The age-herald., 1901-06-11
Miss Griffin Appeared Before Constitutional Convention in
 Behalf of the Women
WAS GREETED WITH APPLAUSE
She Urged the Convention to Confer Upon the Women of Alabama the Right to Vote in State
 Elections.
BY FRANK HARVEY MILLER.


 Alabama Constitutional Convention is measuring up to all the tests required of it. Today the woman's suffrage test was administered. but the convention came through 1t nobly. The members even wore smiles, and 1t is safe to say they enjoyed it
 No matter how modest a constitutional convention is nowadays some female suf- fragist will find 1t out and insist on mak- ing 1t speech.
 Today the rumor had gone forth that Miss Francis Griffin was to address the convention on this subject, and as a con- sequence the galleries of the hall was crowded with ladies long before noon, the hour at which the convention opens on Mondays. It seems that President Knox and few of the members knew anything about Miss Griffin's intention, because the convention was just about to adjourn when Colonel Sanford of Montgomery sprang to his feet and announced | that there was a distinguished lady pres ent waiting to address the convention on the subject of woman's suffrage, and who probably knew more about it than any man present. This remark brought forth much applause from the ladies in the gallery. President Knox trapped for or der. Some of the members did not want to hear Miss Griffin and the business of the | Convention -csng over for the day, mo- | tion to adjourn was made by MS. Greer | of Calhoun. After various motions and | points of order being made the conven- l ton decided by a vote of Il to to hear
 Miss Griffin. The vote was first taken
 viva voce, but onA call for divisfon;-. | those favoring hearing Miss Griffin
 amounted to T while those who did not 1 want to hear her. and who on the viva | voce vote sounded as if they were at least twenty, dwindled into one man MT Burns of Dallas, when the time came to stand. The chair announced the vote amid great laughter and applause, and appointed Colonel Sanford Miss Grif- fms sponsor, MT. Burns of Dallas, who voted against her and MT Wilson of Washington who also voted no, com mittee of three to inform Miss Griffin that the convention would bc pleased to hear from her. Miss Griffin was then escorted into the hall amid applause and was introduced to the audience by President Knox. The fans in the gallery futtered, the bonnets of variegated hues leaned forward over the railing, and Miss GrlH1n, WnO IS aDOuI SlAly years or age, with gray hair and wore blue muslin gown and spectacles, mounted the ros- trum and faced her audience disclosing a square cut chin which contained de- termination enough to have faced bat tery. She delivered some solar plexus blows at the men folk laughed together with the men at her own jokes, told them what to applaud and altogether seemed to enjoy herself as much as the audience enjoyed her.
 Miss Griffin's Speech.
 'Desring not to consume your time.' said Miss Griffin "I have devsated from my usual custom and have reduced to writing, what have to say. The history of our race has been the struggle of the few to ameliorate the condition of the many. Thousands of years of cruelty and of wars were required to evolve the truth that governments derive their just pow CTS from the consent of the governed"
 Miss Griffin then compared woman's condition today with that of hundred years ago, when she said, the hus- band owned everything including his wifes wedding ring and best bonnet. His word was law and he gave such medicine an dordered such foo das he pleased. She then spoke of womans influence az a moral factor. She said that politics waf entirely what men had made 1t: that j men had had exclusive control of the re. ligion and the home they would be as demOrdiizeu as were pOnllcS NIGH thought women were not intelligent enough to vote but that if women were given an opportunity they would surprise the. men. She then read some statistics showing the standing of women in schools She said women neither got besotted with drink nor steeped themselves in tobacco. and that therefore what brains they had were kept intact. She said professional men were physically unfit to go to war and fight. but that their right to vote was not therefore taken away from them. and that because women did not fight was mo reason why they should not be all lowed to vote.
 That women. even in their own house. holds, suffered from unjust laws which they are not allowed to alter Why do women want to voter she asked. If there was no other reason,'' she said, women would not wont to be classed with idiots, criminals. paupers, negroes. and children" She said she remembered the day when woman doctor or female lawyer were not mentioned in polite so- ciety. She then spoke of woman's pro- gross and arraigned unfortunate man for not giving women the same wages as men. She said political influence for them would bring industrial emancipa- tion That in New York it only took the farmers three months to get law passed for the protection of milk cows but that 1t took the New York women six years to get law passed for the protection of girls. She said it did not matter whether the majority of the women dic not want to vote That the majority of the slaves did not want to be free. fand that the majority of women had been ops posed to higher education
 You know yourself" she said, 'that women will not always vote with their husbands" She then told of some ex- amples Everyone of these points you know, are good" she continued. address ing the convcntion whose members had laughed at sc:.cthing which she had said. Women do not ask the ballot because men will not understand or speak for them. but because they cannot. Why