酷兔英语

章节正文
文章总共2页
New York Headquarters established, 1909.
National Suffrage Convention, Seattle, Wash., 1909.

International Suffrage Alliance, London, England, 1909.
National Suffrage Convention, Washington, D.C., 1910.

International Council, Genoa, Italy, 1911.
National Suffrage Convention, Louisville, Ky., 1911.

International Suffrage Alliance, Stockholm, Sweden, 1911.
National Suffrage Convention, Philadelphia, Pa., 1912.

International Council, The Hague, Holland, 1913
National Suffrage Convention, Washington, D.C.; 1913.

International Suffrage Alliance, Budapest, Hungary, 1913.
National Suffrage Convention, Nashville, Tenn., 1914.

International Council, Rome, Italy, 1914.
The winning of the suffrage states, the work in the

states not yet won, the conventions, gatherings, and
international councils in which women of every

nation have come together, have all combined to
make this quarter of a century the most brilliant

period for women in the history of the world. I
have set forth the record baldly and without com-

ment, because the bare facts are far more eloquent
than words. It must not be forgotten, too, that these

great achievements of the progressive women of
to-day have been accomplished against the opposi-

tion of a large number of their own sex--who, while
they are out in the world's arena fighting against

progress for their sisters, still shatter the ear-drum
with their incongruous war-cry, ``Woman's place

is in the home!''
Of our South Dakota campaign in 1890 there re-

mains only one incident which should have a place
here: We were attending the Republican state

nominating convention at Mitchell--Miss Anthony,
Mrs. Catt, other leaders, and myself--having been

told that it would be at once the largest and the
most interesting gathering ever held in the state

as it proved to be. All the leading politicians of the
state were there, and in the wake of the white men

had come tribes of Indians with their camp outfits,
their wives and their children--the groups forming

a picturesquecircle of tents and tepees around the
town. It was a great occasion for them, an Indian

powwow, for by the law all Indians who had lands
in severalty were to be permitted to vote the fol-

lowing year. They were present, therefore, to
study the ways of the white man, and an edifying

exhibition of these was promptly offered them.
The crowd was so great that it was only through

the courtesy of Major Pickler, a member of Con-
gress and a devotedbeliever in suffrage, that Miss

Anthony, Mrs. Catt, and the rest of us were able to
secure passes to the convention, and when we

reached the hall we were escorted to the last row of
seats on the crowdedplatform. As the space be-

tween us and the speakers was filled by rows upon
rows of men, as well as by the band and their in-

struments, we could see very little that took place.
Some of our friends pointed out this condition to the

local committee and asked that we be given seats
on the floor, but received the reply that there was

``absolutely no room on the floor except for dele-
gates and distinguished visitors.'' Our persistent

friends then suggested that at least a front seat
should be given to Miss Anthony, who certainly

came under the head of a ``distinguished visitor'';
but this was not done--probably because a large

number of the best seats were filled by Russian la-
borers wearing badges inscribed ``Against Woman

Suffrage and Susan B. Anthony.'' We remained,
perforce, in our rear seats, finding such interest as

we could in the back view of hundreds of heads.
Just before the convention was called to order it

was announced that a delegation of influential In-
dians was waiting outside, and a motion to invite

the red men into the hall was made and carried with
great enthusiasm. A committee of leading citizens

was appointed to act as escort, and these gentlemen
filed out, returning a few moments later with a

party of Indian warriors in full war regalia, even
to their gay blankets, their feathered head-dresses,

and their paint. When they appeared the band
struck up a stirring march of welcome, and the en-

tire audience cheered while the Indians, flanked by
the admiring committee, stalked solemnly down the

aisle and were given seats of honor directly in front
of the platform.

All we could see of them were the brilliant feathers
of their war-bonnets, but we got the full effect of

their reception in the music and the cheers. I dared
not look at Miss Anthony during this remarkable

scene, and she, craning her venerable neck to get a
glimpse of the incident from her obscure corner,

made no comment to me; but I knew what she was
thinking. The following year these Indians would

have votes. Courtesy, therefore, must be shown
them. But the women did not matter, the politi-

cians reasoned, for even if they were enfranchised
they would never support the element represented

at that convention. It was not surprising that,
notwithstanding our hard work, we did not win

the state, though all the conditions had seemed
most favorable; for the state was new, the men

and women were working side by side in the fields,
and there was discontent in the ranks of the political

parties.
After the election, when we analyzed the vote

county by county, we discovered that in every county
whose residents were principally Americans the

amendment was carried, whereas in all counties
populated largely by foreigners it was lost. In cer-

tain counties--those inhabited by Russian Jews--
the vote was almost solidly against us, and this not-

withstanding the fact that the wives of these Rus-
sian voters were doing a man's work on their farms

in addition to the usual women's work in their
homes. The fact that our Cause could be defeated

by ignorant laborers newly come to our country was
a humiliating one to accept; and we realized more

forcibly than ever before the difficulty of the task
we had assumed--a task far beyond any ever under-

taken by a body of men in the history of democratic
government throughout the world. We not only

had to bring American men back to a belief in the
fundamental principles of republican government,

but we had also to educateignorant immigrants,
as well as our own Indians, whose degree of civiliza-

tion was indicated by their war-paint and the

文章总共2页
文章标签:名著  

章节正文