Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-16

Union has circulated many petitions. The
number of signatures and attestations Sc
cured throughout the world to our different
petitions in the last twenty years aggre-
gates not fewer than fifteen millions of
nameS-probably twenty millions.
we praise the polyglot petition work be-
cause 1t has afforded nucleus around
which woman may rally. We have come to
the capital of our native land to present
this petition first of all in the country in
which 1t originated. We present it tonight
to members of the United States Senate
and House of Representatives ana we ex-
pect to secure a hearing with the petition
for Its basis before the committees CT those
two bodies. We have sent a copy of the
petition to every officer connected with cur
national legislature, and, as a matter of
courtesy, 20 every member of the United
States government.
The greatest number OF names, indorse-
ments and attestations has been secured in
our conltry, and next to ours in Great
Britain Miss Gwellian Morgan of Wales
has superintendent this work in the mother
country. Mrs. Mary Clement Leavitt of
BOSTON was the first who went forth with
the petition in 1881. She was absent nine
years visiting practically every nation Of
the world Mrs Leavitt was followed by
Miss Jessie Alderman of California who
money! sn australasia with the local
unlonS~ ederatfng them into q National W.
e. T.. u. She travcrSed all the oriental
countries, ard i'll seven years of jourEcying
covered distance nearly equal to seven
times round the world. The JOURNEYS OF
Mrs Elizabeth Wheeler Andrews and Dr.
Kate Bushnell &c me EeXt and have result
ed In the breaking down of the system CT
leSalzed vice in the Indian empire Miss
Mary Allen West went to Japan where she
died. Miss Alice Palmer of Indiana spent
three years in South Africa and planted
our society throughout that brave young
country.
so far as we know the largest petition
ever presented except our Polygiot' was
that of the British Chartiats in .S41, asking
FOR the repeal of the corn laws. This had
a million names and it carried its point.
The Great Work Involved.
''The labor of sending out blank petitions
for signatures was largely carried on by
Mrs. Mary A. Woodbridge of Chicago cor
responding secretary of the Worlds W. {.
T. Z. They were gathered IN and acknowl-
edged by Miss Alice E. Briggs, for years
the Office secretary of the Worlds w. =.
T. L., at the temple Chicago and they
were mounted on white muslin by Mrs Re
pecca Shuman of Evanscn, ILL.,, the seat
or Northwestern University. Mrs. Shuman
mas already spent two years in this work.
The signatures came in fifty languages:
they are mounted as compactiy as possible
on webs of muslin, one-half yard In width,
one edge OF which is bound with red the
other with blue ribbon.
fhe names average four columns
abreast, making 100 names to the wards in
each column. Mrs. Shuman has row
mounted 1928 yards, or over one mile of
canvas, making five miles of names written
solidiy one under the other-17I, 200 in all.
This is exclusive of about $50 600 names that
came from Great Britain already mounted
making 1,12l,2U actual NAMES on the docu-
ment that will be submitted to President
Cleveland. There are hundreds of thou
sands of names yet awaiting to be added
Nor viii we ever rest until we have 2gsD.-
ND actual names. besides the present $780,
ooo additional Signers by attestation
The document has been circulated in
iifty nations, and in the three ways stated
mas received 100000 signatures The total
number of actual signatures from outside
the United States is 4So,0O0. Great Britain.
with Lady Somersct's name at the head,
leads the procession with its 1890 Cana
da comes next, with $1,000; Burmah fol-
lows, with 1000, and Ceylon, Australia,
Denmark. China, India and Mexico, with
all the others coming after.
Men Signed II.
Though this is a women's petition. it
should be noted that it is Endorsed by per
maps 100000 men-some by personal Sig
natures. but most by the attestation of the
oi11cers of societies to which they belong.
The Salvation Army Endorsed 1t with 200
1Oo members; the GoodTemplars put $40. 600 |