The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-09

women sharing in its functions. Address
ing the men she said: "You are most
ignominious failure so far as government
is concerned. 1t would have been the
same in different way have no doubt,
if women had managed the government
to the exclusion of men. 1t needs both to
make the perfect government. Man when
alone tends to vulgarity and brutality;
woman to inanity and vacuity."
America, Mrs. Couzens thought, was
just repeating the evils of Europe. II
woman were given a share in government
crime and vice would not cease, but they
would decrease. Woman would help to
bring order out of chaos. Miss Couzens
spoke of her experience in Colorado. She
praised the silver State and its people, and
then began to talk against cooperative
power, which, she declared, threatened the
existence of free institutions. II saw it il
Illustrated in Colorado. This will never be
free republic of the people, by the people
and for the people till women vote. You
have become Government of the corpora
tons, for the corporations and by the cor
porations."
Then she spoke of the trains guarded by
soldiers and marshals bringing strikers
from Trinidad to Denver. She was refused
permission to ride on the train until she
proved that she was an ex-marshal herself.
The marshals guarding the prisoners, she
declared, ought to have been out in the
fields hoeing corn instead of having rifles
to kill. II saw sight on that train-a
sight which l never hope to see again. The
prisoners were fne-looking men. The
marshals were largely hobos, and thought
prisoners and marshals ought to have
changed places. Out of the 126 men ar
rested they could find cause for the arrest
of four only"
She declared that the United States was
now face to face with the gravest of prob
lens, and that the men needed the assist
ance of the women to soothe them.
Fighting and armies" declared Miss
Couzens, 'are the sign manual of savagery
and barbarism." Then she told of the ma
tons of Europe taking the men from the
pursuits of peace to swell the armies, while
the women worked in the field harnessed
to dog or horse. She dealt severe ver-
bal blows at the Reilly funding bill and
funding bills in general. She declared it
their minds to ideas of government She
told how IT'S years before the Christian era
the women of Rome stood for three days
and three nights before the tribune and
demanded their rights, and the remarks
made by the Romans, as told in Livy,
were identical with those made on the
floor of the Assembly day or two ago by
the gentleman from Fresno
As Miss Couzens expressed it, referring
to Bachman, and quoting one of the
Romans remarks: "Suffer the women to
become your equals, and they will become
your superiors." Miss CouZens declared
in favor of the initiative and referendum,
and concluded by answering those who
made derisive reference to strong-minded
women with the statement that they were
the sons of weak-minded, misguided
women.
Mrs. Laura de Force Gordon answered
the speech made by Assemblyman Bach
man. The gentleman had referred to
contingency which might arise if a woman
became the Governor of California. at is
more in sadness than in resentment that |
reply" she began. "Mr Bachmans re-
marks started a roar of derisive laughter,
and | thought then, Is patriotism dead? No
wonder that you resort to the expediency
of hosting flags n,school houses to stir up
patriotism when a remark aimed at women
should be met with the applause of de-
rision and is made the sport of derisive
laughter
''There is a woman on earth who reigns
over millions of subjects. Nine times has
the Queen of England presented the nation
with an heir, and instead of derisive
laughter the birth of Prince or Princess
has been the signal of Joy to millions of
loyal Britons, the flags have been flung to
the breeze, the bells have rung and the
cannon roared. That is the distinction
which exists in a monarchy where one
woman at least stands peer to any man
who ever occupied throne.
"On Monday evening"" concluded Mrs
Gordon, ''when the vote is recorded, 1 do
not want to see the Republicans pledged to
equal suffrage stand alone. want to see
every one of my dear Democratic brethren
stand shoulder to shoulder and not let the
Republicans get away with all the glory,
for I'm Democrat"