as Miss Anthony led to the front of the platform young and rather stately lady, whom she introduced as Miss Ada Sweet of Chicago. You will remember her as the plucky pen sion agent, who had some pointed core spondence with the new administration prior to her removal from office.
 Mrs. Colby, of Nebraska, made an ad- dress on the relations of woman suffrage to the labor question. ''Women, she said, ''want the ballot for temperance and social purity. She cited the Indian squaw, fol- lowing the red brave, with her heavy pack, as an illustration of the relation of women to the worlds work.
 The congressional debates of the week have been long drawn out in the senate on the Blair educational bill, and in the house on the restoration. of Fitz John Porter. The long expected new Morrison tariff bill was presented in the house anti I Chinese measures were introduced steps were taken towards more thorough in vestigation of expenditures in the Pan Electric trouble the attorney general fore shadowed severance of his telephonic re- lations with that company, and the repub- lican senators in caucus took decisive ac- tion regarding the senate's rights to in- formation from the heads of executive de- partments. They declared that the at- torney- general, in refusing to furnish the reasons asked for, in relation to suspend officials, is reprehensible, no matter what his motives may have been. They also declared that they would reject nomina- tions where they had been made to fill va cancies created by removals in cases where the heads of departments refuse to furnish the information called for by the senate. And, lastly, they condemned the admins. tration for receiving ex-union soldiers and appointing civilians in their places.
 The educational bill proposes to give ' $77,000,0O0 to the states for schools, ir proportion to their illiteracy. It is to be disbursed by state officers. The bulk o1 the money will go to the southern states Senator Morgan, of Alabama, made one ot the strongest states rights speeches against the bill, although Alabama would gel $5, ,000, ,O00 as her portion. He would no have done this, probably, had he not beer sure the bill would pass in spite of his op position, as it did in the senate of the last congress.
 Senator. Plumb, of Kansas, who is also opposed to the bill, said Mr. Blair was nasty and petulent in his opposition tc having his pet measure amended. MT Plumb did not regard the blll in the same light as the sacred bull of Burmah-whict was not to be touched by irreverent hands He denied that it had ever been approved by republican caucus but even if it had although a republican caucus was a very immaculate body, he held that the measure might be capable of amendment notwith standing.
 Representative Kelly, of Pennsylvania who Is the oldest member in the house rarely participates in the debates. Ht has just made speech against Fitz Johr Porter's plea. MT. Kelly characterized Porter as a great soldier, who, forgetting country and patriotism, had sunk himself in infamy by regarding office and military duty as mere personal trust for himsel and his clique or coterie. "Thlnk, :" ex claimed he. ''of Phil. Sheridan being where Porter was ! Think of any soldier that w are ready to honor, living through tho 27th, 28th, 29th and 3Oth of that month O. August, and then appealing to the country to obliterate the findings of court whicl Abraham Lincoln, in his humanity, wal constrained to approve"
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