felt that the ball was set
right. But in the P.M. came a Methodist minister and a lawyer
from Lawrence as delegates, "instructed" to use the word
"impartial," "as it had been used for the last two years," to
make but one issue, and to drop the woman. The lawyer said, "If I
was a negro, I would not want the woman hitched on to my skirts,"
etc. He made a mean speech. Mrs. Nichols and I came down upon
him, and the whole convention, except the Methodist, was against
him. The vote was taken whether to drop the woman, and only the
little lawyer from Lawrence, with a hole in his coat and only one
shoe on, voted against the woman. After that it was all one way.
The papers all came out right, I mean the Topeka papers. One
editor called on us, said we need not mention that he had called,
but he wanted to assure us that he had always been right on this
question. That the mean articles in his paper had been written by
a subordinate in his office in his absence, etc. That the paper
was fully committed, etc., etc. That is a fair specimen of the
way all the others have done, till we got to this place. Here the
Republicans had decided to drop the woman, Anthony with the
others, and I think they are only waiting to see the result of
our meetings, to announce their decision. But the Democrats all
over the State are preparing to take us up. They are a small
minority, with nothing to lose, and utterly unscrupulous, while
all who will work with Sam Wood will work with anybody. I fully
expect we shall carry the State. But it will be necessary to have
a good force here in the fall, and you will have to come. Our
meetings are everywhere crowded to overflowing, and in every case
the papers speak well of them. We have meetings for every night
till the 4th of May. By that time we shall be well tired out. But
we shall see the country, and I hope have done some good. There
is no such love of principle here as I expected to find. Each
man goes for himself, and "the devil take the hindmost." The
women here are grand, and it will be a shame past all expression
if they don't get the right to vote. One woman in Wyandotte said
she carried petitions all through the town for female suffrage,
and not one woman in ten refused to sign. Another in Lawrence
said they sent up two large