The Monitor., 1888-11-30
a wOmAN.sUFFRAGIsT.s REASON

/ w HtH was Quilt young lHidHJ III J
father moved from the State of Tennessee
with his family Consisting of nay mother
and mysclfJ and several slaves, down to
Alabama, then occupied by many Indians.
1t is not Of those strange times, but the
causes which acted upon me, that propose
to write. The first memory have of Civ
ing sympathy to sorrow not directly my
own was in the case Of the Indians OF the
Creek and Choctaw tribes, who had been
removed to the Arkansas reservation, from
their homes by the banks of the lovely
| Coosa, one of the most romantic and beau
tifnl streams in America. Nothing my
father could tell me concerning their going
could ease the keen pain, the sad faces and
flowing tears inflicted on my childish heart,
leaving memories that lay, like coiled
snakes frozen in winter, chill in my child-
ish memory, to spring to life again, with
the recognition Of other wrongs, in later
years.
] My father was-a Jackson Democrat. AS
my mother died while l was very small,
/
lowed to hear a great deal of discussion of
political character between him and his
male friends. One Of my early-deyeloped
traits was desire to know the meaning
of words,-a desire increased, no doubt,
by the narrow range of study in tie South
of these days. Two columns in the die
tionary, of words with their definitions,
were given daily to pupils.
In the often stormy discussions listened
to, l heard the changes rung upon the
"Whigs" and the Democrats, until
was as wild with excitement as any man
engaged in the discussion. My father, in
reply to my inquiry, defined Democracy as
'The people, all the people," while the
Wings meant the aristocrats. What an
intense Democrat l wasi My soul rioted
| in the idea of such breadth and freedom
all people, high and low, rich and poor,
corralled in the Democratic herd. Never
did it cross my mind that any soul could
be excluded
But one day heard my father discussing
/
for whom Mrs. Conant was going to vote
women don't vote; she is not going to
vote for any one, was his startling reply.
why" l cried, ''she is one of the DEM
ocratsn'
My father kindly gave me the informa-
tion that, as women had babies and home
to care for, men made the laws and did all
public work to shield them from its cares.
not be allowed to vote.
Time passed on. I was preeocious,
impulsve child, and watched everything
with interest. I lived in small town.
and saw only domestic servitude. Up to
this time had never seen a grown slave
struck blow. Two little girls played
with me, and my step-mother was very
strict and switched all the children with
great impartiality. Near my tenth year
she died, and was allowed to go into the
country and visit upon a plantation with
many slaves upon it. The family were
summering at the plantation. Two girls
and boy were my playmates, and l was
free to ramble where chose. My father
had gone on a journey and | was to stay
there three weeks
For the first time in my life saw the
blood d-hounds, and learned their hideous
use; for the first time I saw a branded
slave; for the first time l saw grown per-
son whipped, and heard the screams and
the sounding lash, that l did not see many
! times. The food sickened me. The red
curtains of the carriage seemed bathed in
blood l cried to go home; but no, / must
stay until my father came home before 1
could return.
Ne shipwrecked mariner was ever SO
! glad of release from storm beaten wreck
as was to leave that splendid retreat and
| go to my humble home, where Cato and
Nanny and Major were part of my
world, and where no one ever cried in pain,
nor slavery had ever seemed cruel. My
dear father had given me lovely picture,
"a tall, white figure with long flowing
drapery, sixteen stars about her head, and
the eagle poised on an uprased hand, the
word Freedom" beneath it. We had
very few pictures in that early time, and l
had treasured this; it was gotten near the
time Alabama had come into the Union
as State.
When my father came home that night
| flew into his presence like wild thing
and all my pent-up rage and shame and
childish scorn burst forth. My father said
afterwards that he had never realized what
slavery was himself until a clean white
soul poured out its horror before him, in
such unmeasured but impotent rage. |
flew at my picture of Freedom and rent it
in pieces and only after fit OF almost
frenzied weeping, that ended i'll violent
headache and fever did | become calm
enough to cease talking.
can't tell just how long it was alter
this when an election was about to take
place, and my father was going with some
friends up in town to vote. He was giving
me some directions to tell Major what to
do about going on the mountain with other
hands for work.
"Why pa, said, ''he can't go, for he
won't be back in time to vote. -