第 54 节
作者:痛罚      更新:2024-04-07 11:54      字数:9321
  chosen words he could have uttered:  ‘‘I am op…
  posed;'' he said; ‘‘to the extension of suffrage to
  women not fitted to vote。  You would hardly expect
  to put the ballot into the hands of barbarians or
  savages in the jungle!''
  The dropping of these remarkable words into a
  suffrage convention was naturally followed by an
  oppressive silence; which Mr。 Taft; now wholly
  bereft of his self…possession; broke by saying that
  the best women would not vote and the worst women
  would。
  In his audience were many women from suffrage
  stateshigh…minded women; wives and mothers;
  who had voted for Mr。 Taft。  The remarks to which
  they had just listened must have seemed to them a
  poor return。  Some one hissedsome man; some
  womanno one knows which except the culprit
  and a demonstration started which I immediately
  silenced。  Then the President finished his address。
  He was very gracious to us when he left; shaking
  hands with many of us; and being especially cordial
  to Senator Owens's aged mother; who had come to
  the convention to hear him make his maiden speech
  on woman suffrage。  I have often wondered what
  he thought of that speech as he drove back to the
  White House。  Probably he regretted as earnestly
  as we did that he had made it。
  In 1912; at an official board meeting at Bryn
  Mawr; Mrs。 Stanley McCormack was appointed
  to fill a vacancy on the National Board。  Sub…
  sequently she contributed 6;000 toward the pay…
  ment of debts incident to our temporary connec…
  tion with the Woman's Journal of Boston; and did
  much efficient work for us; To me; personally;
  the entrance of Mrs。 Stanley McCormack into
  our work has been a source of the deepest grati…
  fication and comfort。  I can truly say of her what
  Susan B。 Anthony said of me; ‘‘She is my right
  bower。''  At Nashville; in 1914; she was elected first
  vice…president; and to a remarkable degree she has
  since relieved me of the burden of the technical
  work of the presidency; including the oversight of
  the work at headquarters。  To this she gives all her
  time; aided by an executive secretary who takes
  charge of the routine work of the association。  She
  has thus made it possible for me to give the greater
  part of my time to the field in which such inspiring
  opportunities still confront uscampaign work in
  the various states。
  To Mrs。 Medill McCormack also we are indebted
  for most admirable work and enthusiastic support。
  At the Washington (D。C。) convention in 1913 she
  was made the chairman of the Congressional Com…
  mittee; with Mrs。 Antoinette Funk; Mrs。 Helen
  Gardner of Washington; and Mrs。 Booth of Chicago
  as her assistants。  The results they achieved were
  so brilliant that they were unanimously re…elected
  to the same positions this year; with the addition
  of Miss Jeannette Rankin; whose energy and service
  had helped to win for us the state of Montana。
  It was largely due to the work of this Congress…
  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