iss Barton responded in the same strain, giving then as
always her adherence to Miss Anthony and the cause of woman suffrage.

A national suffrage convention never seemed to be properly ended
unless Dr. Shaw made a speech at the close and for this one she chose
the subject, Woman without a Country, and with her matchless eloquence
described the position of women under the flag of a Government in
which they had no voice. Mrs. Catt spoke the president's inspiring
farewell words and the convention adjourned to meet next time in the
far northwest.

* * * * *

The usual hearings were granted by the Senate and House Committees on
February 16 at 10:30 a.m. Miss Anthony presided at the Senate hearing
and the speakers in the Marble Room were Mrs. Watson Lister,
Australia; Mrs. Harriot Stanton Blatch, England; Dr. Anna Howard Shaw
and Mrs. Ida Porter Boyer, Pennsylvania; Miss Laura A. Gregg,
Nebraska; Miss Harriet May Mills, Miss Emily Howland, Mrs. Maud
Nathan, Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Mrs. Ida Husted Harper, New
York. In introducing Mrs. Gilman Miss Anthony said quaintly: "This is
one of the Beecher tribe," referring to her relationship, and she said
of Dr. Shaw, the last speaker, "She will wind us up!" In telling of
the first congressional hearing on woman suffrage ever granted--in
1869--she said: "Of all those who spoke here then I am the only one
living today and I shall not be able to come much longer." Her words
were prophetic, as this was the last hearing she ever attended.

Each speaker considered the question from a different standpoint: Miss
Mills showed that the high schools everywhere were graduating more
girls than boys and women were increasing in the colleges at a higher
ratio than men and said: "If only you would fix an educational
qualification for the franchise we might hope to attain it." Mrs.
Swift described the great campaign that had been made by California
women for the suffrage in 1896 and yet they could not now even vote
for school officers and she told of the unjust laws for women. Mrs.
Boyer spoke for the millions of women wage-earners and declared that
the present form of government was a sex-aristocracy. Mrs. Gilman said
that to have intelligent men there must be educated mothers and that
America could be made greater but not out of little people. Mrs.
Harper reviewed the Senate hearings of the past, the favorable and
unfavorable reports and the many times