New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-14
WOMAN ,SLIFFRA GE HEA RINGS
AND OPPONENTS PRESENT
THEIR VIEWS TO CONGRESS
COMMITTEES
COMMITTEES

Washington, Feb. 13-The Senate Committee on
Woman Suffrage gave hearing to-day N a dele
CATION from the Woman Suffrage Convention The
women VINO were heard were introduced by Susan
o. Ahthohy' Mrs. Clara B. Colby sketched the
WORK that mad been done before Congress in the
way or petitions presented and bills introduced
She said that progress had been made each year
Miss Anthony filed additional papers and statistics
on the subject
MIS- Hachei roster Avery read a paper prepared
by a woman who had twice been elected Mavor
"I hahsas town. 1t described in detail what
had been accomplished in the wav of rnunic,nal
ietotn IN Kansas. women in that State being
ensiple 10 vote and hold municipal office She in
ucated that there had been purhcati of munich
pal affairs since suffrage had been granted TO
women.
Mrs. Mary c. Bradford of Denver. read
paper on the effects of popular suffrage in Colorado
one Hoteu the Improvement of conditions at the
polls There had been higher standard of candi-
dates for public office. The women voters had
improved themselves. There were thirty thousand
more women voters in Colorado than men
is' harriet Stanton Black, daughter of Mrs
EnI CaoS stanton spoke on the conditions in
England She said that the argument of the East
81" men IN reply to the good showing of Western
states was that the experiment might be all right in
.i'iiiE populated sections She desired to say that
IN thickly populated England the experiment for
mansgema rgh dS had been more successful The
exaI tlnent or the poor boards especially an
1911 PIE as these boards. she said Accomplished
No. ms, Carrle Chapman Gait spoke in a vigorous
ferring es HGeThlng the suffrage movement re
this IN d Inc the century just closing She said that
lev women engaged in the work A large maiorit22.
great adIs,but In spite of all there had been
us ISs Anthony closed the argument for the suf-
been fought an SPOKE Of the campaigns that had
TIL failure 1t was due to the foregn-born vote
In defeatin 20 Ine liquor interests had succeeded
women. e-Ie 0f"'i iish'S 10
BEFORE THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COM
MITTEE
both the woman sufragsts and the anti-wonan
sun 'eiStS Were heard to-day by the House Com
mlttee on the Judiciary. Great interest was shown
IN the hearings and the committee room was
crowded to overlooking with women prominent In
the two movements
sine Inc snffragsts were introduced by the Rev Anna
committee r arSU mace an address urging that the
.se report a constitutional amendment
lam ~ ii flg women She declared that the mothers
an said that the opposition to this movement
co I'm On women OF the leisure class who had not
women VI
dress feature the reading Of d
venerable pioneer of the suffrage movement A
number OF others spoke.
Tue anti-suffragist delegation was accompanied
Sy mares russell, OF Boston, as attorney for the
Massachusetts association opposed to woman SUI
frage. Some sharp differences developed between
the TWO SIDES, and In order to avoid controversy
the committee adjourned.
ANiI-SUFFRAGISTS
Mrs. Arthur NJ Dodge, Mrs Gilbert f Jones
Mrs. Rossiter Johnson, Mrs Douglas Robinson
Mrs. William c. Cowles and Mrs George Phiuins
of New-York. with Miss Emily F. Bissen of Will
mington Del. Miss Alice H. Chittenden of Brook
yn; MISS e. II. Houghton. of Cambridge: Mrs Bar
clay Hazard of California. and Mrs A. J. George
Of Boston, appeared to protest against any change
In the Constitution giving women equal rights with
men. Mrs. George read letter from the State as
socatons opposed TO the extension OF the suffrage
m Nynr11 hnfNR
and Mrs. Arthur NJ. Dodge read the same document
before the Senate Committee on Woman's Suffrage
The letter opposes the amendment on the ground
mat II Is unnecessary, and that the effort to
cure Federal interference with the reserved rights
or the states is without Justification. The mere
fact, says the letter that the amendment is asked
as compliment to the leading advocate of woman
suffrage on the attainment of her eightieth birth
day is evidence of the emotional frame of mind
which influences the advocates Of the measure. The
letter declares that there is demand for the
legislation asked for and expresses the belief that
If the proposition to enlarge the suffrage sub
mitted to the votes Of the of the United
States 1t would be rejected by Overwhelming ma
jority. The closing portions of the letter follow:
We feel that the exemption of women from the
performance of suffrage is a privilege which they
conferred upon them as a compensation for lmfta-
tons and duties imposed upon them by their SEX
to the domain of masculine service. We know that
bS are pm sicag TdDe 10 perform the duties
well regulated movement. The enforcement of law
involves not only the performance of jury duty but
in the last emergency the employment of military
force, in neither of which women discharge the
responsibility Of actual service.
No better illustration of the difficulties which
would arise In case women endowed with
the duties OF suffrage can be presented than the
situation which has lately existed in the State
of Kentucky. Imagine women taking part in the
strife of that State. involving insurrection, riot
bloodshed and assassination, the consequences
of political dispute. If either of the claimants
of the office of Governor had been a woman. il Is
perfectly obvious that confusion would have been
worse COMPOUNDED. and that in the last resort, un-
der the Constitution. the Federal authorities would
have been paralyZed by the necessity for using
military force against the women OF the State
The word chaos alone gives adequate expression
TO the state of affairs which would have existed
In Kentucky If the women well as the men
had been compelled to take part In the unhappy
controversy which has convused that State and
might have entangled the general Government in
solution.
The union referred in the preamble to the
Constitution of States. but If the phrase
could be strained to refer to the union or har
mony between and women it seems evident
that the suffrage would not tend TO perfect this
union, but would produce strife that would render
domestic tranquility byword among the PEG,
pie, and would be far from promoting the general
welfare. Women could not take part In the com
mon defence which is essential TO establish JUS
as to include would not merely be an in
vasion of the sovereign right of the State, but
would tend to disrupt society.
MISS ANTHONY RETIRES.