Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-31
WOMEN IN PolUrscx
Addresses Before the Unconventional
Council Last Nirht.

Ao1HeseSS otsvfS INC UNCONDITIONAL
Council Last Nipht.
The International Council Il teaching the women
OF washington, among other things. 20 keep late
hours The session last night did not close untu
about IL O'Clock. The attendance pps large Tn.
frst speaker OF the evening was Isabella Beechsr
Hooker. Mn Hooker delivered an address u over
han an hour 10 length on the right OF women 10
vote under the National Constitution The pre-
amole. she said, was the kew 20 the whole. II de-
ciared that "we, tho people, establish this Coz
stitution and that Its object was the SECURING
not giving the blessings Of liberty 10 ourselves
and cur poSter1ty.~ Including certainly their fc-
male posterity. She then showed that the worI
people" used many times IN thst Instrument. m
every case Included women. the authors 70 the
Constitution thus giving the term their own den-
mtlon. Women We're now, by The fourteenth
amendment, citizens wen a. men and entitled
70 All the rights OF oltizenship-thst among thess
citizenship. The fifteenth amendment not only
speaks OF the hight Of citizens % the United stass
zenship but provides that il SHAH nCs D. denied or
abridged on account of race color CO previous con-
dition OF serytSnde, this grouni NJ denial being
the one of which there was Spe,iai taag.r AZ mai
time, but the specification OF which could nu, Nv
Implication authorize the denial on other grounaS
of sex, or stature. color OF ewes "a hair
She dwelt also on the provision u tue Coustitu-
tion that Representatives, IN congress should %
other Limitation than that the electors for msta-
oers OF Congress should shave thr Qualifications
fltNloIS Nl inc iltt-l If
OF the state legislature aud claimed that the
only matter leiJ 90 the states the liking q no
qualifications OF these voters; that qualnca-
lions meant only such conditions could b. at
tained. as a certain age, certain length of re,i-
dence the ability 10 read, and the Ike. ana cCulI
not Include natural conditions ike thOse OF The
OF the eyes or hair the height oT other fixed
ana unchangeable conditions: that a. could not,
therefore, inctade SEX and that the states Ia uaA
ing sex aconditlon were doing an unconstitutional
and void act. Mrs Hooker then reviewed the case
OF Mss Antnony, tried and c0nieinned store
for the crime CT voting FOR a Member Of congress.
contending not only that the judge WAS wrong
~ his law. but nagrantly Mrung In las
Along with her argument, and specially nj Is
close, she appealed 10 men 70 remove the barriers
OF unjust and unconstitutional legislation that
stood in the way II the exercise 4 the right 10
vote oy women, and appealed 20 women 90 claim
and, wherever they were able 20 exercise the right
MRS J. ELLEN FosrER,
OF Iowa, delivered n spirited address on "woman
In PoliticS" Woman she declared was already IN
politics The only question was what relation
should she hear 20 politics. Accepting the princi-
pies OF the Declaration OF Independence and the
golden rule, she aid. the logical conclusion WAS
Inevitable that the refusal so REMOVE wnmap's
political disabilities a contradiction uf nine
tenth century CIVILIZATION. They beieyed govern
ment TO be divine Institution. and they soupht
Gods perfect plan. They would never cease this
agitation until liberty OF head ana hand and
! country. They pledged 10 their sisters re-
presenting foreign nations that after they
WITT lrcc themselves tDtN MNnll give 10
them their moral and material support.
There were none, she said, that denied the Justice
of the Arguments In behalf OF women, but tue fear
OF the dominance OF the saloon IN politi,~l
gentlemen she said, I'VE do not threaten.
No. no. no; we OF YOU and yours. We have
no separate Interests that can be taken out ~ the
body polite and guarded by themselves. We win
stand up until the morning In tubs great battle u
OF the country that YOU VIII call u 10 The rescue
very soon Mrs Foster, speaking u the trte o.
lection 10 womans voting, because she did nut
night, said that the moral power behind Miss
Anthony and Miss willard was more power
ful Than great army. The saloon, she said. VIII
never go out OF America 20 stay out until wOtn.n
vote. The women VIII vote right for tie saloon
Is the enemy Of home.
HARRIET n. ROBINSON.
OF Massachusetts,, delivered an address on tho
present attitude q political parties toward woman
suffrage. The present attitude OF the parties she
said, may be briefly stated. ''The republican party
ia 49,, at the national convention IN Phladcl-
phla passed resolution saying that our cause
The Massachusetts republicans, the year nef0re,
had passed a much stronger resolution, and G g
unued 20 do 50 In the party conventions untll ts5
when they ceased altogether. The national demo-
cratic party mas never Endorsed our reform. al
though In my own state, In 1882 u went ~ lar as
10 pass resolution looking IN that direction. The
prohibition party Is Yery good about passing rsO-
| lutions IN our favor, but &c has yet no political
power, and the majority Of It's members usually
vote the republican ticket. We DO not count
great deal on It's help. Since such u the attltuds
OF parties toward woman sun only hone
seems 10 he in the formation Of a thlri. which
shall advocate ourown with other leading reforms.
old parties are slowly dying out Tie Young men
OF to-day or many OF then are Interested In some
thing besides discussing what the -. o. p has
done, what the wicked democrats did before the
last war; They are thinking OF temperance legi--
lation, labor reform free trade. and TIE woman
question. and they VII ma a Held IN which TO
work for these issues And 80 we VIII wait aud
hope for the coming reform party, which VIII nUt
ignore moral issues or be afraid % meet them;
which will have the broadest outlook for human
rights and thus better represent true republican
Mrs Margaret A. Everett, delegate OF the Mas
sachusetts school suffrage Association, made a
brief address explaining the operations ot ths
law there, and introduced 20 the audience Mr.
Aobie A. May. the only WOMAN who has ever
served On a state board OF education.
MRS. LAUEA N. JoHSs
OF Kansas, made a speech which greatly pleased
the audience. She told about the municipal sur
frage granted the women OF her state. MS. Johns
got a round OF applause for her first two words.
They were Fellow Cltizens" When the applause
subsidized she remarked: Il saw fellow citizens
for have arrived at the partial dignity Of cltZen-
ship" She then went ON To tell about the num-
cipd suffrage ia Kansas aud how the Wosaea
voted. She said the stock arguments against
woman suffrage had been used. However tbs
babies faces were washed Just the same
ever, DEMONSTRATING came and went,
spring bonnets were purchased. and 80 Oh.
The result OF the womans voting was that they
had got better men into the Of1lceS. The men
just as respectful 10 the women as ever picked mp
their handkerchiefs just the same and dOned their
hats when they met She believed tneg lad
greater respect from the women than they did ue-
fore the women voted. MIR. Johns used some ~
senator Ingalls, own ammunition 20 picture the
tate She said would Oyertake the senator for hs OBJ
position ~ woman suffrage. when, he SAID .'be
shall stand In the shady aisles OF political retire.
ment, with his skin hanging over barbed-wire
fence OF public opinion, the verdict OF the world
Will be The women did IL. "
OTHER sPEEcHEs
Rev. Annie II. Shaw gave amusing account OF
the dificulues IN the way VI women voting Tor
school committeeman In Massachusetts, 10 show
that the law did not IN its present form couIer
much benefit upon woman. and Miss Frames
Willard closed with a sparkling speech 70 show
how women could and would elevate politics.
During the evening Mrs. Anna Randall Diehl
read helen Cookies Flag al HaSf-Aass," villa
much effect