Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-29
SHARP PASSAGE AT ARMS.
Representatives of Woman's Suffrage Ap- peared Before House and Senate Con-
 mittees 10 Advocate Their Scheme.

Washington, Jan. 2S--There was a sharp passage at arms in the house ju- dietary room this morning between Rep resentative Washington of Tennessee and Henry B. Blackwell of Massachu- setts. The occasion was a hearing given by the committee of the representatives of womans suffrage. headed by Miss Susan B. Anthony MT. Blackwell was speaking in support of the joint resolu- tion favoring an amendment to the con- stitution providing that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on ac- count of sex. He explained that he rep resented 86,790 men and 22.224 women who voted at the last election in Massa- chusetts for woman suffrage. He pro- ceeded to give the several reasons why universal suffrage should be granted and Incidentally remarked that there had been no system of free schools In the south until they were established there by the carpet-baggers. To this thre was chorus of dissenting voices, MT. Boatner of Louisiana challenging its cor rectness as applied to Louisiana, and Messrs Washington of Tennessee and Terry of Arkansas being equally quick to deny it so far as their respective states were concerned. MT. Blackwell then re- marked that 1t was true of most of the southern states. Thereupon MT Wash ington created momentary sensation by springing to his feet and exclaiming drama tically that if "the carpet-baggers had not robbed us of millions we would have more money to teach the negroes"
 moment later he again interrupted the speaker with a further declaration that the young men of the south would be the first to object to 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.
 MT. Blackwell at this point changed the line of his argument and the scene ended.
 The hearing began promptly at 1O:30 o'clock and at that hour the room was crowded with delegates in attendance upon the suffrage convention now in ses- sion here. There were nearly score of speakers and each speaker was limited to four minutes. The majority of the speeches were bright, logical and direct. There was some good-natured badinage between Miss Anthony and the chair man of the committee. MT. Henderson, of Iowa, in which the honors were about equally distributed. Miss Anthony stated that this was the fourteenth committee of congress before whom she had ap- peared in furtherance of the suffrage movement. She wanted the members of the committee to do as much for their wives and daughters as their predeces- sors had done for the slaves of the south. What she desired was report from the committee; favorable report if possi- b1e; If not, a minority report, so that the subject might come before the house. Mir. Henderson jnterjected a remark that in his opinion a majority of the women of the country did not want suffrage. Miss Anthony sharply replied that the major ity of children also object to going to school. and that the women who oppose suffrage are children in the elementary principles of government
 Miss Anthony created laugh when she introduced Mrs. Hughes the first speak CT, as the governor of Arizona. She said a moment later that Mrs. Hughes was the wife of the governor of Arizona and that upon the woman suffrage question the governor and Mrs. Hughes were tru- ly one.
 MT. Hendersons suggestion that ma- jority of the American women do not want suffrage seemed to disturb a num- Der of the speakers. who addressed their argument to this subject: but in every case their remarks were in good temper
 Mrs. Stetson of California followed Mrs. Hughes. The other speakers were Mrs. Anna L. Diggs of Colorado, Mrs. Cady Addison of Kansas. Mrs. Elizabeth IT. Yates of Maine. Henry B. Blackwell of Ma chusetts Mrs. Saunders of Mon tana, Mrs. Clara B. Colby of Nebraska. Dr. Cora Smith Eaton of North Dakota, Caroline M. Everhard of Ohio. Mrs Anna R. Simmons of North Dakota, Mrs Elm iiy Richards of Utah and Mrs. Jessie Manley of West Virginia.
 In closing the hearing Miss Anthony remarked that in states where suffrage prevailed the men always attended their meetings, because the women were po- litical factor. She spoke in reference to Colorado and asked If the congressman from that state were present. There4 upon Representative Shafroth announced his presence and briefly addressed the, committee with an expression of the practical workings of suffrage in Colo rado. which he declared to be an bnquali- fled success.
 before the senate committee on woman suffrage. of which Mir. Call Is chairman,