The Washington critic., 1890-02-16
THREE FAMOUS WOMEN.
ELIZABETH CADY STANTON AND
HER "FAlTHFUL WINGS"
1hey Meet the House Committee on
Woman Suffrage, and the Former
Delivers Forceful Address, Plead
ing for the Rights of Her Sex.
"slrniglll 10 Nd CaniiolNl

MS COlIHlunu was SOlcmuly given IN
front OF the Riggs at 10 n. m. Tuesday
TO the leading carriage of a small but
important procession. The prepondcr.
ance OF silks, satin, furs and other fomi.
nine occoutrcments and the simmer of
silver hair through closed carriage win
dows argued this TO be woman's affair
of no small moment.
II was Elizabeth Ca0y Stanton and
her faithful wings, Susan H. Anthony
and Mrs. Spoilord, en- route TO meet the
House Committee ON Woman Suffrage
and present the suffrage question for
their consideration Mrs. Stanton was
received by the committee with respect
due her years, and with the courtesy of
neutrality If not Of full sympathy
Her speech was II forcelul prcSvnto.
ton Of the woman question and Gov
cred the field of her rights, duties aud
responsibilities as n citizen of the re.
public. For nearly an hour she was
listened to with apparent interest by the
committee and with enthusiasm by the
ladies present
Mrs. Senator Allen of Washington,
loyal sullTagisl and victim of the late
disfranchisement Of women in that
State, recorded her protest by her APP
proving presence.
With Chairman Taylor, whose sym
patty and cooperation are counted
upon and nine other committeeman
present, Mrs. Stanton began her ad-
dress.
"For n quarter OF century," she
said, "a body Of intelligent, law abiding
women have held annual conventions
in Washington and made their appeals
before the committees of the House and
| the Senate, asking to be recognized as
citizens of this republic. A whole gen
Grafton of distinguished Senators and
Representatives who have each in turn
| given us aid and encouragement have
passed away. Seward, Sumner, Wilson.
Giddings, Wade, Garfield, Morton,
and Sargent, with IIamlin, Butler and
julian still living, have each and all de-
clarod our demands Just, our arguments
F.! unanswerablc.
1--WE cannot said Mrs Stanton
later on, play fast and loose with tie
eternal principles Of justice without
being caught sooner or later in the net
| of our own weaving.
'The legitimate results of the war
have been all frittcred away by polit-
ical maneuvcring. While Northern
statesmen have made football of the
rights of 10000 900 women of legal
age as voters and by Supreme Court de
Cisions driven them from the polls,
| why arraign the men of the South for
treating 100000 freedmen in the same
way Are the rights of that class of
| citizens more sacred Than ours Are
| the violations of the fundamental prin-
ciplcs of our Government in their case
more dangerous than in ours?"
Touching the property rights of
women, Mrs Stanton said:
Have you ever thought, gentlemen
that The vast possessions within our
national boundaries, with all their
future wealth and grandeur, belong to
woman as well as TO man? We arc the
natural heirs to one half this magnili-
cent estate. What would You think of
the sons of a family who should seize
the whole of a private estate and dole
out to the sisters n piitance in charity
when asked to restore their legal share
of the inheritance? And what should
we think of the women who in such
circumstances failed to assert their
rights and assume their duties to guard
and wisely use the wealth their fathers
had accumulated for them rs well as
their brothers,
1t was with increased carnestness, but
without acidity, that the speaker con
tinued: 1--WE are here to day honora.
bic gentlemen, TO ask you to take the
necessary steps for the speedy enfran
cnisemcnt of women, for the three fol
lowing reasons: First, for the benefit
, that self. government will be TO herself
for the immense advantage it will be tC
, the family to have literally educated
, wives and mothers at the freside; fOl
the benefit of the State, in having
womans interest in the public goot
legally recognized,
I'm considering the first proposition
we must view woman as woman, to bt
educated for the whole round of human
duties. In prescribing her rights, WI
must not limit her sphere as wife
mother, housekeeper, teacher or seam
stress, as she may never fill one Of thest
= positions or may fill all In deciding
her rights. consider her simply as =;
citizen of the United States. The
, capacities of attraction OF each indi
vidual must settle the question of ed,l
cation and sphere, of rights and duties
In comforting the right of suffrage il
men we do not ask whether they ar,
; husbands, fathers or blacksmiths.
; I'm addressing those who already
, enjoy the right of suffrage one would
naturally suppose thai it would not b,
necessary TO enlarge on the advantage
Of having a voice in the laws and th,
rulers under which one lives Ant
, neither would it, if each membe
of this committee understood tina
! NVnn1Op'o &c aud nnnIc 81 iin
to his own; that the cardinal virtue
belong to her as well as to him; tina
personal dignity. the power of self
protection, are as important for her a
; for him.
That woman loves justice, equality
liberty, and wishes the right TO Civ,
her consent TO the Government undo
. which she lives as well as man does
Matthew Arnold says: The first desir
/, of every cultured mind Is to take par
in the great work Of Government. "
/, Touching the old argument tina
women do more good by moral suasiol
: than they could by ballot, the speakc
l said:
, "You may say that in these matter
education does more than legislation
Yes, but when you dignity the edu
! chlor WIN inc right 10 leglslatc, yO
have added new force to her teach
: Ing, and when you have made the pc
y litical status of the woman who pre-
sides at your table equal TO your own
you will give added weight to her ad
c vice to your children.
: The strongest argument of tn
d speech was, perhaps, In the statemeu
!, that women must expend their enthus
{ asm on something, and it Is a question
q gentlemen, for you to decide for your sis