The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-10-10
A WoMAN's ADDRESS 10 MEMBERS
OF TIE CONVENTION.
Mrs. Gait Before the Suffrage Committee.

The Committee ON Suffrage Of the Con
sttutional Convention invited Mrs. Carri,
Gait to address subcommittee on the sub
ject Of female suffrage She accepted. and
Friday afternoon made her address be-
fore packed audience. The resolution
offered some months ago proposing to
extend the right OF suffrage to women
was read and then Mr. HUBBARD, the pa
tron OF the resolution, made speech oi
some length in presenting Mrs. Gait
lie caused the audience to break into
laughter rand cheers when in the course OF
his remarks he declared he was ashamed
hc was "A man.
VRs cATTs ARGUMENT
,'. Gait was literally applauded by
the men when sheascended the platform.
When the applause subsiied she began
by sayiu. the women only ask the Con.
stitutioral Convention 10 give them
what nad been given by the majority oI
the na' ions of the civilized world Even
in R-ssin the women had more freedom
al. pri, lligrs than the women OF Ameri
ga bad
~hr went ora 10 show how in times past
iY this country the suffrage Of men had
b ,u greatly restricted She traced the
growth of the idea of extending the sui
fra.. "TaNntion without representa-.
tion is tyranny" That was the slogan
Of the Revolution To Thomas Jefferson
is asrribed the honor OF originating the
idea Of diyorcing the man from his prop
erty when considering his right of SUI
irage.
| In America any man may vote except
a Chinaman. In some States even idiots
and lunatics are allowed to vote
She declared Americans had grown
drunk on Democracy. They had gone
too far Europe wasfollowing America.
was about seyenty-fye years behind.
Discussing the former condition ol
| women. Mrs Gait said the woman OF a
hundred years ago could not even draw
the wages she earned 10 support her
family without an order from her drunk
en- husband, she could not even own her
false teeth Talking Of what women did
fifty years or hundred years ago, Mrs.
Gait described how they used to make
all the cloth and the clothing used in the
family and do all the house work. Then
she showed how machinery had done
away with the necessity of women doing
all these things done at home.
Men had invented cotton looms, and
started great factories, and women no
| longer had to knit all the stockings. But
some man invented knitting machine,
and women, had no longer chance to
make money knitting stockings.
81 refused to learn to knit when | was
a girl" said Mrs. Gait. because felt
sure that when ! grew to be n woman /
could buy my stockings at less cost than
they could be knitted at home" Con
tinuing, Mrs Gait said some months ago
she was dinning at a college in Atchison,
Kan. She remarked upon the excellence
of the menu.
"That is easily explained, said the
president of the college, who was at the
table, "the cook is a man. BY the way,
that was his wife who just left the table.
She is the professor OF Greek"
There was great laughter following
this story, and when it was ended, Mrs.
Gait remarked, "If the woman wanted
to teach Greek why couldn't she, and if
the man wanted to cook, why shouldn't
he" Laughter.)
STRENGTH or wOMAN's MIND.
Discussing the ability of woman to
grasp great problems, Mrs. Gait cited
instances to support her contention that
women's minds were as strong as mems.
She told a story:
"a young woman of New York went
to Germany to enter as a student at the
University of Leipsic, where women were
allowed to matriculate. But when she
reached Germany it had been found by a
learned professor Of the university that
woman brains were smaller than mems.
and he had succeeded in impressing so
strongly upon the authorities OF the uni
yersity the belief that they had not the
brains to receive an education that the
doors of the institution were closed to
them. But the young woman waited.
The professor died His brain was ex-
amined. 1t was found to weigh less than
the brain of any woman he had ex-
amined."
~ GREAT BRITAIN.
The speaker said that in England,
Scotland, and Ireland the women were
allowed to vote for what corresponds to
our county officers. In Russia they have
about the same privilege. In Germany
women of property can vote by proxy.
In several of the republics of Australia
women have the full right of suffrage. In
one or two of the western States they
have the right of suffrage, and Governor
Thomas, of Colorado, "a Virginian) had
told her he thought women had not lost
but had gained by having the right Of
suffrage. They have now delightful in
dividuality women who cannot vote do
not have.