Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-03
WOMAN SUFFRAGE
SPEECHES MADE IN ITS BEHALF
TODAY.

In the marble room of the Senate, from
1O:3O O'Clock this morning until they were
told to go because 1t was time for the
Senate to convene, large number of
woman suffragists bombarded Senators
Clay of Georgia, chairman of the wom-
ans suffrage committee. and Johnston of
Alabama, a memberl of the committee,
with arguments in favor of franchising
women. which, they said were unanswer-
able. When it came time for the room
to be cleared it took Col. Ramsdell and
his assistants to do the work.
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw of Philadel-
phia, president of the American Suffrag
lists, had last word to say, and when
she finished the seventy-five or more
women VINO had crowded into the room
commenced at once to talk it over, so
that the chatter could be heard in the
Senate chamber across the hall. 1t was
with some difficulty that Dr. Shaw got
everybody fairly started toward the east
front of the Capitol to have a Photograph
taken.
Senators Dumfounded.
Senators Clay and Johnston said never
a word during the speechmaking. They
were to all appearances dumfounded by
the food Of reasons for woman's suf-
frage poured upon them. They smned
weakly when Mrs. Carry Chapman Gait
of New York, the international president,
faced them with the fact that never in
the history of the Senate committees
hearings had more than two or three
members been present.
Mrs. Gait made the. strongest plea.
What the women ask for is perfectly con-
stitutional she said, just as much so as
the enfranchisement of the negroes. Sac
h11wS tIo ,yp,tf 70 nr,6
her sisters from the humiliation of going
among ignorant and diSrespectful male
voters and asking for the ballot.
You don't want us women to go to the
negro and beg him to give us voice in
this free government. do your she in
quired. "Then give US some hope of con-
gressional action looking toward a consti-
tutional amendment"
Mrs. Isabella Ballard.
Mrs Isabella Ballard of New York said,
among many other things:
I'm tones of appeal and in tones of
warning we repeat the awful phrase,
| taxation without representation is tyr
amy"
Others who spoke were DR.. Shaw, Mrs.
Belva Lockwood of this city, Mrs. Fanny
Fernald of Maine. Miss Anna Miller of
New York Mrs. Ella S. Stewart of Illinois
and Mrs. Ida II. Harper
Several of the speakers referred to the
fact that the women of the country by
their taxes help to pay the salaries of the
senators On the committee.
ut seems ungraciou- to mention it,
said one woman apolOgetically, but the
situation demands it-demands very plain
speech"
To this Mr.. Clay smiled as if to assure
the speechmaker that she was not over
stepping the bounds or hurting anybody s
feelings.
At the end DIR. Shaw asked that the
committee make "sQme sort of a report
to the Senate on woman's suffrage. She
then asked that petition she had be
printed by the Senate, 10000 copies In all.
Senator Clay graciously and with the
greatest display of manly chivalry prom
ised to ask the Senate about the printing.
Before the Judiciary Committee.
The advocates of female suffrage were
given an opportunity to present pleas
also to the House judiciary committee.
The hearing was presided over by
Chairman Jenkins of the judiciary COM
mittee and was in charge of Mrs Har-
riet Taylor Upton of Ohio. The speak
ers before the House committee were
Miss Emma Gillette of Washington,
Mrs. Chapman Gait of New York. Mrs
Richard w. Fitzgerald of Massachu-
setts, Senator Owen of Oklahoma, Miss
Rose Sullivan of Utah, Mrs Mary E.
Craigie of New York. Mrs. Ida Porter
Boyer of Pennsylvania and Miss Kate
Gordon Of Louisiana.