Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-23
wOMAN'S RIGHT TO VOTE.
Third Day Of the Female Suffrage Con-
vention.

wOMAN'S RIGHT TO VOTE.
Third Day Of the Female Suffrage Con-
vention.
ADDRESSES By VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE MA
TIoNAL ASSOCIATION AND BIZ FREDERICK DOUG
LAss-A CONSTITUTIONAL vIEw-woMAN SUI
FRAoE IN THE WEST, ETC.
The advocates OF woman suffrage met to-
gether this morning at the Congregational
| church for the third and last day of the ma
| tional convention. The ladies are gratifed
| with the interest shown by the general public
| in the meetings. and they consider that the
addresses have been, ifpossibie. more eloquent
| and convincing than ever before. The audi
| ences have been composed in the main of
ladies who may be said to represent the
modern progressive women. 1t would seem
that the women of advanced ideas find it no
longer necessary to demonstrate that fact by
absurdities, either in dress or in ideas. There
was nothing in the appearance OF the audi
ences at these meetings to indicate that
they were not gatherings in the interest OF
| missions one of the many causes which en-
lists so extensively the sympathy and active
efforts of women throughout the country. Miss
Anthony, in the absence of the president Of
the association, Mrs. Stanton, presided with
Of the movement was ably presented by nearly
all the prominent ladies connected with the
ISOLATION. In fact there was much to be
said and it was well said, or as Miss An
thony expressed it to STAR reporter, 1.-The
ladies were so full of the subject" that little
time was left for the transaction of the usual
routine business.
OPENING PROCEEDINGS TO-DAY.
Shortly after 10 o'clock this morning Miss
Anthony arrived at the church and promptly
| called the convention to order. She read
letter from Mrs. Matilda Joslyn Gage, one of
the prominent members of the association, who
was not able to attend the convention. An abb
| stract OF this letter is printed in another
column.
Miss Anthony then introduced Mrs, Virginia
Minor, of Missouri who, several years ago,
brought q suit to test her right to vote, which
was decided against her by the Supreme Court
OF the United States. Instead Of making
speech Mrs. Minor read paper on ~
THE Law OF FEDERAL SUFFRAGE, 5,sss
which was prepared by her husband, Francis
Minor. In this paper Mr.. Minor says: ,.-r.
"You are again in session for the purpose Of
renewing. your appeal to Congress to propose
an amendment to the Constitution which shall
forbid the denial of your right to vote on ac-
count OF sex. Twenty-one years have elapsed
since You first made application for this pur-
pose, yet success seems as distant as ever. For
this reason some members of the association
are considering the propriety of bringing the
matter before the Supreme Court. with the
view OF securing, if possible, a reversal of the
decision in the case of Minor VS.. Happersett,
and have been requested to state briefly the
grounds upon which such an application must
rest. There is no improperly or inconsist-
ency in pursuing both methods at the same
time. 1t will be necessary to state few
general propositions. An appeal to
the Supreme Court, properly brought, would
be based upon the ground that the right of
suffrage is already established in the federal
Constitution, and is an essential privilege of
all American citizens. 1t is not conferred in
terms. upon any person or class of persons, but
inheres in and attaches to status or condi-
ton of being which is expressed in the single
word citizenship. Admittance to national citi-
Zenshlp endues the person with the right of
suffrage; its exercise is regulated by law
The right was established in section two of
article one of the Constitution in these words:
''The House of Representatives shall be CON-
posed of members chosen every second year by
the people of the several states. and the cleo
tors in each state shall have the qualifications
requisite for electors Of the most numerous
branch of the state legislature" This section
consists of two clauses. The first relates to the
right of suffrage or the right to choose, vest
ing the right in the people of the several
states" 80 The Constitution affords still
further proof Of the existence of this right
The fifteenth amendment, adopted eighty years
subsequent to the original establishment of the
right, declares that 1.-THE rights of citizens of
the United States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States, or any state, on
account OF race, or color, or previous condition
OF servltude." Thus expressly, and in terms
embracing all citizens, the right of suffrage is
recognized as an existing right. The sixteenth
amendment that you ask for is couched in the
same language, except that in place of race or
color the word sex is used. Now it is clearly
impossible to deny or abridge a right that does
not exist and if the right Of suffrage is not an
existing right then the fifteenth amendment is
this and the other recent amendments the Su-
preme Court adds its testimony to the
fact OF the existence Of this right
The Constitution does not lay down any general
rule applicable to all the states nor undertake
to prescribe the qualifications for the federal
electOr. 1t was considered best to require him
to conform to such as exist in the several states
for state electors. But this requirement by no
means confers upon the states any power or
authority over the right of the federal eector.
Least OF all does it authorize the states to de-
feat the right by imposing conditions with
which the federal elector cannot comply. Yet;
in point of fact they have unlawfully disfran-
chised one-half Of the people by the use of the
word male.
FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONTRASTING THE MATTER
and of making demand for the right, a white
woman. citizen of the United States, holding
tnat her cltlzenShlp ought to avail to place her
at least upon the level of the negro, applied to
the Supreme Court to protect her against dis
franchisement, and was refused the court de-
caring that 1.-The United States has no voters of
its own creation" This decision is so mani
testify in conflict with the Constitution, as well
as with the courts own ruling just quoted, that
1t Is likely IL the matter were again presented
the court would recede from its last decision
1.-The first century of our national life under
the Constitution is about to close. To women
it has been a century of injustice, since no
wrong can compare with that of disfranchise-
ment, and while we are singing peons in honor
of the great instrument it is well to remember
that women had a share in the work. At that
date women voted in New Jersey at all cleo
tions upon terms of equality with men. They
voted for members of the constitutional con-
vention from that state. They voted for the
ratification of the Constitution when submitted.
They voted for the first. second and third
Presidents OF the United States. The fact
that women voted in one of the states was well
known to those who framed the constitutions
and We must construe the instrument as
they left it. As before said, neither nen nor
women, as such. are alluded to. The clause
establishing suffrage is so worded as to exclude
neither. but to include both. So that whether
you succeed through the courts or through
Congress it will be due to the fact of your
citizenship. For the purpose you have in view
that word is to you the most important word in
the language In hoe sioaO rinc,s You should