Evening star., 1896-03-25
DISTRICT SUFFRAGE.
Advocates of the Ballot Heard by a
Senate Committee.

Au%ocates Oh the BnilOt Heard by a
Senate Committee.
The hearing on the proposition to submit
the suffrage question to the people of the
District for an expression Of opinion, be-
fore subcommittee of the Senate District
committee was concluded yesterday after
noon. After The Stars report closed Mr..
F. l.. Siddons took the floor and made a
comprehensive argument in behalf of the
measure proposed, of which he is the au-
thor. II the verdict of the people were
against the change from the present form
Of government, he said, the whole matter
would be dropped.
Senator Faulkner suggested that a SUBJ
mission of the question to the vote of the
people should be accompanied by an out
line of the form Of government proposed.
SO that there would be a definite alterna-
tive presented. Mr.. Siddons did not believe
this to be necessary, for he did not think
Inc government would evade its Just share
OF the expenses of the District even if suf-
1rase were given to the people here
Senator Faulkner said he wanted Con-
gress' to be morally bound to keep its obIi-
cations, and he went on to urge that the
change would have a very decided effect
upon the amount of taxes required from
the people,
Additional arguments were made by DIR.
z. y. Purvis, Rev. Walter Brooks and Mr.
w. H. G. Simmons and then Senator Gal
lnger called on Mrs. Clara Bewick Colby,
who had expressed a desire to be heard on
the bill. She said she represented the Wo-
mans Suffrage Association, and made an
effective speech, which commanded the en-
tire attention Of the committee and of the
other speakers and at times convulsed all
present with laughter. She prefaced her
remarks by asking that the bill be amended
by striking out the word male" from the
proposition to submit the suffrage question
of thn
years, she said, the women who sought the
ballot were pictured as being accompanied
by some very disreputable individuals.
With them stood the idiot, the insane the
convict and the blanket Indian. The only
respectable companion that the American
woman has had in this political state has
been the District of Columbia, and now he
ungallantly proposes to leave her to her
disgraceful associates. Disfranchised and
Inundated, she went on, the women of the
country would regret to see the men of the
District take their leave, and SO they have
decided TO make an effort to be taken with
them.
The women of the ma ton, she said. are a
disappearing sex. When they are to be
punished or taxed they can easily be seeE
but when it comes to rights and privileges
they are excluded. They are neither citi-
zens, people, persons nor Inhabitants, ac-
cording to the law. The only designation
to which they are entitled is "the gov
erned."
.The bill considered was never originated
by the Knights Of Labor" she said, "for at
their last session they voted unanimously
in favor of admitting women to vote in the
District along with the men. If we are to
exchange an aristocracy of class instead
Of an autocracy of a few persons, it is
hardly worth the while"
DIR. Reyburn said the trainers of the bill
Gid not object to suffrage for women, and
the knights of Labor were in favor of it,
DIR. Reyburn thought that with woman suf-
frage in the measure, it would pass by
larger majority.
At the conclusion Of Mrs. colby's speech
the hearing was adjourned. 1t is not GER
tain whether there will be any further
hearings on the subject of this bill before
the subcommittee makes its report The
third member of the subcommittee, Mr.
Hansbrough, is in North Dakota and will
not return for a month.