FOOTNOTES:
[92] Following this hearing, Mr. Folger presented a resolution in the Senate for the women of the State to vote for delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and nine members voted in its favor.
[93] The Albany Evening Journal of January 24th, says: "Mrs. Stanton had a large audience to hear her argument in favor of so amending the Constitution as to permit women and colored men to vote and hold office. She said all that could be said and said it well in support of her position, but it is still a problem whether the Judiciary Committee were convinced. Like most men of old-fashioned notions, they are slow to believe that women would be elevated, either in usefulness, or dignity, by being transferred from the drawing room and the nursery to the ballot-box and the forum!!
[94] Horace Greeley, Westchester Co., Leslie W. Russel, Lawrence Co., William Cassidy, Albany Co., William H. Merrill, Wyoming Co., George Williams, Oneida Co., John G. Schumaker, Kings Co., Isaac L. Eudress, Livingston Co.
[95] June 20, 1867.—Mr. Corbett presented a memorial from citizens of Syracuse for securing the right of suffrage for women on equal terms with men.
Mr. Graves—Petition of Mrs. F. D. Fish and 180 other citizens—worthy and intelligent men and women—of the city of Utica, asking equal suffrage for men and women.
Referred to the Committee on Suffrage.
June 26, 1867.—Mr. Rathbun—Petition for universal suffrage for women as well as men.
C. E. Parker—Petition for citizens of Tioga County.
Mr. Curtis—A petition from Mrs. Daniel Cady, of Johnstown, and 200 others, asking to have "male" stricken from the State Constitution.
E. G. Lapham presented a petition.
Mr. Ezra Graves presented thirty-seven petitions—Brooklyn, 1; Mt. Morris, 4; Troy, 1; Lima, 1; New York City, 8; Buffalo, 3; Skaneateles, 2; Lockport, 1; Poughkeepsie, 1; Dutchess County, 1; Utica, 1; Fairfield, Herkimer Co., 1. In all, 2,040 persons asking for equal suffrage.
Friday, June 28th.—C. C. Dwight—Mrs. Eliza Wright Osborn and 22 others, of Auburn, asking suffrage for women. Mr. Cooke—Mrs. Lina Vandenburg and 350 others. Mr. Archer—Sundry citizens. Mr. Mead—Mrs. E. A. Kingsbury and 20 others. Mr. Schoonmaker—M. I. Ingraham and others. Mr. Houston—Lucia Sutton. Mr. Rathbun—Mrs. A. H. Sabin and 20 others. J. Brooks—Emma Suydam and 15 others.
Mr. Graves—Two memorials. 1st. Schoharie County, 204 men and women for constitutional amendment prohibiting sale of intoxicating liquors. 2d. Lucia Humphrey and 30 others for equal suffrage. All went to Committee on Suffrage, except Mr. Graves' first, which went to Committee on Adulterated Liquors.
[96] Mr. Greeley, June 26th, from the Committee on Suffrage, offered a resolution that "The use of this hall on the 27th, Thursday evening of this week, be granted to the Standing Committee on the Right of Suffrage, that they may accord a public hearing to the advocates of female suffrage," which was adopted.
[97] The Albany Evening Journal of June 28, 1867, says, editorially:
Womanhood Suffrage.—The Assembly Chamber was well filled last evening to listen to Mrs. Stanton and Miss Anthony. Mrs. Stanton made a stirring appeal, and Miss Anthony followed. In response to queries, she said she expected that women would yet serve as jurors and be drafted. Several hundred had fought in the late war, but when their sex was discovered they were dismissed in disgrace; and to the shame of the Government be it said, they were never paid for their services.
[98] Mr. Folger offered a resolution—That the use of this Chamber be granted to the American Equal Rights Association for a meeting on the evening of Wednesday, the 10th inst.
[99] Geo. Francis Train before the Constitutional Convention at Albany.—The Constitutional Convention at Albany has not had many variations from its customary slate of topics, but it is a noteworthy fact that no New York paper mentioned that Geo. Francis Train addressed the Convention for two hours on the subject of woman voting and the financial policy of the nation. Mr. Train having been the only man to volunteer his services in Kansas and before the Convention, it is worthy of note, when the argument advanced by our chivalrous press is a sneer, a sarcasm, or an insult, that Mr. Train's defense of women voting was received by the Convention by loud and repeated applause. The following was the resolution, passed unanimously, offering the hall:
State of New York, in Constitutional Convention, }
Albany, December 4, 1867. }On motion of Mr. Ballard:
Resolved, That the use of the Assembly Chamber be granted to Geo. Francis Train, Esq., at 4 p.m. this day.
Luther Caldwell, Secretary.
By order.
[100] In 1846 the question of negro suffrage was submitted to a popular vote, and negatived by 223,884 to 85,306; in 1850 it was again defeated by a vote of 337,984 to 197,503; a similar submission was provided for by a concurrent resolution of the Legislature of 1859, which by neglect of the State officer to provide for its publication, was defeated; but its fate may fairly be regarded as further evidence of the indifference of the public toward a change.
[101] July 1st.—Mr. Fowler presented a petition from Miss Laura Bosworth and others for woman suffrage.
July 9th.—From Gerrit Smith and 180 others of Madison County, for female suffrage.
Mr. Endress—Emma C. Lawrence and 50 others of Westchester, for female suffrage.
Mr. Murphy—Thomas N. Cashow and 20 others, of Kings County, for woman suffrage.
Mr. Fullerton—Mary J. Quackenbosh and many others, from Newburgh.
Mr. Van Campen—Mary E. Mead and many others, of Westchester County.
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 petition 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 petition 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 petition last, and with emphasis, that it might attract the attention of the reporters, and thus have Mrs. Greeley's petition 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 Constitutional Convention, and you did it effectually. I saw in the manner my wife's petition was presented, that Mr. Curtis was acting under instructions. I saw the reporters prick up their ears and knew that my report and Mrs. Greeley's petition 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 petition?" "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 entitled 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 entitled 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 class 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 enfranchisement 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 Douglass, 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, Mass.
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.
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 petition 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.
Mrs. Francis Minor,
Your sincere friend,
President of the St. Louis Woman's Suffrage Association.
Enfranchisement 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 enfranchisement of woman to the attention of Congress and the country. We urge you to send in petitions 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 PETITION.
To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress Assembled:
The undersigned ——, of the —— of ——, in the State of ——, respectfully petition, 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.
