Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-29

suffrage movement. headed by Miss Susan
! II. Anthony.
Sh. Blackwell WIS speaking in support
OF the Joint resolution favoring "A six
teentn amendment to the Constitution
.Irovniing that the right To vote shall not
be denied nor abridged on account OF
sex He explained that he represented
$3.50 men ana p 22i women. who voted
at the last election iu Massachusetts for
woman suffrage. He proceeded to give
several redsOns why universal suffrage
should be granted. and Incidentally re-
marked that there had been no system
OF free schools In the South until they
were established there by the Garnet
baggers. To this there was a chorus Of
dissent from the several southern mem
beTs Of the committee. Mr.. Boatner. Of
Louisiana. challenging its correctness as
applied TO Louisiana, and Messrs. Wash
ington. Of Tennessee. and Terry Of Ar
kansas. being equally quick TO deny it
so far as their respective States were
concerned.
Mr. Blackwell then remarked that it
was true Of most of the Southern States.
Thereupon Mr. Washington created a
momentary sensation by spriugin2 TO his
feet and eXclaiming dramatically that If
the carpet-baggers had not robbed US Of
millions, We would have money with
which to teacf the negroes"
4 moment later he again interrupted
the speaker with further declaration
that the young men of the South would
be the first 10 object 10 putting the negro
into slavery again, and that the people
of the South were now taxing themselves
millions Of dollars TO educate the black
man and his boy.
Mr. Blackwell at this point changed the
line Of his argument and the scene ended.
MANY IN ATTENDANCE.
The hearing began promptly at lO:3o
ana at that hour the room was crowded
with delegates IN attendance upon the
suffrage convention now I'm session here.
There were nearly q score Of speakers,
and each speaker was limited 10 four
minutes. The majority Of the speeches
were bright. logical. and direct.
There was some good-natured badnage
between Miss Anthony and the chairman
of the committee. Mr.. Henderson. Of
Iowa I'm which the honors were about
evenly distributed. Miss Anthony stated
that this was the fourteenth committee
Of Congress before which she had APP
peared in furtherance of the suffrage
movement. She wanted the members Of
the committee 10 do as much for their
wives and daughters a. their predecessors
had done for the slaves Of the South.
What she desired was a report from the
committee favorable 10 the movement. If
not. a minority report
Mr.. Henderson interjected a remark
that, in his opinion. majority Of the
women Of the country did not want
suffrage. Miss Anthony sharply replied
that the majority Of children also OBJ
ject to going TO school, and that the
women who opposed suffrage are children
in the elementary principles Of govern
ment Miss Anthony created q laugh
when she introduced Mrs Hughes. the
first speaker. as the Governor Of Ari-
zona. She explained moment later
that Mrs. Hughes was the wife OF the
Governor Of Arizona; that upon this
suffrage question the husband and wife
were truly one and that therefore she
had not made 30 great mistake as at
first appeared.
DO THE WOMEN WANT 1T?
Mr.. Henderson's suggestion that a ma
jority Of the American women do not
want suffrage seemed to disturb "a num-
ber Of the speakers. who addre~sed
their argument 10 this object. but IN
every case their remarks were in good tenn
per
Mrs. Sietson, OF California. followed
Mrs. Hughes. The other speakers We're:
Mrs. Anna J.. Dggs. OF Colorado: Mrs.
Cady Addison. OF Kansas: Miss Eliza
beth L. Yates OF Maine. Henry b.
Blackwell OF Massachusetts,: Mrs.
Saunders, OF Montana: Or. Cora Smith
Eaton Of North Dako.a: Caroline N.
Everhard. OF Ohio: Mrs. Anna X.
Simmons. Of North Dakota; Mrs. Emily
Richards. Of Utah. and Mrs. Jessie
Manly. of West Virginia.
In closing the hearing Miss Anthony
remarked that On States where woman
suffrage prevailed the men always at
tended their meetings. because the
women were a political factor She spoke
with particular reference to Colorado,
and asked If the congressman from that
State were present ThereupOn Repre-
sentative Shdfroth announced his pres
ence. and briefly addressed the COM
mttee with an exposition OF the prac-
teal working of the woman suffrage in
Colorado. which ne declared to be an
unqualified success
The delegation Of ladies' also appeared
before the Senate Committee on Woman
Of which Senator Call Is chair
man. and some twenty Of them argued
in favor Of universal suffrage, and the
adoption Of an amendment 20 the Con-
stitution tending 10 the acknowledgements
Of the gentler sex