News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-03-04
FROM WASHINGTON.
correspondence of the News and Citizen.]
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
Feb. %. 1856.


this time, and now that it is all over,
the city will resume the even tenor OF
its way, and its feminine element will
return to dancing, flirting, making
crazy quilts, painting plaques, etc.
These laudible enterprises were sadly
neglected during the Woman Suffrage
Convention. AS usual, the ladies
went to hear all about the rights and
possibilities and duties of their sex
and their minds were deeply stirred
by the imprisoned oratory of Miss
Anthony and her co-workers.
The advocates of woman suffrage
say if men were to make such strug-
gle for freedom and their rights, it
would be considered fine thing, and
there would be books and even poetry
written about it. And this may be
true. There is something POLITICALLY
pathetic in the energy, patience and
chronic hopefulness evinced by these
toilers for female Acknowledgement.
One is constrained to wish such indus
try and such faith were consecrated to
a more hopeful cause.
At these conventions the women
are much given to speech making
personal glorifcation, and criticism o.
perfdious man. All they say they
believe and mean and have said be-
fore. But how could anything new bt
said on subject that is thoroughly
discussed and exhausted annually?
Miss Ida Sweet, Of Chicago, whose
Powers of tenacity were strikingly il
Illustrated in defense of her Office O
pension agent in that city, was prom
inent among the delegates to the con-
vention. She is young, good looking
self-possessed, and can make speech
which she did, relating her experience
with insane asylums, and giving hel
opinion that they should at least be
partly under the management oil
women.
Mrs. Sewell, of indianapolis, is one
of the pillars of the sisterhood. She
is not prepossessing in appearance,
but probably as much so as the law OF
the association approves. Her adorn-
ments were limited to bangs. This
concession to frivolous fashion in nc
wise detracted from Mrs. SewelPs for
midable physiognomy, however, MOI
from her usefulness to the cause.
She had a good deal to say about
hardened Congressman and indurated
Senators, but she thought the con-
sciences of these gentlemen less at
fault than their intelligence. She re-
GREETED that it was impossible to sum
up the benefits already accomplished
by the suffrage movement, but thought
the same might be said of the sun
light. She made a really eloquent
fight at this point, comparing suffrage
to sunlight.
Mrs. Sewell was followed by Mrs
Perkins, of Ohio, a sister of uncom
promising demeanor, who typifes the
righteousness of the movement, as
Mrs. Shattuck, of Boston, represents
its esthetic phase. Mrs. Perkins was
sternly statistical on this occasion, al.
though she has ornate resources
which she displayed during the ses-
sions of the convention. She dis
coursed at one time upon the ladies O
society, whose walk aud conversation
she does not approve, using a number
of scriptural quotations. She has {
tendency to be caustic in her public
utterances. Men, she said, think
women good enough to be angels, but
not good enough to be citizens. They
pray so fervently for Providence to
bless women, that they leave it chief.
ly for Providence to do.
Mrs. Clay Bennett, a Representative,
of the Blue Grass State, and a rela.
tive of Henry Clay, vowed her fidelity
to the cause, and made a spirited ad
dress on the constitutional right o
women to vote and hold office" Mrs
Bennett may be said to represent th,
ground whereon frippery and strong
mindedness meet and unite. Hel
costume was neither frivolous nor flu
nereal, but it was en- traiae and bel
gloves were la Bernhardt. Her or
atory and elocution were, like herself,
Kentuckian.
Senator Vest underwent unuttera.
BILE things at the hands of Mrs. Meri
weather, of Missouri, for having OK
pressed himself as an "uncompromis.
ing" opponent of the woman suffrage
movement. Nine. Neyman, of New
York, who has fine Teutonic face
closed the conventions proceedings
with clever and comprehensive paper
on the comparative independence Of
German and American women.
The bill now before the Senate look,
ing to the enfranchisement of women
is source of great comfort to the
members of the association who have
been waiting and working to this enc
so long. Because of it, they attached
unusual significance to this, theil
eighteenth Washington convention
Next year they will come again to tel
the same old story, with variations
and to say severe things of Vest ant
Edmunds.
1t would be well if February q
were made national holiday and al
Our neOple wonld iOin in Ire eoIohro