History of Woman Suffrage Volume II Part 37

Mr. BEADLE--Mrs. W. S. Shute, Mary C. Bristol, and 120 others from Horse Heads.

Mr. HAMMOND--Mrs. J. C. Holmes and many others from Westchester County.

_July 10th._--Mr. TUCKER--A pet.i.tion from a large number of men and women for extending the right of suffrage to woman.

Mr. GRAVES--Fifty-four ladies of New York City, asking suffrage for women.

_July 11th._--Mr. CURTIS--From Charles J. Seymour, Mrs. Mary Newman and 500 others from Broome County, for equal suffrage.

_July 12th._--Mr. CORBETT--Henry Ward Beecher, Edwin A. Studwell, and many others, of Kings County, for woman suffrage.

_July 16th._--Mr. FOLGER presented a pet.i.tion from Emily P. Collins, of Rochester, and others, asking that women be granted the privilege of voting, that in 1869 the proposition be submitted for all who can read and write.

_July 18th._--Mr. GREELEY--From Mrs. Louisa Howland and many others, of Mt. Vernon, Westchester County, for woman suffrage.

Mr. CURTIS--From Mrs. Eliza Benton and others of New York City, asking for equal suffrage. Another from Caroline E. Hubbard and 20 others, of Westchester County.

_July 31st._--Mr. POTTER--Lydia Baldwin, F. Brucklin, and others, of Erie County, asking for the extension of the suffrage to women.

Mr. GRAVES--Jane E. Turner, Rev. C. H. Bebee, and 56 others, Bridgewater, Oneida County. Another from Julia M. Sherwood and 22 others, Westchester County, asking for woman suffrage.

[102] The ladies suggested to Mr. Curtis to present Mrs. Greeley's pet.i.tion last, and with emphasis, that it might attract the attention of the reporters, and thus have Mrs. Greeley's pet.i.tion and Mr.

Greeley's report to antidote each other, and appear side by side in the Metropolitan journals. After the Convention adjourned that day, some of the ladies lingered in the vestibule to congratulate Mr.

Greeley on his conservative report; but he had disappeared through some side door, and could not be found. A few weeks after he met Mrs.

Stanton and Miss Anthony at one of Alice Cary's Sunday evening receptions. They noticed him slowly making his way toward them, and prepared for the coming storm. As he approached, both arose, and with extended hands, exclaimed most cordially, "Good evening, Mr. Greeley."

But his hands hung limp and undemonstrative by his side, as he said in low and measured words, "You two ladies are the most maneuvering politicians in the State of New York. You set out to annoy me in the Const.i.tutional Convention, and you did it effectually. I saw in the manner my wife's pet.i.tion was presented, that Mr. Curtis was acting under instructions. I saw the reporters p.r.i.c.k up their ears and knew that my report and Mrs. Greeley's pet.i.tion would come out together, with large headings in the city papers, and probably be called out by the newsboys in the street."

Turning to Mrs. Stanton, he said, "You are so tenacious about your own name, why did you not inscribe my wife's maiden name, Mary Cheney Greeley on her pet.i.tion?" "Because," I replied, "I wanted all the world to know that it was the wife of Horace Greeley who protested against her husband's report." "Well," said he, "I understand the animus of that whole proceeding, and now let me tell you what I intend to do. I have given positive instructions that no word of praise shall ever again be awarded you in the _Tribune_, and that if your name is ever necessarily mentioned, it shall be as Mrs. Henry B. Stanton!" And so it has been ever since.

From that time Mr. Greeley was seemingly hostile to the woman suffrage movement, just as he was toward the anti-slavery cause, after the Abolitionists in rolling up 60,000 votes for James G. Birney, defeated Henry Clay, and gave the ascendency to the Democrats by electing Polk.

Clay being a strong Protectionist was a great favorite with Mr.

Greeley, and his defeat was a sore disappointment, and for years he denounced Abolitionists individually and collectively in his scathing editorials. Still in his happier moods he firmly believed in the civil and political equality of both women and negroes.

[103] This amendment was on the following section of Mr. Greeley's Report:

SECTION I. Every man of the age of twenty-one years who shall have been an inhabitant of this State for one year next preceding an election, and for the last thirty days a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the election district where he may offer his vote, shall be ent.i.tled to vote at such election, in said district and not elsewhere, for all officers elected by the people.

_Provided_, That idiots, lunatics, persons under guardianship, felons, and persons convicted of bribery, unless pardoned or otherwise restored to civil rights, shall not be ent.i.tled to vote....

[104] The Albany _Evening Journal_ of July 25, 1867, in speaking of the "Suffrage Discussion," said: "All men and women have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If when deprived of the ballot the consequence is that this inalienable right is abridged, then society owes it to the cla.s.s thus practically enslaved to bestow suffrage upon them. At the South there is no safety for the negro from oppressive laws but in the ballot. It is idle to argue ignorance.

Political enfranchis.e.m.e.nt is the best educator."

[105] Beals, Bell, Corning, Curtis, Duganne, Farnum, Field, Folger, Fowler, Graves, Hadley, Hammond, Kinney, Lapham, M. H. Lawrence, Pond, Tucker, Vedder, Wales.

[106] _President_--Lucretia Mott.

_Vice-Presidents_--Elizabeth Cady Stanton, N.Y.; Frederick Dougla.s.s, N.Y.; Henry Ward Beecher, N.Y.; Martha C. Wright N.Y.; Elizabeth B.

Chace. R.I.; C. Prince, Ct; Frances D. Gage, N.Y.; Robert Purvis, Penn.; Parker Pillsbury, N.H.; Antoinette Brown Blackwell, N.J.; Josephine S. Griffing, D.C.; Thomas Garrett, Del.; Stephen H. Camp, Ohio; Euphemia Cochrane, Mich.; Mary A. Livermore, Ill.; Mrs. Isaac H.

Sturgeon, Mo.; Amelia Bloomer, Iowa; Helen Ekin Starrett, Kansas; Virginia Penny, Kentucky; Olympia Brown, Ma.s.s.

_Corresponding Secretary_--Mary E. Gage.

_Recording Secretaries_--Henry B. Blackwell, Hattie Purvis.

_Treasurer_--John J. Merritt.

_Executive Committee_--Lucy Stone, Edward S. Bunker, Elizabeth R.

Tilton, Ernestine L. Rose, Robert J. Johnston, Edwin A. Studwell, Anna Cromwell Field, Susan B. Anthony, Theodore Tilton, Margaret E.

Winchester, Abby Hutchinson Patton.

[107]

ST. LOUIS, May 4, 1868.

MRS. E. C. STANTON--_Dear Friend_: Our gentlemen friends urge us to memorialize Congress on the question of Suffrage in the District. Well knowing how a single pet.i.tion is suffocated, would it not be well for all the States to unite, and be presented at the same time? New York, being the banner State, must head the move and be spokesman. Out list of names is waiting the interminable Impeachment to be handed in (oh, for old Ben. Wade in the White House), but it seems to me one State should not go alone; if all the State organizations were notified to send in their lists immediately to whoever you think will be most likely to do justice to the cause, we could make quite a formidable display combined.

Your sincere friend, MRS. FRANCIS MINOR, President of the St. Louis Woman's Suffrage a.s.sociation.

ENFRANCHIs.e.m.e.nT IN THE DISTRICT.--MAY 21, 1868.--_To the Friends of Equal Rights_: The whole government of the District of Columbia is to be revised by Congress, in consequence of the expiration of local charters, within the next nine months. A rare opportunity is thus afforded to bring the enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of woman to the attention of Congress and the country. We urge you to send in pet.i.tions as fast as possible, with as many signatures as you can obtain. They should be sent to Mrs. Josephine S. Griffing, 213 North Capitol street, Washington, D. C., who will acknowledge their receipt and attend to their presentation.

FORM OF PEt.i.tION.

_To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress a.s.sembled_:

The undersigned ----, of the ---- of ----, in the State of ----, respectfully pet.i.tion, that in your revision of the government of the District of Columbia, you will protect the women of the District from being debarred the exercise of their right of suffrage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Jane Graham Jones.]

CHAPTER XXI.

RECONSTRUCTION.

The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments--Universal Suffrage and Universal Amnesty the Key-note of Reconstruction--Gerrit Smith and Wendell Phillips Hesitate--A Trying Period in the Woman Suffrage Movement--Those Opposed to the word "Male" in the Fourteenth Amendment Voted Down in Conventions--The Negro's Hour--Virginia L. Minor on Suffrage in the District of Columbia--Women Advised to be Silent--The Hypocrisy of the Democrats preferable to that of the Republicans--Senator Pomeroy's Amendment--Protests against a Man's Government--Negro Suffrage a Political Necessity--Charles Sumner Opposed to the Fourteenth Amendment, but Voted for it as a Party Measure--Woman Suffrage for Utah--Discussion in the House as to who Const.i.tute Electors--Bills for Woman Suffrage presented by the Hon. George W. Julian and Senators Wilson and Pomeroy--The Fifteenth Amendment--Anna E. d.i.c.kinson's Suggestion--Opinions of Women on the Fifteenth Amendment--The Sixteenth Amendment--Miss Anthony chosen a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention July 4, 1868--Her Address Read by a Unanimous Vote--Horatio Seymour in the Chair--Comments of the Press--The _Revolution_.

The war settled two questions: 1st. That we are a Nation, and not a mere confederacy of States. 2d. That all "persons" born or naturalized in the United States are "citizens," and stand equal before the law.

Freedom, United States citizenship, the limit of State authority, and national protection of the fundamental rights of citizens in the several States, are clearly set forth in the following amendments:

THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT, DECEMBER 18, 1865.

"1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

"2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."