第18章

类别:其他 作者:Olive Schreiner字数:10460更新时间:19/01/07 15:11:14
IwasonalecturetourinOhioinApril,1908,whenonenight,asIwasstartingforthehallwherethelecturewastobegiven,mytelephonebellrang。 ``Longdistancewantsyou,’’theoperatorsaid,andthenextminuteavoiceIrecognizedasthatofMissThomaswasofferingcongratulations。``Thelastdollarofthe$60,000,’’sheadded,``waspledgedatfouro’clockthisafternoon。’’ IwassoovercomebythenewsthatIdroppedthereceiverandshookinaviolentnervousattack,andthistremblingcontinuedthroughoutmylecture。 Ithadnotseemedpossiblethatsuchaburdencouldbeliftedfrommyshoulders;$7,500ayearwouldgreatlyaidourwork,and$4,500ayear,eventhoughdividedamongthreeofficers,wouldbeamostwel— comehelptoeach。Assubsequentlyarranged,thesalariesdidnotcometousthroughtheNationalAssociationtreasury;theywerepaiddirectlybyMissThomasandMissGarrettascustodiansofthefund。SoitisquitecorrecttosaythatnosalarieshaveeverbeenpaidbytheNationalAssociationtoitsofficers。 Threeyearslater,in1911,anotherglorioussur— prisecametomeinaveryinnocent—lookingletter。 Itwasoneofmanyinaheavymail,andIopeneditabsent—mindedly,forthedayhadbeenproblem—filled。 Thewriterstatedverysimplythatshewishedtoputalargeamountintomyhandstoinvest,todrawon,andtousefortheCauseasIsawfit。 Thematterwastobeasecretbetweenus,andshewishednosubsequentaccounting,asshehadentirefaithinmyabilitytoputthemoneytothebestpossibleuse。 Thepropositionratherdazedme,butIralliedmyforcesandrepliedthatIwasinfinitelygrateful,butthattheamountshementionedwasalargeoneandI wouldmuchprefertosharetheresponsibilityofdis— bursingit。Couldshenotselectonemoreperson,atleast,tosharethesecretandactwithme?Shere— plied,tellingmetomaketheselection,ifIinsistedonhavingaconfidante,andIsentherthenamesofMissThomasandMissGarrett,suggestingthatasMissThomashaddonesomuchoftheworkincon— nectionwiththe$60,000fund,MissGarrettmightbewillingtoacceptthedetailworkofthisfund。 Myfriendrepliedthateitheroftheseladieswouldbeperfectlysatisfactorytoher。Sheknewthemboth,shesaid,andIwastoarrangethematterasI chose,asitrestedwhollyinmyhands。 Iusedthismoneyinsubsequentstatecampaigns,andIamverysurethattoitwaslargelyduethewinningofArizona,Kansas,andOregonin1912,andofMontanaandNevadain1914。Itenabledusforthefirsttimetoestablishheadquarters,se— cureanofficeforce,andengagecampaignspeakers。 Ialsospentsomeofitinthestateswelostthenbutwillwinlater——Ohio,Wisconsin,andMichigan—— usinginallmorethanfifteenthousanddollars。InSeptember,1913,Ireceivedanothercheckfromthesamefriend,showingthatsheatleastwassatisfiedwiththeresultswehadachieved。 ``Itgoestoyouwithmylove,’’shewrote,``andmyearnesthopesforfurthersuccess——nottheleastofthisacrowningofyourfaithful,earnest,splendidworkforourbelovedCause。Howblesseditisthatyouareourpresidentandleader!’’ Ihadtalkedtothiswomanonlytwiceinmylife,andIhadnotseenherforyearswhenherfirstcheckcame;soherconfidenceinmewasanevengreatergiftthanherroyaldonationtowardourCause。 XIV RECENTCAMPAIGNS TheintervalbetweenthewinningofIdahoandUtahin1896andthatofWashingtonin1910 seemedverylongtoloversoftheCause。Wewereworkingashardasever——harder,indeed,fortheoppositionagainstuswasgrowingstrongerasouropponentsrealizedwhattriumphantwomansuf— fragewouldmeantotheunderworld,thegrafters,andthewhitedsepulchersinpublicoffice。Butin1910wewerecheeredbyourWashingtonvictory,followedthenextyearbythewinningofCalifornia。 Then,withoursplendidbanneryearof1912camethewinningofthreestates——Arizona,Kansas,andOregon——precededbyacampaignsofullofvimandinterestthatitmusthaveitsbriefchroniclehere。 Tobegin,weconductedin1912thelargestnum— berofcampaignswehadeverundertaken,workinginsixstatesinwhichconstitutionalamendmentswerepending——Ohio,Michigan,Wisconsin,Oregon,Arizona,andKansas。Personally,IbeganmyworkinOhioinAugust,withthemodestaspirationofspeakingineachoftheprincipaltownsineveryoneofthesestates。InMichiganIhadtheinvaluableassistanceofMrs。LawrenceLewis,ofPhiladelphia,andIvisitedatthistimetheregionofmyoldhome,greatlychangedsincethedaysofmygirlhood,andtalkedtotheoldfriendsandneighborswhohadturnedoutinforcetowelcomeme。Theyshowedtheirfurtherinterestinthemostsatisfactoryway,bycarryingtheamendmentintheirpartofthestate。 Atleastfourandfivespeechesadaywereexpected,andasusualwetraveledineverysortofconveyance,fromfreight—carstoeightyhorse—powerFrenchauto— mobiles。InEauClair,Wisconsin,Ispokeattheracesimmediatelyafterthepassingofaprocessionofcattle。Attheendoftheprocessionrodeawom— aninanox—cart,torepresentpioneerdays。Sheworeacalicogownandasunbonnet,anddroveherox—teamwithgenuineskill;andthelasttouchtothepictureshemadewasfurnishedbythepresenceofabeautifulbiplanewhichwhirredlightlyintheairaboveher。Theobviouscomparisonwastoogoodtoignore,soItoldmyhearersthattheirwomento—daywerestillridinginox—teamswhilethemensoaredintheair,andthatwomen’sworkintheworld’sservicecouldbeproperlydoneonlywhentheytoowereallowedtofly。 InOregonwewerejoinedbyMissLucyAnthony。 There,atPendleton,Ispokeduringthegreat``roundup,’’holdingthemeetingatnightonthestreet,inwhichthousandsofhorsemen——cowboys,Indians,andranchmen——wereridingupanddown,blowinghorns,shouting,andsinging。Itseemedimpossibletointerestanaudienceundersuchcon— ditions,butevidentlythemenlikedvariety,forwhenwebegantospeaktheyquieteddownandclosedaroundusuntilwehadanaudiencethatfilledthestreetsineverydirectionandasfarasourvoicescouldreach。Neverhavewehadmorecourteousorenthusiasticlistenersthanthosewildandhappyhorsemen。Bestofall,theynotonlycheeredoursentiments,buttheyfolloweduptheircheerswiththeirvotes。Ispokefromanautomobile,andwhenIhadfinishedoneofthecowboysrodeclosetomeandaskedformyNewYorkaddress。``Youwillhearfrommelater,’’hesaid,whenhehadmadeanoteofit。IntimeIreceivedagreatlinenbanner,onwhichhehadmadeasuperbpen—and—inksketchofhimselfandhishorse,andineverycornersketchesofscenesinthedifferentstateswherewomenvoted,togetherwithdrawingsofallthedetailsofcowboyequipment。Overtheseweredrawnthewords: WOMANSUFFRAGE——WEAREALLFORIT。 Thebannerhangsto—dayintheNationalHead— quarters。 InCaliforniaMr。EdwardspresentedmewiththemoneytopurchasethediamondinMissAnthony’sflagpinrepresentingthevictoryofhisstatetheprecedingyear;andinArizonaoneofthehigh— lightsofthecampaignwasthesplendideffortofMrs。FrancesMunds,thestatepresident,andMrs。 AlicePark,ofPaloAlto,California,whowerecarry— ingontheworkintheirheadquarterswithtre— mendouscourage,and,asitseemedtome,almostunaided。Mrs。Park’sspecialtywasthedistribu— tionofsuffrageliterature,whichshecirculatedwithremarkablejudgment。TheGovernorofArizonawasinfavorofourCause,butthereweresofewactiveworkersavailablethattome,atleast,thewinningofthestatewasahappysurprise。 InKansaswestolesomeoftheprestigeofChampClark,whowasmakingpoliticalspeechesinthesameregion。Atonestationabrass—bandandagreatgatheringwerewaitingforMr。Clark’strainjustasourtraindrewin;sothelocalsuffragistsper— suadedthebandtoplayforus,too,andImadeaspeechtotheinspiringaccompanimentof``HailtotheChief。’’Thepassengersonourtrainweregreat— lyimpressed,thinkingitwasallforus;thecrowdatthestationweregladtobeamuseduntilthegreatmancame,andIwasgladoftheopportunitytotalktosomanyrepresentativemen——sowewereallhappy。 IntheSoldiers’HomeatLeavenworthItoldtheoldmenofthedayswhenmyfatherandbrothersleftusinthewilderness,andmymotherandIcaredforthehomewhiletheyfoughtatthefront——andIhavealwaysbelievedthatmuchofthelargevotewereceivedatLeavenworthwascastbythoseoldsoldiers。 NoonewhoknowstheconditionsdoubtsthatwereallywonMichiganthatyearaswellasthethreeotherstates,butstrangethingsweredoneinthecount。Forexample,inoneprecinctinDetroitfortymorevoteswerecountedagainstouramend— mentthantherewerevotersinthedistrict。Inotherdistrictsthereweresevenoreightmorevotesthanvoters。Undertheseconditionsitisnotsur— prisingthat,afterthevigorousrecountingfollowingthefirstwide—spreadreportsofoursuccess,Michi— ganwasdeclaredlosttous。 Thecampaignof1914,inwhichwewonMontanaandNevada,deservesspecialmentionhere。Imustexpressalsomyregretthatasthisbookwillbeonthepressesbeforethecampaignof1915isended,I cannotincludeinthesereminiscencestheresultsofourworkinNewYorkandotherstates。 Asabeginningofthe1914campaignIspentadayinChicago,onthewaytoSouthDakota,totakemypartinamoving—picturesuffrageplay。Itwasmyfirstexperienceasanactress,andIfounditataxingone。AsamodestbeginningIwasorderedtomakeaspeechinthirty—threeseconds——somethingofatask,asmyusualtimeallowanceforaspeechisonehour。Themanagerassuredme,however,thataspeechofthirty—threesecondsmadetwenty—sevenfeetoffilm——enough,hethought,toconvertevenalieutenant—governor! TheDakotacampaigns,asusual,resolvedthem— selveslargelyintofeatsofphysicalendurance,inwhichIwasinspiredbythefineexampleofthestatepresidents——Mrs。JohnPyleofSouthDakotaandMrs。ClaraV。DarrowofNorthDakota。Everydaywemadespeechesfromtherearplatformofthetrainsonwhichweweretraveling——sometimesonlytwoorthree,sometimeshalfadozen。OnedayI rodeonehundredmilesinanautomobileandspokeinfivedifferenttowns。AnotherdayIhadtomakeajourneyinafreight—car。Itwas,withafewex— ceptions,theroughesttravelingIhadyetknown,andittookmesixhourstoreachmydestination。 WhileIwasgatheringuphair—pinsandpullingmy— selftogethertoleavethecarattheendoftherideIaskedtheconductorhowfarwehadtraveled。 ``Fortymiles,’’saidhe,tersely。 ``ThatmeansfortymilesAHEAD,’’Imurmured。 ``Howfarupanddown?’’ ``Oh,ahundredmilesupanddown,’’grinnedtheconductor,andtheexchangeofpersiflagecheeredusboth。 Thoughwedidnotwin,IhaveverypleasantmemoriesofNorthDakota,forMrs。Darrowac— companiedmeduringtheentirecampaign,andtookeveryburdenfrommyshoulderssoefficientlythatIhadnothingtodobutmakespeeches。 InMontanaourmostinterestingdaywasthatoftheStateFair,whichendedwithasuffrageparadethatIwasinvitedtolead。Onthisoccasionthesuffragistswishedmetowearmycapandgownandmydoctor’shood,butasIhadnotbroughtthosegarmentswithme,weborrowedandIproudlyworethecapandgownoftheUnitarianminister。Itwasasmallbutreallybeautifulparade,andallthecos— tumesforitweredesignedbythestatepresident,MissJeannetteRankin,towhosefinework,bytheway,combinedwiththeworkofherfriends,thewinningofMontanawaslargelydue。 InButtethebigstrikewason,andthetownwasundermartiallaw。Alargebanquetwasgivenusthere,andwhenwedroveuptotheclub—housewherethisfestivitywastobeheldwewerestoppedbytwoarmedguardswhoconfronteduswithsternfacesandfixedbayonets。ThesituationseemedsoabsurdthatIburstintohappylaughter,andthusdeeplyoffendedtheearnestyoungguardswhoweregraspingthefixedbayonets。Thissadmemorywaswipedout,however,bytheinterestofthebanquet—— averydelightfulaffair,attendedbythemayorofButteandotherlocaldignitaries。 InNevadathemostinterestingfeatureofthecampaignwasthesplendidworkofthewomen。Ineachofthelittletownstherewasthesamespiritofceaselessactivityanddetermination。Thepresi— dentoftheStateAssociation,MissAnneMartin,whowasattheheadofthecampaignwork,accom— paniedmeoneSundaywhenwedroveseventymilesinamotorandspokefourtimes,andshewasalsomycompanioninawonderfuljourneyoverthemountains。MissMartinwasatirelessandworthyleaderofthefineworkersinherstate。 InMissouri,underthedirectionofMrs。WalterMcNabbMiller,andinNebraska,whereMrs。E。 DraperSmithwasmanagingthecampaign,wehadsomeinspiringmeetings。AtLincolnMrs。WilliamJenningsBryanintroducedmetothebiggestaudi— enceoftheyear,andtheprogrammetookonaspecialinterestfromthefactthatitincludedMrs。Bryan’sdebutasaspeakerforsuffrage。Sheisatallandattractivewomanwithanextremelypleasantvoice,andshemadeanadmirablespeech——clear,terse,andmuchtothepoint,puttingherselfonrecordasastrongsupporterofthewoman—suffragemovement。 Therewasalsoanamusingaftermathofthisocca— sion,whichSecretaryBryanhimselfconfidedtomeseveralmonthslaterwhenImethiminAtlanticCity。Heassuredme,withthedeepsincerityheassumessowell,thatforfivenightsaftermyspeechinLincolnhiswifehadkepthimawakelisteningtoherreportofit——andheadded,solemnly,thathenowknewit``byheart。’’ AlesspleasingmemoryofNebraskaisthatIlostmyvoicethereandmyactivitiesweresadlyinter— rupted。ButIwastakentothehomeofMr。andMrs。FrancisA。Brogan,ofOmaha,andsuppliedwithatrainednurse,athroatspecialist,andsuchcareandcomfortthatIreallyenjoyedtheenforcedrest——knowing,too,thatthecampaigncommitteewascarryingonourworkwithgreatenthusiasm。 InMissourioneofourmostsignificantmeetingswasinBowlingGreen,thehomeofChampClark,SpeakeroftheHouse。Mrs。Clarkgaveareception,madeaspeech,andintroducedmeatthemeeting,asMrs。BryanhaddoneinLincoln。SheisoneofthebrightestmemoriesofmyMissouriexperience,for,withfewexceptions,sheisthemostentertainingwomanIhaveevermet。Subsequentlywehadanall—daymotorjourneytogether,duringwhichMrs。 ClarkrarelystoppedtalkingandIevenmorerarelystoppedlaughing。 XV CONVENTIONINCIDENTS From1887to1914wehadasuffrageconventioneveryyear,andIattendedeachofthem。Inpre— cedingchaptersIhavementionedvariousconventionepisodesofmoreorlessimportance。Now,lookingbackoverthemallasIneartheendoftheseremi— niscences,Irecallafewadditionalincidentswhichhadabearingonlaterevents。 Therewas,forexample,themuch—discussedat— tackonsuffrageduringtheAtlantaconventionof1895,byaprominentclergymanofthatcitywhosenameImercifullywithhold。OntheSundaypre— cedingourarrivalthisgentlemanpreachedasermonwarningeveryonetokeepawayfromourmeetings,asoureffortwasnottosecurethefranchiseforwomen,buttoencouragetheintermarriageoftheblackandwhiteraces。IncidentallyhedeclaredthatthesuffragistsweretryingtobreakupthehomesofAmericaanddegradethemoralsofwomen,andthatwewereallinfidelsandblasphemers。Heendedwithapersonalattackonme,sayingthatonthepreviousSundayIhadpreachedintheEpworthMemorialMethodistChurchofCleveland,Ohio,asermonwhichwasofsoblasphemousanaturethatnothingcouldpurifythechurchafteritexcepttoburnitdown。 Asusualatourconventions,IhadbeenannouncedtopreachthesermonatourSundayconference,andIneedhardlypointoutthatthereverendgentle— man’schargecreatedadeeppublicinterestinthiseffort。Ihadalreadyselectedatext,butIim— mediatelychangedmyplansandannouncedthatIwouldrepeatthesermonIhaddeliveredinCleve— landandwhichtheAtlantaministerconsideredsoblasphemous。TheannouncementbroughtoutanaudiencewhichfilledtheOperaHouseandcalledforasquadofpoliceofficerstokeepinorderthestreetcrowdthatcouldnotsecureentrance。TheassemblagehadnaturallyexpectedthatIwouldmakesomereplytotheclergyman’sattack,butI madenoreferencewhatevertohim。Imerelyre— peated,withemphasis,thesermonIhaddeliveredinCleveland。 Attheconclusionoftheserviceoneofthetrusteesofmyreverendcritic’schurchcameandapologizedforhispastor。Hehadahighregardforhim,thetrusteesaid,butinthisinstancetherecouldbenodoubtinthemindofanyonewhohadheardbothsermonsthatofthetwominewasthetolerant,thereverent,andtheChristianone。Theattackmademanyfriendsforus,firstbecauseofitsinjustice,andnextbecauseofthegood—humoredtolerancewithwhichthesuffragistsacceptedit。 TheAtlantaconvention,bytheway,wasar— rangedandlargelyfinancedbytheMissesHoward—— threesisterslivinginColumbus,Georgia,andeachanofficeroftheGeorgiaWomanSuffrageAssociation。 ItisaremarkablefactthatinmanyofourSouthernstatesthesuffragemovementhasbeenledbythreesisters。InKentuckythethreeClaysisterswereformanyyearsleadersinthework。InTexasthethreeFinnegansistersdidsplendidwork;inLoui— sianatheGordonsisterswereourstanchestallies,whileinVirginiawehadtheinvaluableaidofMaryJohnston,thenovelist,andhertwosisters。Weusedtosay,laughingly,iftherewasafailuretoorganizeanystateintheSouth,thatitmustbeduetothefactthatnofamilytherehadthreesisterstostartthemovement。 FromtheAtlantaconventionwewentdirectlytoWashingtontoattendtheconventionoftheNationalCouncilofWomen,andonthefirstdayofthiscouncilFrederickDouglasscametothemeet— ing。Mr。Douglasshadaspecialplaceintheheartsofsuffragists,forthereasonthatatthefirstcon— ventioneverheldforwomansuffrageintheUnitedStates(atSenecaFalls,NewYork)hewastheonlypersonpresentwhostoodbyElizabethCadyStan— tonwhenshepresentedherresolutioninfavorofvotesforwomen。EvenLucretiaMottwasstartledbythisradicalstep,andprivatelybreathedintotheearofherfriend,``Elizabeth,theeismakingusridiculous!’’FrederickDouglass,however,tookthefloorindefenseofMrs。Stanton’smotion,aservicewesuffragistsneverforgot。 Therefore,whenthepresidingofficerofthecouncil,Mrs。MayWrightSewall,sawMr。DouglassentertheconventionhallinWashingtononthisparticularmorn— ing,sheappointedSusanB。Anthonyandmeacom— mitteetoescorthimtoaseatontheplatform,whichwegladlydid。Mr。Douglassmadeashortspeechandthenleftthebuilding,goingdirectlytohishome。 There,onenteringhishall,hehadanattackofheartfailureanddroppeddeadashewasremovinghisovercoat。Hisdeathcastagloomoverthecon— vention,andhisfuneral,whichtookplacethreedayslater,wasattendedbymanyprominentmenandwomenwhowereamongthedelegates。MissAnthonyandIwereinvitedtotakepartinthefuneralservices,andshemadeashortaddress,whileIofferedaprayer。 TheeventhadanaftermathinAtlanta,foritledourclericalenemytorepeathischargesagainstus,andtoofferthefuneralofFrederickDouglassasproofthatwewerehandinglovewiththenegrorace。 UnderthegraciousdirectionofMissKateGordonandtheLouisianaWomanSuffrageAssociation,weheldanespeciallyinspiringconventioninNewOrleansin1903。Innopreviousconventionwerearrangementsmoreperfect,andcertainlynowhereelsedidthemenofacommunityco—operatemoregen— erouslywiththewomeninentertainingus。Aclubofmenpaidtherentofourhall,charteredasteam— boatandgaveusarideontheMississippi,andinmanyotherwayshelpedtomaketheoccasionasuc— cess。MissGordon,whowaschairmanoftheprogrammecommittee,introducedtheinnovationofputtingmebeforetheaudiencefortwentyminuteseveryevening,atthecloseoftheregularsession,asatargetforquestions。Thosepresentwereprivilegedtoaskanyquestionstheypleased,andI answeredthem——ifIcould。 Wewereallconsciousofthedangersattendingadiscussionofthenegroquestion,anditwasunder— stoodamongtheNorthernwomenthatwemusttakeeveryprecautiontoavoidbeingledintosuchdiscussion。IthadnotbeeneasytopersuadeMissAnthonyofthewisdomofthiscourse;herwaywastofaceissuessquarelyandoutintheopen。ButsheagreedthatwemustrespecttheconvictionsoftheSouthernmenandwomenwhowereentertain— ingussohospitably。 Ontheopeningnight,asItookmyplacetoanswerquestions,almostthefirstslippassedupborethesewords: WhatisyourpurposeinbringingyourconventiontotheSouth?Isitthedesireofsuffragiststoforceuponusthesocialequalityofblackandwhitewomen?Politicalequalitylaysthefoundationforsocialequality。Ifyougivetheballottowomen,won’tyoumaketheblackandwhitewomanequalpoliticallyandthereforelaythefoundationforafutureclaimofsocialequality? Ilaidthepaperononesideanddidnotanswerthequestion。Thesecondnightitcametomeagain,putinthesamewords,andagainIignoredit。Thethirdnightitcamewiththisaddition: Evidentlyyoudonotdaretoanswerthisquestion。There— foreourconclusionisthatthisisyourpurpose。 WhenIhadreadthisIwenttothefrontoftheplatform。 ``Here,’’Isaid,``isaquestionwhichhasbeenaskedmeonthreesuccessivenights。IhavenotanswereditbecauseweNorthernwomenhadde— cidednottoenterintoanydiscussionoftheracequestion。ButnowIamtoldbythewriterofthisnotethatwedarenotanswerit。Iwishtosaythatwedaretoansweritifyoudaretohaveitanswered——andIleaveittoyoutodecidewhetherIshallansweritornot。’’ Ireadthequestionaloud。Thentheaudiencecalledfortheanswer,andIgaveitinthesewords,quotedasaccuratelyasIcanrememberthem: ``Ifpoliticalequalityisthebasisofsocialequality,andifbygrantingpoliticalequalityyoulaythefoundationforaclaimofsocialequality,Icanonlyanswerthatyouhavealreadylaidthatclaim。Youdidnotwaitforwomansuffrage,butdisfranchisedbothyourblackandyourwhitewomen,thusmakingthempoliticallyequal。Butyouhavedonemorethanthat。Youhaveputtheballotintothehandsofyourblackmen,thusmakingthemthepoliticalsuperiorsofyourwhitewomen。Neverbeforeinthehistoryoftheworldhavemenmadeformerslavesthepoliticalmastersoftheirformermistresses!’’ Thepointwenthomeanditwentdeep。Idroveitinalittlefurther。 ``ThewomenoftheSoutharenotalone,’’Isaid,``intheirhumiliation。AllthewomenofAmericashareitwiththem。ThereisnoothernationintheworldinwhichwomenholdthepositionofpoliticaldegradationourAmericanwomenholdto—day。 GermanwomenaregovernedbyGermanmen; FrenchwomenaregovernedbyFrenchmen。ButintheseUnitedStatesAmericanwomenaregov— ernedbyeveryraceofmenunderthelightofthesun。Thereisnotacolorfromwhitetoblack,fromredtoyellow,thereisnotanationfrompoletopole,thatdoesnotsenditscontingenttogovernAmericanwomen。IfAmericanmenarewillingtoleavetheirwomeninapositionasdegradingasthistheyneednotbesurprisedwhenAmericanwomenresolvetoliftthemselvesoutofit。’’ ForafullmomentafterIhadfinishedtherewasabsolutesilenceintheaudience。Wedidnotknowwhatwouldhappen。Then,suddenly,asthetruthofthestatementstruckthem,themenbegantoapplaud——andthedangerofthatsituationwasover。 Anotherepisodehaditspartindrivingthesuf— fragelessonhometoSouthernwomen。TheLegis— laturehadpassedabillpermittingtax—payingwomentovoteatanyelectionwherespecialtaxesweretobeimposedforimprovements,andthefirstelectionfollowingthepassageofthisbillwasoneinNewOrleans,inwhichthequestionofbetterdrainageforthecitywasbeforethepublic。MissGordonandthesuffrageassociationknownastheEraClubenteredenthusiasticallyintothefightforgooddrainage。Accordingtothelawwomencouldvotebyproxyiftheypreferred,insteadofinperson,soMissGordondrovetothehomesoftheoldcon—