Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-09-06
EXTRACTS FROM THE AUTO
BIOGRAPHY OF
JANE GREY SWISSHELM
First Newspaper Woman Of
Minnesota.
A Remarkable Woman Of Ante.
beIIum Days-1o16-1e66
c. H A P T Err XLVI.
Platforms.

HAPPIER XLVI.
Platforms.
My first public speech was the rev.
citation Of talent hidden in a nap
kin, and l set about putting it to u.s.
ury. | wrote a lecture-"Women and
Politics AS a reason for my anon
alous position and a justification Of
those men who had endorsed my right
to be a political leader, and gave
sketches Of women in sacred and pro-
fane history who had been so endors-
ed by brave and wise men,
The lecture gave an account of the
wrongs heaped upon women by slav-
cry, as a reason why women were
then called upon lor special activity,
and l never failed to bring down the
house" by describing the scene in
which the tall Kentuckian proposed to
the tall Pennsylvania that he should
horsewhip an old woman one hundred
and two times, to compel her to earn
two hundred dollars with which his
mightiness might purchase Havana
cigars, gold chains, etc., or to elicit
signs OF shame by relating the fact of
the United States government propos-
ing to withdraw diplomatic relations
with Austria for whipping Hungarian
women for political offenses, while
woman-whipping was the principal in
dustry of our American chivalry.
| stated that men had sought to d.
vide this world into two fields-relig-
ion and politics. In the first, they
were content that their mothers and
wives should dwell with them, but in
the second, no kid slipper was ever to
be set. Horace Mann had warned wo-
men to stand back, saying, "Politics is
stygian pool" I insisted that poll
tics had reached this condition thru
the permit given to Satan to turn all
the waste water of his mills into that
pool; that this grant must be rescind-
ed and the pool drained at all haz-
ards. Indeed the emergency was such
that even women might handle SHOW
els.
Chicago had once been in a swamp,
but the City Fathers had lifted it six
feet. Politicians must raise the
grade,' must lift their politics the
height OF a man, and make them a
habitation for men, not reptiles. At
this an audience would burst into up
roarous applause.
AS for the grand division, no sur
veyor could find the line; for no line
was possible between religion and pol
tiles. The attempt to divide them is
an assumption that there is some part
of the universe in which the Lord is
not law-giver. The Fathers of the Re-
public had explored and found a coun-
try they thought was outside the Div
inc jurisdiction, and called it Politics.
Because old world government had
bowed to popes and prelates, they
would ignore Deity, and say to Omni.
potence what Canute did to the sea:
"Thus far shalt thou go but no fur
Their, and here shall thy proud waves
be stayed" But God laughed them to
scorn, and would certainly dash them
to pieces. The government which
they had set up like the golden image
Of NebuchadneZZer, and demanded
that all should bow before it, this
same government was bound to sus-
tain men in scOurging women for
chastity. Every man who voted a
democratic ticket voted to put down
as insurrection any attempt to stand
between the cradle and it's robber.
l never spoke of the St. Cloud trou-
ble-there was too much else to talk
about. l was seldom Interrupted by
anything but applause; but in Still
water / was Kissed for denouncing
Buchanan's administration. I waited
moment, then lowered my voice,
and said I had raised a good many
goslings, and thought I had left them
all in Pennsylvania, but found some
had followed me, and was sorry to
have no corn for them. There was
no further interruption.
/ was at that time the guest of
son Of my Pittsburg friend, Judge Nc
MILAN, who led the singing in our
church, and with whom l expect to
sing ''St. Thomas in heaven. My
host of that evening afterwards be-
came U. S. Senator from Minnesota.
A considerable portion Of three win
ters I travelled in Minnesota and lee
tured, one day riding thirty miles in
an open cutter when the mercury was
frozen and the wind blew almost a
gale. Have crossed houseless prai-
ries between midnight and morning,
with only stage driver, and l never
encountered neglect or rudeness;
but found gentlemen in red flannel
shirts and their trowsers stuffed into
the tops of their boots, who had no
knowledge of grammar, and who
would, l think. have sold tn zir lives
dearly in my defense.
Late in go or early in 81, lectured
in Mantorville, and was the guest of
Mr.. Bancroft, editor of the Express,
when he handed me a copy of the
New York Tribune, pointed to an item
and turned away. It was four line
announcement that he who had been
my husband had obtained divorce on
the ground of desertion. 1 laid down
the paper, looked at my hands, and
thought:
"Once more you are mine. True,
the proceeds of your twenty years of
-