this infant
organization. The leading women looked upon Mrs. E. Cady Stanton
and Miss Susan B. Anthony as among the first who organized the
suffrage movement in the United States, and therefore felt that
it was due to them that our California Society which owed its
existence mainly to the efforts of Mrs. Schenck whom they had
appointed vice-president for California, should show its loyalty,
devotion and gratitude to them, by becoming auxiliary to the
National Association. On the other hand, Rev. C. G. Ames, being
an enthusiastic admirer of some of the leading spirits in the
American Association, desired it to be auxiliary to that. This
conflict having been foreshadowed, a letter was written to Miss
Anthony in relation to it. Her reply was received by Mrs. Schenck
on the first day of the convention, breathing a noble spirit of
unselfishness, advising us not to allow any personal feelings
towards Mrs. Stanton or herself to influence us in the matter,
but rather to keep our association entirely independent, free to
cooeperate with all societies having for their object the
enfranchisement of woman. Accordingly, the following resolution
was almost unanimously adopted:

_Resolved_, That the California Woman Suffrage Society
remain independent of all other associations for one year.

The result was satisfactory to Mrs. Schenck and her sympathizers,
but Mr. Ames seemed loth to relinquish his preference for the
American, and the course taken had the effect of lessening his
zeal and that of his followers, until they gradually dropped from
the ranks. But the convention, despite the unfortunate schism,
was a grand success. The sessions were crowded, and so great was
the interest awakened in the public mind that a final adjournment
was not had until Saturday night, after four days of earnest,
profitable work. The press of the city gave full and fair reports
of the proceedings, though very far from endorsing woman's claim
to suffrage, and men and women of all classes and professions
took an active part in the deliberations. But of the multitude
who met in that first woman suffrage convention on the Pacific
coast but few were prominent in after years.

The newly organized society immediately arranged to send a
delegation to Sacramento, to