The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2): Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty YearsHarper, Ida Husted
History
The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2): Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty Years
Harper, Ida Husted
Anthony, Susan B. (Susan Brownell), 1820-1906
As time was limited, Miss Anthony had to make arrangements for hall,
etc., by telegraph, which cost Mr. Train $100. The series commenced in
Omaha, November 19, and continued in Chicago, Springfield. St. Louis,
Louisville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse,
Albany, Springfield (Mass.), Worcester, Boston and Hartford, ending
with a great meeting in Steinway Hall, New York, December 14. Mr. Train
engaged the most elegant suites of rooms in the best hotels for the
ladies, secured the finest halls, and this was remembered as the only
luxurious suffrage tour they ever had made. There was a railway wreck
between Louisville and Cincinnati, and he chartered a special train in
order that they might keep their engagement at the latter place. This
trip cost him $3,000.
Where heretofore the Democratic papers had been abusive and some, at
least, of the Republican papers complimentary, the tone was now
completely reversed. Because they had affiliated with Mr. Train, the
former had nothing but praise, and for the same reason the latter were
unsparing in their denunciations, and were bitterly indignant at the
women for accepting from Mr. Train and other Democrats the help which
they themselves had positively refused. They insisted that the
Democrats only used woman suffrage as a club to beat negro suffrage,
which doubtless was true of many, but Miss Anthony and Mrs. Stanton
claimed the right to accept proffered aid without looking behind it for
the motive. The opposition, however, did not arise alone from the press
and the politicians. From the leading advocates of suffrage came a
vehement protest against any partnership with George Francis Train. The
old associates wrote scores of letters expressing their personal
allegiance, but refusing to attend the meetings and repudiating the
connection of Mr. Train with the woman suffrage movement. Miss Anthony
was made to realize to the fullest extent the feeling which had been
aroused, but the last entry in the diary says: "The year goes out, and
never did one depart that had been so filled with earnest and effective
work; 9,000 votes for woman in Kansas, and a newspaper started! The
Revolution is going to be work, work and more work. The old out and the
new in!"
[Footnote 40: Helen Skin Starrett, in her Kansas reminiscences, says:
"Miss Anthony always looked after Mrs. Stanton's interests and comfort
in the most cheerful and kindly manner. I remember one evening in
Lawrence when the hall was crowded with an eager and expectant
audience. Miss Anthony was there early, looking after everything,
seats, lights, ushers, doorkeepers. Presently Governor Robinson said to
her, 'Where's Mrs. Stanton? It's time to commence.' 'She's at
Mrs.----'s waiting for some of you men to go for her with a carriage,'
was the reply. The hint was quickly acted upon and Mrs. Stanton, fresh,
smiling and unfatigued, was presented to the audience."]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account