Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-19
WOMEN ASK FOR BALLOT
Leaders Of Suffrage osus, Plead with HsuS'
and Senate.
WANT A JOINT RESOLUTION PASSED
Say they Come Not with Theories
but Proof of the Practical Test
Suffrage Convention Closes
ut Capital.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1s.-Tonight's sea-
sfon Of the convention OF the Woman's Suf-
frage association brought the annual meet
ing to a close. The principal address was
delivered by Senator Patterson Of Colorado,
who as a representative OF a state where
woman suffrage exists, said that the voting
OF women in Colorado had a most salutary
effect on politics there. Women are none
the less highly regarded because they were
being educated and were educating them
selves in political movements. In matters
pertaining to education the states having
suffrage ranked ahead OF those not enjoying
It and statistics showed that the percentage
Of illiteracy in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming
and Utah was less than in a majority OF
states. The senator refuted the assertions
that woman suffrage tended to create
family dissensions.
women Plead for Ballot.
Delegations representing the Woman's
Suffrage association appeared before COM
mittees Of congress today in advocacy
Of their plea that women be allowed
to exercise the right of suffrage. In
the senate they appeared before the COM
mittee on woman suffrage. The meeting
was presided over by Senator Bacon OF
Georgia, who practically turned the con-
troll Of the hearing over to Susan b. An
thony, who made the first address OF the
day. She began by calling attention to the
fact that for thirty-four years, or seven
teen congresses, the women have been COM
ing to congress with their pleas, but she
said that only on one occasion had their
proposed amendment to the constitution
been awarded the honor of being taken up
IN the senate for discussion. She there
| fore made an appeal to be heard by the
senate, expressing the conviction that the
women OF the country are az much entitled
TO be heard as are the Filipinos, the
Porto Ricans and the Hawaiians. She also
| said that the 600 women who had been sent
to the Philippines to teach were quite as
| we'll qualified to exercise the rights OF cit
izenship as are the men who go to these
islands for the baser purpose of making
money.
Delegation in the House.
On the house side the delegation appeared
before the judiciary committee. Mrs. Car
RE Chapman-Catt, president Of the associa-
ton. explained to the committed That she
desired particularly that the foreign dele
gates should describe to the committee the
progress of the woman suffrage movement
In other parts of the world. The speakers
1 IO0AY were Mlb NhOa 0OA1eNNA
tralia. Mrs. Ewald Of Sweden. Mrs. Freed
land of Russia, Mrs. Fenwick Miller Of
England, Isabelle Campbell Of Wyoming,
Miss Theodosia Ammons of Colorado, Mrs.
Lapish of Utah, Mrs. Weaver OF Idaho and
Mrs. Gait. Miss Goldstein, the hrst speaker,
told of the struggle and success OF the
woman suffrage movement In different por-
lions Of Australia and explained the political
status OF women there, as we'll as the great
benefits that had followed the granting of
the suffrage to women. The predictions of
the adversaries of woman suffrage bad ut
terly failed, she declared. The women OF
Australia" she said. do not forget their
homes or their babies and they do not raid
the public Offices"
Mrs. Freedland explained that in a coun-
try like Russia there was, OF course. little
suffrage, but what there was was shared
equally by men and women. In a country
whose political laws were the least liberal
those laws were the most liberal to the
civil capacities of women.
where h Woman Votes First.
Mrs. Ewald Of Sweden said woman suf-
frage was older than any other country or
earth, and Mrs. Drewson Of Norway. where
women paying taxes on an income the
equivalent Of 500 a year enjoy suffrage,
told OF the suffrage privileges enjoyed by
women In their country. In Sweden women
enjoyed the ballot before men.
Miss Campbell, who is the daughter OF
the first governor Of Wyoming, the execu-
tive who signed the woman suffrage law
declared that every governor Of Wyoming
had testified that woman suffrage had
worked well.
Mrs. Ammons Of Colorado declared thai
every woman elected to ONCE in Colorado
- ---aaA --- L..
Knock for sixty Years.
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw closed the hear
ing. She recalled the sixty-two years o
knocking at the door Of congress for woman
suffrage. Years ago, she said. the womeT
came here with only theories, but TO-DAY
they could stand on the result Of suffrag'
wherever it had been granted in this coun'
try. She urged the appointment of a com
mittee to investigate the question o
whether suffrage has or has not been
success in these states. and. she said, wv,
will be willing to stand or fall by the re
suit OF that investigation"
Mrs. Weaver said that In Idaho as grea
q population OF women voted as men. Tn
political life Of a man who marshaled tn
immortal element to his support wa
doomed.
Mrs. Gait, In concluding the hearing, sal
the association could hardly hope for
favorable report on the joint suffrage reso
luton, now before the committee. but in al
justice she asked that the committee pre-
sent a resolution to the house for an in
vestigation OF the result of woman sui
frage in the four states OF Idaho. Utaf
Colorado and Wyoming. The associatio
for the present. she said, would be conten
with that. "If you do not ind 1t Is a goo
thing" she said. I'VE will turn our gun
on those states and make IL a good thing.
8 The convention met In regular session I
4 the afternoon. At the conclusion of th
session Miss Vida Goldstein announced tina
1t had been decided not TO form a perms
nent conference until after the conyentio
In Berlin, In 1904. but that ID the mean
tima tbara viii Ia an intarnatfonal su8rao