Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-08
WOMAN SUFFRAGE
The National Body in Session Here
Today.
REPORTS READ THIS MORNING
Miss Anthony Presides With Her
OId-Time Vigor
FO U RS AIRED FLAG
20 U RS T A RRED FLAG

FOUR-S RED FLAG
The National American Woman's Suf-
frage Association opened its thirty-second
annual convention promptly at 10 o'clock
this morning in the Church of Our Father
the only decoration. A big flag with its
four conspicuous stars was draped across
the organ loft, and another beautiful silk
banner, the field ignoring all the states in
the Union excepting Idaho, Utah, Wyoming
and Colorado, was spread over the desk of
the presiding officer vase of beautiful
ivy stood in front of the desk. On the desk
was a great bouquet of purple and white
vioiets
Miss Anthony in black silk, her shoulders
covered by the orif1amme of the sufrragists
her crimson silk shawl, was in the chair
and at her right was Rev. Anna Howard
Shaw, the vice president-at-large. in regal
purple cloth. At the left sat the secretary
Miss Alice Stone Rockwell, and grouped on
the platform were Mrs. Carrie Chapman
Gait. in charge. of organizations; Mrs. Har-
rfet Taylor Upton, treasurer; Mrs. Cath
arine Wall McCulloch, Miss Lavinia Hatch
bdDcOCk ana Mrs. Lille DeVSreauX
Blake.
Miss Anthony stil1ed the audience in her
old-time Quaker style, THE friends will
please come to order" and they were
orderly at once. Miss Anthony, who is a
believer in silent prayer, never announced
''opening by prayer but said, Miss Shaw
will open the meeting and Miss Shaw de-
livered the invocation.
Miss Anthony then appointed upon the
committee on credentials Mrs. Harriet Tay-
lor Upton. Mrs Luckey of Pennsylvania
and Mrs. Sweet of New York. Miss La
vinia Hatch of Massachusetts was then ap-
pointed timekeeper. Miss Anthony said
Miss Hatch could keep smooth face and
rap down verbose speaker with charming
grace.
1t was announced that Mrs. Elizabeth B.
Chase. president of the State Suffrage AS
sociatiOn of New Hampshire, had just
passed away at the advanced age of ninety
three.
Miss AnthOny's Address.
Miss Anthony's annual address was de-
void of flourish and studied finish, and
was, as usual, made off-hand. Miss An
thony never was known to make notes"
Good friends she began, with her
Quaker simplicity. land delegates from the
states of the Union-this is the thirty sec
ond year the National American Woman
Suffrage Association has met in Washing
ton, and l have been present at all but two
of these meetings. l was not idle, when
not here but was about the suffrage BUSH
ness in other places where it seemed that 1
could do more good. 1t is well that we
come to this Mecca, the national capital,
to which center the representatives of the
government from every state in the Union
come, and where they speak for the best
interest of their states and for those of the
whole country? Precisely thus do the dele
gates of the suffragists come to Washing
ton to speak for the states, with the purpose
of doing more and more to produce political
equality of women. and to bring to hear
Congress all the strength of their combined
Efforts
She said that the final resolve. the final
determination of women, should be regis
tered for political equality. and that then
they would make the win. This remark met
with great applause. She said that all she
asked was that women be placed under the
same restrictions as men, and disfranchised
only for cause, as men are. She believed
that the great annual convocation should
be in Washington, where those who make
the laws of the nation We're congregated.
The state conventions should be held in the
state capitals at the time of the meeting of
the various legislatures, and in this way
constant warfare could be kept up on the
men who make the laws. Miss Anthony
spoke in terms of encouragement of the
great work that had been accomplished in
the last fifty years, and was most optimis
tic in her views of the future.
Miss Anthony was greeted with several
rounds of applause on the conclusion of her
short address, in which not a single super
fluous word found place, and when she
could get it in, announced that one of her
little girls" Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery,
would now make report as corresponding
secretary, everybody laughed. Rachel,
who is one of the sunniest and most be-
loved of all the suffragists, is taller than
the average, and nature has covered her
height with generous supply of good,
healthy flesh. Miss Anthony remarked, in
her delightfully."- dry way, that it was little
Rachel score of years ago, when Mrs.
Avery, then Miss Foster, first began her
work in suffrage organization as her secre-
tary. and little Rachel she should ever
remain in her memory
Miss Averys report was brief, and fol-
lows in full:
Corresponding Secretary.
Mrs Rachael Foster Avery, correspond
ing secretary, reported as follows:
ITO those who attend our conventions
every year there must be decided flavor
of monotony about your corresponding sec
retary's reports. since they each year
chronicle about the same apportionment of
duties performed. With the object of COM
ing into touch with the work in the differ
ent states and of helping to bind the whole
into a national cause, many letters are sent
out to our state presidents, a majority of
whom reply promptly and cordially, and
thus enable me to be of assistance by sug-
gestion as to their state work. The work
since the Grand Rapids convention in April
May has been the editing of the annual
convention minutes of $50 pages, the secur-
ing of MSS. for the monthly leaflets of the
political equality series, aggregating 800. 600
pages of printed matter; the preparation
of the programs for this convention, for
the congressional hearing to be held the
18th. and for the celebration of the 10TH
the eightieth anniversary of our presidents
birthday
Miss Shav's Story.
Miss Anthony remarked when Mrs Avery
had finished that she had been altogether
too modest, that the work of the corre-
spending secretary had been of the hardest
kind. and she wanted the women to know
it. She then introduced to the convention
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, vice president
at-large, and sat down. Before Miss Shaw
could utter a word Miss Anthony was on
her feet again and said: II want Miss
Shaw to tell you story about an awful
blunder of mine Now Anna. tell 1t:
know they will laugh and so they did
Miss Shaw told the story inimitably.
You know" she began, that we suf-
fragists have been called everything under
the sun that is uncomplimentary and I'M
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