Living in the heart of this rapidly growing, sprawling city, Susan saw much to distress her and pondered over the disturbing social conditions, looking for a way to relieve poverty and wipe out crime and corruption. She saw luxury, extravagance, and success for the few, while half of the population lived in the slums in dilapidated houses and in damp cellars, often four or five to a room. Immigrants, continually pouring in from Europe, overtaxed the already inadequate housing, and unfamiliar with our language and customs, were the easy prey of corrupt politicians. Many were homeless, sleeping in the streets and parks until the rain or cold drove them into police stations for warmth and shelter. Susan longed to bring order and cleanliness, good homes and good government to this overcrowded city, and again and again she came to the conclusion that votes for women, which meant a voice in the government, would be the most potent factor for reform. Yet she did not close her mind to other avenues of reform. Seeing reflected in the life of the city the excesses, the injustice, and the unsoundness of laissez-faire capitalism, she spoke out fearlessly in _The Revolution_ against its abuses, such as the fortunes made out of the low wages and long hours of labor, or the Wall Street speculation to corner the gold market, or the efforts to take over the public lands of the West through grants to the transcontinental railroads. Her active mind also sought a solution of the complicated currency problem. In fact there was no public question which she hesitated to approach, to think out or attempt to solve. She did not keep her struggle for woman suffrage aloof from the pressing problems of the day. Instead she kept it abreast of the times, keenly alive to social, political, and economic issues, and involved in current public affairs. FOOTNOTES: [220] Feb. 18, 1868, Anna E. Dickinson Papers, Library of Congress. [221] _The Revolution_, II, Sept. 24, 1868, p. 198. L. A. Hines of Cincinnati, publisher of Hine's Quarterly, assisted Miss Anthony in organizing women in the sewing trades. [222] _Ibid._, p. 204. [223] Harper, _Anthony_, II, pp. 999-1000. [224] _The Revolution_, II, Oct. 1, 1868, p. 204. [225] _Ibid._, p. 200. [226] _Ibid._, Oct. 8, 1868, p. 214. A Woman's Exchange was also initiated by the Workingwomen's Association. [227] _Ibid._, June 24, 1869, p. 394. [228] _Ibid._, March 18, 1869, p. 173. [229] _Ibid._, Feb. 4, 1869, p. 73. [230] _Ibid._, Sept. 9, 1869, p. 154. [231] _Ibid._, Aug. 26, 1869, p. 120. THE INADEQUATE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT