The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-13
EARNEST ORATORY
OF SUFFRAGISTS
IMPRESSES HOUSE
Brilliant Array Advocates The
Ballot for Women Before
Privileges and Elections
Committee
Hill Montague. Patron Of The
Bill Amending Constitution
to Give Equal Suffrage, at
Conclusion Urges Committee
to Consider Well.


WIN ono OF the most brilliant as
Esr1hiaSss Of intellect and culture
gathered Il Tho State for some time,
The question af won.an's, or equal. suf
erago WINS argued yesterday and last
night before tho house committee on
privileges and elections In the cham
Der OF tho house OF delegates.
With such wonlea as Mrs. Desha
I3reckiE ridge. of koatGcky: Mrs. Ste
phen pu:aey, OF wythevliie; Mrs.
John II. Lewis, ef Lynchhurg: Mrs
Kate Waller Barrett, of Alexandria.
and Mrs. George c. Barksdale and
Miss Lucy Randolph Mason. of Rich
raond. To Champion the cause and ex-
plain the real meaning OF the ballot,
when II is pu. into the hands of the
women, IL was one of the most inter-
est.ng. as well as important. meetings
that will be held this year before the
Virginia general assembly.
Mrs. Putney. Miss Mason and Mrs
BRECKENRIDGE addressed the meeting
in the evening. making brilliant argu-
ments In defense of their measure, re-
celving generous applause from the
packed house.
The clergy, the social circles. the
working women. the factory girls, or
ganized tabor and mission workers, all
appeared before the committee de
handing the ballot, showing the
necessity for woman's rights and dis
playing broadly the evils that needed
correction and the manifold advan-
tages to be derived from this source.
Good OF Ballot In Her Hand.
Mrs Breckenridge. who IS direct
descendant of Henry Clay. although
Kentucksan. is Of Nirginian lineage.
t. ~ frxr m
ranks Of the ausragists, and last night
she held the crowd of legislators ana
citizens speilbaund for over an hour
with an Grafton that was indeed re-
markabie.
With an elooucnce that was con-
rlncing, she told of the work Of the
suffrage leaders in Kentucky, and the
rest of the countrs'. telling of the great
gaoa which the States that have
adopted wonan's suffrage have re-
reived with biting sarcasm. she went
after the opponents of this move,
bringing roars of laughter from both
soInns and her audience.
Her speech dealt principally with
the good which could be done with
the ballot IN the hands OF the wo-
men, of the great evils that coiisd be
corrected. Of the necessary legislation
for the benefit of women that could
be brought about and the general bet
terment of the social and business
world by the enfranchisement Of the
feminine gender.
Mrs. putnev opened the evening ses-
sion Dignified of bearing, eloquent
OF speech and beauty combined 70
make her a compelling figure in that
vast asse mhlage. Launching forth on
quotations from Scripture, Mrs Put
nev ably told of St Paul and the great
reliance he placed on women In estab-
fishing the early missions that gave
chr 'stianity 10 the world
Born In Reconstruction Days.
Sire tpttf of the work OF women IN
the missionary fields abroad. OF their
work in the home. but in the business
! world, they had not accomplished so
much and now they claimed equal |
wages for equal service.
Mrs. Putney brough forth an unique
the women, as they had thought that
womans suffrage was born In the
days Of reconstruction. She declared
that Immediately after the Civil war.
many of the homes of the South were
left with only a woman at its head.
This she said WAS great trial Tor
the women sthey had thought that
only the men of the family were the
wage earners. But putting their
shoulders to the task, these same wo-
men had gone out into the world.
teaching their daughters how to earn
a livelihood, and the result OF their
work Is seen today in the great
prosperity OF the Southland.
Miss Mason representing. she said,
the working women, stated that while
the suffrage league had about four
thousand members enrolled there were
forty thousand women in the state
who wanted the ballot. but who would
not put their names on the roll OF the
league because they thought 1t would
N
did not have the time.
Minimum Wage law.
The things that Miss Mason said
the women advocated were, mimi
mum wage law and compulsory educa-
tion, and told of some of her ex-
periences with the uneducatei She
further declared that religion and
further declared that religion and
politics would be brought closer to-
gether and the only way to gain that
rlean and altruistic sphere was by
the sharing OF the ballot with the
women Her speech was warmly re-
ceivcd and Miss Mason was given an
encore lasting several minutes.
One Of the most interesting parts of
The meeting was a speech made by
Miss Barbour. of Roanoke. represent
ing the organised women workers OF
that city Miss Barbour made dis |
tinct impression by her earnestness.
6ne 6dlu IuAt ScNci Oh luVucAHA "ohVH
workers Of Roanoke were behind the
movement and they demanded COM
pulsory education and protection to
the young girls. Miss Barbour Is ono
of these working women and she was
In q position to point out the neces- |
eary laws for the relief OF this class. |
HilI Montague, delegate fr m the ,
city OF Richmond. closed the meet
I'M with d strong appeal to the COM
nittee to consider well the measure
before them. He declared that al
though he did not expect q favorable
report. Il was up to the committee to