Evening star., 1907-10-19


convention. Miss Couzins, who was
reared in st. Louis, was the first woman
graduate of Washington University of st.
Louis. and came out with honors as an
| orator man who knew Miss Couzins
then told The Star reporter that she was
"a most beautiful woman of q striking
brunette type"
Miss Couzins' father John E. D.
Couzins, who was one Of the prominent
Union men of st. Louis at the outbreak of
the war, and who, 1t is stated. was
| large instrumental In holding Missouri In
the Union, had his doubts about permit
! ting his daughter to present the resolu-
| lion. Tammany was there in strength,
and Tammany was there in the rough
! Miss CouZins declares and the thing that
| Tammany did not want in that memoir
| able convention wasn't going to happen,
| as everybody knew. Mr.. Couzins did not
| want his daughter to meet with failure.
so he went to Henry Watterson, who was
| to be the temporary chairman, and made
| arrangements with him to get Miss
Couzins upon the platform.
Col. Watterson's Doubts.
Col. Watterson said he had his doubts
about being able to do 1t, but directed
! that Miss Couzins be placed close to the
platform and at the logical moment, II one
| ever came, he would have her presented,
| but that she must act quickly, or he
| would not be responsible for things that
might happen.
Il remember Just how I was dressed,
| for dressed for the occasion" declared
Miss Couzins, with twinkle in her
bright dark eyes, II wore brown silk,
| made with brown velvet, combined with
| yellow satin; brown hat with sweeping
plumes and yellow satin trimming, and
| yellow kid gloves. And / wore, too, q
heart that was right up in my throat,
| for l sat close to the platform, where
Col. Watterson had me under his eye, and
| in that tremendous Merchants Exchange
were 10000 persons, largely politicians.
who were In hurry to do things
The preliminary meeting was over and
on the motion made by somebody and all
was confusion when Col. Watterson
| stepped to the front of the platform and
announced that he hoped the delegate
| who had made the motion would with
draw 1t for a moment. as he desired to
do one other thing before the convention
| took a recess. The delegate withdrew
his motion and Col. Watterson had me
| brought to the platform and presented
| before the delegates knew what was up.
"'This lady, Miss Couzins, has a reso-
| luton or petition which she wishes to
present to this convention was the brief
speech Of presentation.
Immediately somebody said, Mr..
! Chairman, can 1 make a motion?
| No, you can't declared Col. Wat
| terson promptly.
Other Interruptions.
Before could open my mouth another
delegate in the Tammany ranks got up
and moved to-but was stopped by Col.
| Watterson before he got out the word
adjourn. Yet another tried the same
motion but was cut short by Col Wat
terson. who said gently: "A lady desires
| to present a matter to this convention;
you will surely hear her. and they did, y
declared Miss Couzins.
II presented the petition for a woman's
suffrage plank. was roundly applauded,
and that convention adjourned in less
quick that I scarcely realized what had
happened until my friends came about
me with concentrations.
From that time to a year or two ago
I have consistently. and all the time urged
the necessity for woman's suffrage I
must now withdraw many Of the things 1
| have said in behalf of women. l have
campaigned in political years, speaking
| with republicans and with democrats, and
| I have believed that I knew that women
were honest. wholesome. progressive and
proficient.
But they are not any Of these things
as politicians" declared Miss Couzins,
with a snap Of her black eyes, After
seeing the work of women in those states
| which have granted suffrage, I state en-
phatically that they are as much under
the dominion Of priests and preachers to-
day as they were in medieval days. Be-
ligious freedom and political purity would
be impossible with women In politics.
Do Not Regard Vested Rights.
"Women have not particle of regard
for vested rights. and women who would
deliberately go about to destroy property
rights long established are a menace to
our republican form of government The
very strongest example Of this disregard
Of vested rights is the manner in which
women went about California declaring
| that they would make bankrupt all those
engaged in the manufacture of brandy
| and wine. the chief industry of California.
and the woman who had put up the money
| for the suffrage campaign in California
was Jane Stanford. whose wealth was
derived from these very industries. Con-
| sistency, thou art a jewel!
1.-The participatfOn OF women In polftics