Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-10
,|FlFTY YEARS AGO In THE STAR

our city will present a well improved
street four and a half miles long;
river front of greater length; the ter,
minus of a great canal: two fine col.
leges, each with a medical department,
Of great efficiency and high reputa,
ton; population of say 40. 900 souls
and In fine every essential. as is now
practically confessed. to give eclat I'd
a great metropolis and to attract "a
its precincts, as permanent dwellers
the best people Of every section Of the
Union. The consolidation of these
two cities in one municipality. As now
proposed. will. of course. prove a
measure OF immediate economy. but
its results in establishing sympathy
and cooperation will very soon give
a delightful impetus to enterprise and
prosperity. Among the early results ;
would be a railroad connection with
Virginia network of railways, com. q
pleted or contemplated"
X = 5.
That the subject of woman suffrage
was not regarded as seriously in the
United States as
Woman Suffrage in England fifty
Handicapped. that n. esu.s x sas
not making as much Roadway here
as there is set forth in The Star Of
August S, 1869. in part as follows:
"Singularly enough, the movement
for women's rights. which in this
country is seldom spoken or written
OF by persons not actively engaged
in the crusade except in terms Of
depreciation. ridicule or sarcasm, or,
worse still, in a sort of bantering,
half tolerant, half patronizing way,
receives in England most earnest and
serious consideration by the press
and all classes of the people. and
many many OF the most powerful and brill
are united in the cause. That the
English girl of the period will be
allowed to vote before her American
sister 10 enfranchised we have little
doubt. But why is it? Are the Eng
lfsh women more in earnest than
ours? Is there a greater necessity
for reform there than here? Is il
the general indifference Of the male
or the female American that is the
bane of the movement here? Or are
our gentle sorosisters OVERRIDING 10
by mixing up with the pure and sim
pie question of the right of suffrage
, such side issues as the right to wear
breaches. the right to carry pistols,
the right to see life from the mas
culine standpoint. the right to. writs
various other rights not pertinent to
the main issue?
That the advocates of the move
ment here are as much in earnest
as those on the other side of the
Atlantic We may take for granted. a.
though we believe that women bavs
been and are treated better in this
country than they are there. 1t can
not be denied that a large majority
Of Americans from both sections take
yet. and that the cause is not making
the progress which might be expected.
but this, we think, is owing in great
measure to the reason we have sug-
gested, that the main question IL too
much hampered with side issues,
is that the picture presented to the
minds eye of most people IL not that
of lady in her ordinary attire walk
ing quietly to the polling place and
performing the simple duty Of de-
posting her ballot, with but as little
from contact with the unwashed in a
crowded market house or street car.
On the contrary, they seem to see
mothers. wives and sisters in bioomer
continuations: staggering to the
polls, pistol in hand. prepared to do
or die. Hence the covert sneers and
open ridicule which meet the advo-
Gates OF reform at every step and
deter public men from injuring their
chances for political preferment by
espousing a cause which, although
based on principles or Justice. ID foad=
ed down with SO much that is exc
traneous and Irrelevant. AZ. we have
intimated, they manage it better in
England. Whi1e the late convention
at Saratoga was attended by just the
same set of enthusiasts that have
figured before the public all along,
and while II did not attract much at
tention among outsiders, except that
it was the occasion Of innumerable
newspaper squibs. the cotemporane-
Gus convention Of the London So
ciety for Woman Suffrage was one
Of the most imposing political DEM
onstrations Of the times"
Half century ago the Washington
Monument stood uncompleted and await.
ing either q resumption
WaShington OF public subscriptions
Monument u ts. WI, work a sS the nstoD 20.
al government. Meanwhile William b.
Astor Of New York came forward with
q tender Of sum of money for the fin-
fishing Of the shaft. and this. according
IN nm sd;fcriaI in Tho Star of AuR11af 4