Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
Mrs. May Wright Sewall (Ind.) spoke on Women in the Recent Campaign.
In the National Prohibition Convention they sat as delegates and
served on committees. In all parts of the country Republican and
Democratic women organized clubs and marched in processions; but she
called attention to the fact that these methods are not advocated by
the suffrage societies so long as women remain disfranchised. Over two
hundred clubs were formed for political study. All of the parties
placed women on their platforms to speak in behalf of the candidates.
A Central Republican Headquarters was opened in New York and put in
charge of a national committee of women who sent out hundreds of
thousands of campaign documents. When election day came not one of all
these women could put her opinion in the ballot-box.
At the evening session Mrs. Lillie Devereux Blake (N. Y.) in her
trenchant way discussed Political Methods and pointed out the
inconsistent and illogical declarations of platforms and speakers when
applied to women, also the delight afforded to men by the tin horns
and fireworks. She suggested for President Harrison's Cabinet,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Secretary of State; Susan B. Anthony,
Secretary of War; May Wright Sewall, Secretary of the Treasury;
Zerelda G. Wallace, Secretary of the Navy; Clara Barton, Secretary of
the Interior; Laura de Force Gordon, Attorney-General.
Mrs. Sarah M. Perkins (O.) spoke on The Concentration of Forces,
showing how prone women are to organize for every object except
suffrage, and yet the majority of these workers would rejoice to have
the power which lies in the ballot and would be infinitely better
equipped for their work.
Mrs. Mary B. Clay (Ky.) opened the last day's session with a forcible
address entitled, Are American Women Civil and Political Slaves? She
proved the affirmative of her question by quoting the spoken and
written declarations of the greatest statesmen on the right of
individual representation and the exceptions made against women,
citing Walker, the legal writer: "This language applied to males would
be the exact definition of political slavery; applied to females,
custom does not so regard it."
Mrs. Abigail Scott Duniway (Ore.) described the recent arbitrary and
unwarranted disfranchisement of the women of Washington Territory.
Frederick Douglass was loudly called for and in responding expressed
his gratitude to women, "who were chiefly instrumental in liberating
my people from actual chains of bondage," and declared his full belief
in their right to the franchise.
Mrs. Helen M. Gougar (Ind.) made a strong speech upon Partisan or
Patriot? In her address on Woman in Marriage Mrs. Clara Bewick Colby,
editor of the _Woman's Tribune_, said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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