The record-union., 1896-12-09
A SILENT CAMPAIGN.
Able Review Of the Fight for Woman
Suffrage.
rIrs. Florence Percy rlatheson Tells
About How the Late Campaign
Was Managed.

In May, 1895, at the close of the Sec
ond Woman's Congress held in San
Of the most aggressive campaigns for
woman suffrage that has ever made it
self part of the history Of any State.
The first Woman's Congress, con-
vened during the progress of the Won
derful Midwinter Fair, which attracted
80 many strangers to the Pacific Coast
metropolis, was most successful. The
efforts of a handful of earnest women
brought together an assemblage of their
sisters who in sympathetic communion,
gave expression to thoughts helpful
both to themselves and their hearers.
Women of more than national reputa-
tion brought their treasures of heart
and brain and poured them out freely
for the benefit of womanhood in gem
eral and then sat and listened with re-
spectful, appreciative attention, while
other women shyly lifted the curtain of
silence behind which they had lived
their self-repressed and often morbid
lives, and for the first time let their
timid ideas, beliefs and aspirations look
out into the world around them.
All were made genuinely and gra-
ciouSly welcome and no lines of dis
tinction We're drawn between rich or
poor, the gentle or simple the famous
or the unknown. The rancher's wife
and daughters in their cheap gowns
We're admitted ON the same terms as
was the millionaire's family in their
silks velvets and diamonds. The poor
est working woman, had she something
to say on the topics under considera-
ton, was listened to as eagerly and at
tentively as the famous lecturer, or
author, or clergyman. 1t was indeed
good to be there" and there was not
one Of the participants In that gather
ing who did not go back into every
day life feeling better, stronger and
happier because of the lessons, the
companionship and the experiences of
those few days
The next year saw a similar but much
larger gathering in the Bay city. "The
Home" was the topic selected for this
session, and the magic of that word
drew to the meetings many who had
been too busy or too Indifferent to at
tend the previous year. The possibili-
ties in a discussion Of such a subject
were almost infinite, and thattinterest
therein-even in these days of restau-
rants and boarding -houses-was wide
spread and heartfelt was proven by the
crowds which focked to the meetings
during the entire week of their con-
tinuance.
Crowded as the meetings were, how
ever, and excellent as were most Of the
papers presented, this second congress
was not productive of that unalloyed
satisfaction and good feeling which
had characterized the initial session. A
new element had been introduced into
the assemblage In the person of one of
the "war-horses" Of the woman's suf-
rage cause-Miss Susan B. Anthony
who with her able Lieutenant" Miss
Anna Shaw, had been sent for to grace
the occasion by her presence, and there
We're some conservative women who felt
that this procedure on the part Of the
congress managers was neither wise
nor kind
Women who did not desire or believe
In equal suffrage, but who did believe
In woman's congresses, properly car
rled out ON strictly neutral ground, con-
sidered that they were placed In a false
and unpleasant position, since the meet
mgs were-from the first greeting to
the special guests Of the occasion-dom-
mated by the suffrage idea
The Home was a secondary consid-
Grafton, for no matter how innocent and
domestic paper might be, in the ensu-
Ing discussion the advantages of "the
ballot" were sure to be exploited by
some eager champion of "woman's
cause" to the distaste Of many In the
audience who felt that their opinions
and convictions were worthy of cousid-
Grafton, but were averse to entering
Into public controversy on the sub
ject-
So 1t was that the second congress,
though brilliant success in many
ways, left behind some little heart
burning and gave rise to some sharp.
If quiet, criticism. At the close of the
meetings, however, the real motive for
the persistent forcing upon the congress
audiences of suffrage ideas became evil
dent An extra meeting was called
sort OF aftermath-and during that
meeting the California Woman's Suf-
rage State Constitutional Amendment
Association was formed From that
moment the fight for equal suffrage in
California began In earnest and never
ceased until the third day In November
OF this year. It was vain to tell the
little knot of suffragists who took il
upon themselves to do battle for the
women of California, that those same
women did not, as a class, long for the
boon which they were so anxious to
pestow upon them In their superior
wisdom the suffragists decided that
they ought to want it, and that they
should have it If it were possible to
secure 1t for them II the women of
California did not realize that they
were abused, down-trodden. tyran-
nized over. and generally victimized,
1t was their-the Observation-Disclosures
to make them know it. Therefore they
started out with the laudable determIn-
alton, loudly and frequently expressed.
TO make the contented woman discon-
tented" and rouse up all women to
demand their rights"
To this end these ardent champions
Of their sex organized and collected
funds, and planned, and wrote, and lee
tured, and argued, in season and out
of season. The highways and byways
of our State were trodden by the eager