The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-01-30
Three Hundred Delegates to the
National Convention.
THE WORK is ENLARGING
10 Bring Nearer the Day OF
the Ballot.

ing to call to order the 2Sth annual con
vention of the National American Wo-
mans Suffrage Association. The sacred
edlhce was crowded in every part by
representative women from each of the
states and territories, and the clap
ping of hands and waving of handker-
chiefs that greeted the pioneer of the
equal rights movement continued for
several minutes.
In the audience We're Elizabeth Cady
Stanton Of New York, Rev. Anna II.
Shaw of Philadelphia, Harriet Taylor
Of Upton, Ohio Mrs. Colby, editor of
the Woman's Tribune, of Washington;
Mrs. Clopt of Huntsville, Alabama;
Miss Yates of Maine, Mrs Knaggs,
president of the Michigan state society;
Miss Devoe of Illinois, Miss Hay of In
diana, Lille Devereaux Blake, of the
City Suffrage League of New York
city; Carrie Chapman Chat, New York
| City; Anna GarlaD, Rhode Island; Julia
r. Jenny, daughter of Judge Jenny Of
Syracuse, and Ella Knowles Hascall,
assistant attorney general of Mon
tana.
Anthony gave no recognition of the sig
| nal mark of esteem, but called upon
the recording secretary, Alice Stone
| Blackwell of Boston, to call the roll of
| states for names of delegates. This
| done, the call for the convention, and
| which, on account of the severe crit
| icisms passed upon it by Bishop Doane
| of New York and President Elliott of
ha al xxriHa
| spread attention, was slowly and delib-
erately read by Mrs. Blackwell. 1t
said, in part;
| I'VE seek the support of all those who
desire the physical, intellectual and
moral improvement of mankind. If
this convention shall promote in any
degree freedom of thought and action
among women, if it shall incite them
to higher aspirations, if it shall advance
by few steps just legislation and a
wise public sentiment, if it shall hasten
the recognition of the justice of wo-
mans claim to equal political rights
with men, it will not have been in
vain."
The annual report of Rachel Foster
Avery of Philadelphia, corresponding
secretary of the organization, was lis
|
her reputation of the new "womans
Bible" evoked loud and long continued
applause. Among other things, the re-
port said:
THE success of our cause in Utah
demonstrates clearly the advisability
of securing the aid of political parties
through planks in their respective plat
forms. This having been seen by the
| Of IN Il no Al 70 10
their work after everything had been
decided by the party leaders, as has
too often been the case in states where
we have had state amendment cam
paigns; with non-partisan impartiality
they secured from republican, demo-
cratic and populist party the assur-
ance of the support of the rank and file
of their members to a constitution con-
tanning guarantee of full suffrage for
the women citizens of their common
wealth, after which effort on the wo-
mems part they could well sit by and
serenely watch the course of events
with the assurance that their enfran-
chisement was won. We now have six
senator's and representatives from three
states on the floor of congress, all of
whom stand there with an ever present
sense that an important part of their
constituents are of the female sex.
"a pleasant sign of growth of public
sentiment in favor of woman suffrage
was the magnificent reception accorded
to our president, Susan b. Anthony.
and our vice president at large, Rev.
Anna IL. Shaw, in California last spring,
when they went there as delegates to
the Pacific Coast Woman's Congress
Association. This body of women is
far from being a suffrage meeting, yet
they seated Miss Anthony in a chair
made entirely of flowers, listened with
rapt attention to her every word
throughout their weeks deliberations
upon 1.-THE Home" and could not do or
say enough in honor and praise of Rev
Anna Shaw for going out to them and
| aiding in their counsels with her mag
niticent gift of oratory They secured
an invitation for Miss Shaw to speak
at the great Fourth of July celebration
In san Francisco, and in every way
showed their high appreciation of these
| two leaders in our work After the
woman's congress, Miss Anthony and
Rev. Shaw made what was truly a
'triumphal march" from one end of the
state to the other, and finally returned
east with innumerable invitations I'M
filled and with promises to return TO
the Golden Gate at no distant date.
During the latter part of the year
the work has been in several directions
much hindered by the general miscon-
ception of the relation of the so-called
"Woman's Bible" to our association. As
an organization we have been held re-
sponsible for the action of an individual
ian action which many of our members
far from sympathizing with, feel 10 be
unwise), in issuing a volume with n
pretentious title, covering a tumble of
| comment mot translation, as the title
would indicate). without either scholar
| ship or literary value, set forth in
| spirit which is neither reverent nor in
| curing. If the organization were NOT
in so many quarters held responsible
for this work, 1 should feel IL ont 90
place to mention 1t here, but 1 should
be untrue TO my duties as secretary of
the association did l fail to report the
fact that our work is being damaged
and recommend that we take some 90
ton by resolution to show that the
association is not responsible for tho
individual actions OF any of its officers
when acting unoflicially and as an in
dividual simply"
The convention then adjourned unt,l
p. M, when Miss Anthony will deIv-
er her annual address, and Rev. Anna
Howard Shaw will make an address Of
welcome to the delegates from the now
state of Utah.