Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-28

1 fact that it was pretty close to the end of wha
| must always be known as the woman's week
the audience was A large oD,, bu. little speller
| than those earlier in the week There were
several capital speakers on the program, and
this added. of course. to the interest of the
| evening. II Il really remarkable the number Of
extremely good papers and addresses that have
| been brought out by the meetings of the week
| The general average has been high and papers
| that were not interesting have been very rare.
Prof. Dcrnays orchestra opened the meeting
| last evening with fascinating waltz as an
overture, and thon the audience was invited to
| sing one of the convention songs. 1t bore the
appropriate title, "a Song of Wyoming" and
| was sung, with few breaks to the tune of the
Missionary Hymn. The first verse ran as fol-
lows
From wyomng's rocky valley to the wild New Hamp
From northern OF silver to the sunny south
| EN- rlIis,
Lo the clarion call Of Freedom all the listening silence
| SENATOR CAREY ON WYOMING.
Senator Carey of Wyoming, who was intro
duced as one of the most devoted friends Of the
suffrage cause. spoke on wyoming, the True
| Republic" He said that he was somewhat en-
/ barrassed in making a speech before such an
audience. for he had spent much of his life in a
! land whore it was not necessary to make
| speeches in order to induce men to do justice
| to women. At the present day not more than
| one-half OF the adults Of this land who are
| anenable to its laws have anything to say
! about the making Of the laws and the election
| OF the officers. In the west life does not run
IN grooves, but the whole atmosphere 81 life is
kindly coward new and advanced methods.
| Senator Carey then continued by giving a
graphic account OF the history of woman suf-
| frags il Wyoming sinre Its admission as ter
| ritory In 1868. Few laws were made in its ter
ritoriai history that did not give evidence of
| Judgment and good sense. Then the question
arose whether Congress would admit n state
| that had made such an innovation on all the
precedents of the country. The constitution
was formed by as able body ever assembled
| in a new commonwealth. In the constitution
| the right to hold Office is not abridged on ac-
count OF sex.
| All voters must be able to read the constitu-
ton and must not have been convicted of in
famous crime. Wyoming's application for
statehood was resisted OH account of the woman
| suffrage clause. but in the debate that followed
the decision OF the supreme court was sustained
admitting that the right of suffrage was state
grant. Each department of the government
recognizes in their admission OF Wyoming the
fact that every state has the right to confer the
right Of suffrage to its women.
WOMAN ONLY WANTS OPPORTUNITY.
Man has never risen above the level of
woman, and il proper opportunities had been
given her there is little doubt she would be
fully his equal even in matters Of government.
Ours has been truly progressive government
and the people are being educated up to main
tain a higher form Of government than now.
We have given the suffrage to races not con-
templated as citizens when the Constitution
was formed. And now the woman suffrage
question is a living issue and must be consid-
cred by the people of the country
Suffrage should be granted to women for two
reasons: First, because it would help women,
and second, because it would ennoble and better
the state. 1 can say from my own observation
that the exercise OF suffrage by them has nOught
but q beneficial effect upon women. This has
been womnn's century, and never has she come
so near to perfect emancipation. The right to
vote has not debased man and 1t will not debase
woman.
At the conclusion of Senator Carey's speech
Miss Anthony stepped forward and presented
him with a magnificent basket of pink roses as
token of his ''grand work in assisting in rails
ing women in Wyoming TO her true position
Miss Balgarnie of London read an address of
greeting and congratulation from various En-
gllsh societies to the women Of Wyoming for
what they have accomplished for the women of
the world. The address was signed by the
officers Of about a score Of the leading societies.
o! SING OF WYOMING.
"0 Sing Of Wyoming was the next song and
it ran for awhile about as follows:
Q! sing of Wyoming.
The glory OF the mighty Northwest!
o! her golden grain. so rich and rare;
o. M nt xi IN ro net valleys none can compare
The glory OF the mighty Northwest.
MRS. LILLE DEyEREAUx BLAKE
Mrs. Lille Devereaux Blake Of New York
made an address on the subject, 'The Right Of
a Citizen to Trial by Jury Of His Peers"
She began by telling Of q colored man in New
York, who has been tried and condemned to be
''electrotyped-no. mean electrOcuted." His
lawyer appealed the case because there was no
colOred mar on the jury, and consequently the
prisoner was not tried by a jury Of his peers.
This appeal was sustained and the prisoner still
lives. Now if that decision is correct" argued
Mrs. Blake, mo woman who has ever been con-
victed in this country has been convicted Justly
because there have not been women on the
juries."
at might be maintained that no woman can
ever be tried with fairness by jury of men, for
no matter how intimate the two sexes may be
they can never fully understand each other.
They tell us that women are too illogical and
stupid to serve as jurors. Why my friends,
women could not be as stupid if they tried az a
petit Jury often it, Imagine case being tried
with Justice Marshall as the presiding Judge,
Charles OConnor on one side and Rufus Choate
on the other and the jury body Of men whose
sole qualification being that they have not read
the newspapers"
LIDE MERrwEATHER.
Lide Meriweather of Tennessee, q pretty
white haired woman with brisk, chirpy voice.
spoke on the "Siient Seven" These, she said.
are the legally mute, and include minors,
aliens, paupers criminals, lunatics, idiots and
women. On the presumption that the law
makers have some good and sufficient reason
for chasing women with the half dozen others
she wanted to know what that reason is. and
then proceeded to show that there could Of be
O satisfactory reason. She compared woman
with each of the other classes who are dis
qualified, and showed that there could be no
comparison.
REV. ANNA Il. SHAW.
Rev. Anna H. Shaw spoke on the subject
''1ndians W. Women" She came last on the
program, but the audience all remained, for
she Is one Of the most popular and interesting
OF all the speakers. She said that In the Dskots
campaign Of last fall they were met with tvo
questions, the status of women and the status
Of Indians in South Dakota. The question vas
whether women and Indians should have the
right to VOTE There were no speeches or news
paper articles against the Indian but there
were speeches and elaborate editorials against
giving women the full right Of citizenship.
Her address was one Of the brightest and
wittiest OF the week. It was Just filed with
droll stories and appropriate anecdotes and
was repeatedly interrupted by laughter az we'll
az applause. She considered the various and
many vices OF the male sex and gave that class
Of humanity very scathing criticism, holding
that men far outnumbered women a. criminsis.
paupers, insane and in everything else that i
undesirable. Women, she said, are oblieed 20