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the story of a pioneer-第61章

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ional Committee; supported by the large number of

states which had been won for suffrage; that we

secured such an excellent vote in the Lower House

of Congress on the bill to amend the national Con…

stitution granting suffrage to the women of the

United States。  This measure; known as the Susan

B。 Anthony bill; had been introduced into every

Congress for forty…three years by the National

Woman Suffrage Association。  In 1914; for the

first time; it was brought out of committee; debated;

and voted upon in the Lower House。  We received

174 votes in favor of it to 204 against it。  The

previous spring; in the same Congress; the same bill

passed the Senate by 35 votes for it to 33 votes

against it。



The most interesting features of the Washington

convention of 1913 were the labor mass…meetings

led by Jane Addams and the hearing before the

Rules Committee of the Lower House of Con…

gressthe latter the first hearing ever held be…

fore this Committee for the purpose of securing a

Committee on Suffrage in the Lower House to

correspond with a similar committee in the Sen…

ate。  For many years we had had hearings be…

fore the Judiciary Committee of the Lower House;

which was such a busy committee that it had neither

time nor interest to give to our measure。  We there…

fore considered it necessary to have a special com…

mittee of our own。  The hearing began on the

morning of Wednesday; the third of December; and

lasted for two hours。  Then the anti…suffragists were

given time; and their hearing began the following

day; continued throughout that day and during

the morning of the next day; when our National

Association was given an opportunity for rebuttal

argument in the afternoon。  It was the longest hear…

ing in the history of the suffrage movement; and one

of the most important。



During the session of Congress in 1914 another

strenuous effort was made to secure the appoint…

ment of a special suffrage committee in the Lower

House。  But when success began to loom large be…

fore us the Democrats were called in caucus by the

minority leader; Mr。 Underwood; of Alabama; and

they downed our measure by a vote of 127 against

it to 58 for it。  This was evidently done by the

Democrats because of the fear that the united votes

of Republican and Progressive members; with those

of certain Democratic members; would carry the

measure; whereas if this caucus were called; and

an unfavorable vote taken; ‘‘the gentlemen's agree…

ment'' which controls Democratic party action in

Congress would force Democrats in favor of suffrage

to vote against the appointment of the committee;

which of course would insure its defeat。



The caucus blocked the appointment of the com…

mittee; but it gave great encouragement to the suf…

fragists of the country; for they knew it to be a tacit

admission that the measure would receive a favor…

able vote if it came before Congress unhampered。



Another feature of the 1913 convention was the

new method of electing officers; by which a primary

vote was taken on nominations; and afterward a

regular ballot was cast; one officer was added to the

members of the official board; making nine instead

of eight; the former number。  The new officers

elected were Mrs。 Breckenridge of Kentucky; the

great…granddaughter of Henry Clay; and Mrs。

Catherine Ruutz…Rees of Greenwich; Connecticut。 

The old officers were re…electedMiss Jane Addams

as first vice…president; Mrs。 Breckenridge and Mrs。

Ruutz…Rees as second and third vice…presidents;

Mrs。 Mary Ware Dennett as corresponding secre…

tary; Mrs。 Susan Fitzgerald as recording secretary;

Mrs。 Stanley McCormack as treasurer; Mrs。 Joseph

Bowen of Chicago and Mrs。 James Lees Laidlaw of

New York City as auditors。



It would be difficult to secure a group of women

of more marked ability; or better…known workers in

various lines of philanthropic and educational work;

than the members composing this admirable board。 

At the convention of 1914; held in Nashville; several

of them resigned; and at present (in 1914) the

‘‘National's'' affairs are in the hands of this in…

spiring group; again headed by the much…criticized

and chastened writer of these reminiscences:



Mrs。 Stanley McCormack; first vice…president。

Mrs。 Desha Breckenridge; second vice…president。

Dr。 Katharine B。 Davis; third vice…president。

Mrs。 Henry Wade Rogers; treasurer。

Mrs。 John Clark; corresponding secretary。

Mrs。 Susan Walker Fitzgerald; recording secretary。

Mrs。 Medill McCormack;                  }

                                        } Auditors

Mrs。 Walter McNabb Miller; of Missouri  }





In a book of this size; and covering the details

of my own life as well as the development of the

great Cause; it is; of course; impossible to mention

by name each woman who has worked for us

though; indeed; I would like to make a roll of honor

and give them all their due。  In looking back I am sur…

prised to see how little I have said about many women

with whom I have worked most closelyRachel

Foster Avery; for example; with whom I lived happily

for several years; Ida Husted Harper; the historian

of the suffrage movement and the biographer of Miss

Anthony; with whom I made many delightful voy…

ages to Europe; Alice Stone Blackwell; Rev。 Mary

Saffard; Jane Addams; Katharine Waugh McCul…

lough; Ella Stewart; Mrs。 Mary Wood Swift; Mrs。

Mary S。 Sperry; Mary Cogshall; Florence Kelly;

Mrs。 Ogden Mills Reid and Mrs。 Norman White…

house (to mention only two of the younger ‘‘live

wires'' in our New York work); Sophonisba Breck…

enridge; Mrs。 Clara B。 Arthur; Rev。 Caroline Bart…

lett Crane; Mrs。 James Lees Laidlaw; Mrs。 Raymond

Brown; the splendidly executive president of our

New York State Suffrage Association; and my bene…

factress; Mrs。 George Howard Lewis of Buffalo。  To

all of them; and to thousands of others; I make my

grateful acknowledgment of indebtedness for friend…

ship and for help。







XVI



COUNCIL EPISODES



I have said much of the interest attending the

international meetings held in Chicago; London;

Berlin; and Stockholm。  That I have said less about

those in Copenhagen; Geneva; The Hague; Budapest;

and other cities does not mean that these were less

important; and certainly the wonderful women

leaders of Europe who made them so brilliant must

not be passed over in silence。



First; however; the difference between the Suf…

frage Alliance meetings and the International Coun…

cil meetings should be explained。  The Council

meetings are made up of societies from the various

nations which are auxiliary to the International

Councilthese societies representing all lines of

women's activities; whether educational; industrial;

or social; while the membership; including more

than eleven million women; represents probably the

largest organization of women in the world。  The

International Suffrage Alliance represents the suf…

frage interest primarily; whereas the International

Council has only a suffrage department。  So popu…

lar did this International Alliance become after its

formation in Berlin by Mrs。 Catt; in 1904; that at

the Copenhagen meeting; only three years later;

more than sixteen different nations were represented

by regular delegates。



It was unfortunate; therefore; that I chose this

occasion to make a spectacular personal failure in

the pulpit。  I had been invited to preach the con…

vention sermon; and for the first time in my life

I had an interpreter。  Few experiences; I believe;

can be more unpleasant than to stand up in a pul…

pit; utter a remark; and then wait patiently while it

is repeated in a tongue one does not understand; by

a man who is putting its gist in his own words and

quite possibly giving it his own interpretative twist。 

I was very unhappy; and I fear I showed it; for I

felt; as I looked at the faces of those friends w

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