Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-16

Chapman Gait and Miss Mary G..
Hay, National Leaders in the
Movement, Conducting Meetings
Here - Mrs. Gait Delivered a
Strong Address Last Evening.
Rev. Miss Shaw Will Be Heard
To-Night-State Convention This
Morning
MIS-. Carrie Chapman Gait, of New
fork, one of the national leaders of
the woman suffrage movement, de-
ilyered an address last evening, at the
second session Of the conference,
which began yesterday. The meetings
were neld in the Carroll Club Audi
forum. On the stage was consplcu-
Cusly displayed the American colors.
Inc pictures of prominent leaders
were also draped with the stars and
STRIPES. On the stage were seated
Rey. Anna II. Shaw, DR.. j. L. Sooy, Dr.
Il. W. Hazlett, Mrs. Geo. +. Boyd and
others The graceful presiding officer
was Mrs. Mary G. Hay who is here
with Mrs. Gait and Rev. Anna Shaw
to conduct the conference. Miss Hay
announced that the meeting would be
opened by singing d verse CT
america, and this patriotic hymn
was given with much fervor. Rev. Dr..
Sooy dellvsred a prayer, and Mrs.
Flora Williams entertained the audi
ence with a favorite vocal selection
Inc speaker OF the vening was intro
duced by Miss Hay in appropriate
words.
Mis- Gait impressed her audience
as woman CT ability and was a pol
lshed and forceful speaker. Her argu-
ments were well constructed and
could not help win adherents to the
cause which she so ardently espoused
She assured her hearers that the wo-
mems rights cause was not new
movement, not one of our own times,
l.eve 1t is as old as ChristendCm
and was born in the fourth century,
Wnen 81 eat council of the church
decided that woman had soul and
could inherit eternal life as we'll as a
man. Time passed on and another
great council was held at which it was
decided, after long discussions among
teachers, that woman had brains as
well as a soul, and could think and
learne as well as a man.
These two discoveries the
speaker declared were but steps in
the great advance of woman's rights.
She argued that there was nothing
revolutionary in the movement fer
political suffrage. 1t is but a step in
the evolution of society. She describ-
ed the progress of men towards uni
yersal suffrage, and stated that wo-
men are contending against the same
obstacles that opposed man suffrage
in the beginning Of the eighteenth
century.
In early times only men could vote
who were owners Of property. This
rule barred out ministers, scholars,
men in many professional lines who
were qualified to the highest privileges
OF citizenship. England prohibited
those from voting who were born on
the Continent and in the American col
onies suffrage was greatly restricted.
In some OF the colonies Jews could not
vote; in others Catholics could not
vote, and in others those who pre-
scented certificates from ministers Of
the established church in some
places suffrage was limited to those
who could bear arms and fight. and
again to those who possessed certain
moral qualifications. That was the
condition then, but the eighteenth
century was a century OF men. In
that century more liberty was gained
than in a thousand years before. Then
men could not worship according to
their conscience; there was no free
speech, but these liberties were gained
when the ballot was put into the
hands of men. The speaker said as
the eighteenth was the century OF
men. she styled the nineteenth the
century for women. In the beginning
of the nineteenth century they stood
where the men had stood at the be-
ginning of the eighteenth. No mar
ried woman was permitted to any
thing, there was no free speech,
no right to free worship There were
only seven occupations open to wo-
men: there were no colleges and only
a few schools for them. They had no
privileges in church; could not lead a
prayer meeting or give testimony.
The speaker described the present con-
ditions of women and the privileges
they enjoyed, and asked why the last
step should not be taken in the pre-
81 ess of society.
She presented the objections urged
against extending suffrage to women
and answered them She said that
when she had asked conscientious.
thinking people for their objections,
she, had invariably been given the an
swer that there was too much suffrage
now and that it should be restricted
instead of extended, owing TO the cor
ruptness and ignorance that prevails in
politics and the power which is held by
the ignorant and irresponsible class of
voters who exercise the privileges of
citizenship and participate in our af-
fairs of government. This objection to
woman suffrage was made on the
grounds that universal suffrage was
still an experiment in our country, and
it is doubtful whether it is success or
not
Mrs. Gait made the strong argument
that woman suffrage was not being
tried on it's own merits, but upon the
question whether man suffrage is a sue
cess or not. She as strongly defended
the results of the suffrage given in this
country to all men by making a COM
parison of our manhood. cur civiliza-
ton. our government with the govern
ment of Russia and other nations where
man was not given universal suffrage.
In a splendid tribute she said the man