ven Miss
Dickinson the credit you award her in my "Life and Times," and
have made myself one of your earliest converts in the same.

Very truly yours, FRED'K. DOUGLASS.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 6, 1882.

MY DEAR MRS. STANTON:--Referring, since reading your note, to
what I have said of the National Loyalist Convention, held in
Philadelphia in 1866, I find that I have done but very scant
justice to Anna E. Dickinson and Theodore Tilton. Their courage,
skill and sagacity, were never displayed to greater advantage
than on that occasion. I have, as you will see, mentioned the
main facts, but I have given but a meagre view of the moral
conditions surrounding it. Bold and prompt action was needed, and
the man and the woman were equal to the occasion. From the first
Miss Dickinson, Mr. Tilton and myself felt that any
reconstruction at the South leaving the freedmen without the
ballot, would leave them in the absolute power of the old
master-class. Hence from the first we conferred together as to
the manner of bringing the subject to the attention of the
Convention. We looked to the Committee on Resolutions to bring up
the subject, but waited in vain. They had nothing for us but well
rounded platitudes and glittering generalities about the Union
and the relation of the States to the National Government all
well enough in ordinary times, but totally inappropriate in
respect of the real situation of the country at the moment. When
it became known that Mr. Tilton and myself meant to bring forward
the subject, we were besought not to do a thing so impolitic. We
were implored not to load the Republican party with this new
burden. We were told of the advantage it would give the
Democratic party against us; how it would intensify and
concentrate the prejudice already felt for the negro. It was
evident that negro suffrage was the one great dread of the
Convention. The proposal to discuss it was deplored as a blunder
which would cost us dearly. This apprehension was mainly confined
to the delegates from the border States, and as they had the
control of the Convention, they managed to keep out the
disturbing question of negro suffrage till the last day.

Seeing the evident purpose to this end,