Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-02-23
washington Letter.

Il
wrote you ths women have come
fought again and gone. ! mean th
women who want to vote. For eizhteel
successive win .ers they have rendez z.
voused In Washington with the intep
tion OF capturing Congress. They made
three days Siege this time, and nov
| that It is oil over the city will resum,
the even tenor Of Its way and it's femi
nine element will return TO dancing
flirting, going to church, making craz '
quilts and painting plaques. These
iaudable enterprises were sadly me-
elected during the Woman's Suffrage
Convention. As usual, the ladies vent
to hear all about tho rights, and possi
bilities, aud duties OF tneir sex. and
their minds were deeply stirred by the
|impassi0ned oratory OF Miss Anthonv y
and her co-workers.
The advocates OF woman suffrage say
that IL men were to make such q strue-
gle for freedom and their rights, IL
would be considered fine thing. and
there would be books and even poetry
written about it. Aud this may be
true. There Is something postically
pathetic IN the energy, patience, and
chronic hopefulness evincsd by these
toilers for female enfranch iseunent
One Is constrained to wish such in.
dusiry and such faith were conse rated
to more hopeful cause.
At these con ventions, the WON an ara
much given TO speech making, personal
glorlhcation, aud criticism OF peri di
GUS man. All they say they belisve
and mean and have said before. Butt
how could anything new be said on a
subject that Is thoroughly discussed
and exhausted annually ?
Mrs Sewell, of Indianapolis, 10 one
OF the pillars of the sisterhOod. She is
not prepossessing In appearance, but
probably as m uch 30 as the Law of the
associa Ion approves. Her adornments
were limited to, bangs. This conces.
sion to frivolous fashion in no wise de-
tracted from Mrs. SewelPs formidable
however, nor from her
usefulness to the Gauss. She had good |
deal to say about hardened Congress-
men and indurated Senators, bur she
thought the COZ sciences of these gentle |
men less ut fault than their intelligence.
Mrs. Sewell was followed by Mrs. 1
Perkins, of Ohio, o sister of uucempro |
missing delneanor, who typifies the i
rightsousness Of the movement, as Mrs.
Shattuck, OF Boston, represents its es-I
thetic phase, Mrs. Perkins was sternly
statistical on this occasion, although |
,he b as ornate resources, which she dis /
played during the sessions of the con-
vention. She discoursei at one time
ipon the ladies of society, whose walk |
lnd conversation she does not approve,
lsing number OF Scriptural quota
ions.
Mrs. Clay Bennett, representative
u the Blue Grass State and q relative
II Henry Clay, vowed her fidelity to |
he cause, and made q spirited address
IN the constitutional right of
woman to vete and hold Office" Mrs. |
Bennett may be said to represent the /
ground whereon frlppery and strong l
nindedness meet and unite. Her
costume was neither frivolous nor fune.
ral. but It was en- tTaine and her gloves |
were la Bernhardt. Her oratory and |
slocution were, like herself, Kan-
Senator Vest underwent unutterableI |
things at the hands OF Mrs. Meri
OF Missouri, for having ex-
pressed himself as an "uncom promising
opponent" OF the woman suffrage move.
nent. Nine. Neyman, of New York,
who has fine Teutonic facs, closed the
proceedings with q clever
Ind comprehensive paper on the COM
oarative independence of German and
American women.
The bill now before the Senate look.
ng to the enfrsnch issnent of women is
source'o of grksEs1tRkort to the men,
'ers OF the assa9 Ion who have been
Waiting and working to this end 80
onR. Because Of 1t they attached up-
Usual significance to this their eigh-
eenth Washington convention. Nextl
winter they will come again to tell the
anne old story with variations, and tol
sy severe things of Senators Vest and
cdm unds. r.