placed in your way; there will be many conflicts to
sustain; but I have no doubt that the coming years will see the
triumph of your cause; and that our higher civilization and
morality will rejoice in the work which enlightened woman will
accomplish.

The resolutions presented by Mrs. Elizabeth Boynton Harbert (Ills.),
chairman of the committee, were adopted.

WHEREAS, The fundamental idea of a republic is the right of
self-government, the right of every citizen to choose her own
representatives to enact the laws by which she is governed; and

WHEREAS, This right can be secured only by the exercise of the
suffrage; therefore

_Resolved_, That the ballot in the hand of every qualified
citizen constitutes the true political status of the people, and
to deprive one-half of the people of the use of the ballot is to
deny the first principle of a republican government.

_Resolved_, That it is the duty of Congress to submit a
Sixteenth Amendment to the National Constitution, securing to
women the right of suffrage; first, because the disfranchisement
of one-half of the people deprives that half of the means of
self-protection and support, limits their resources for
self-development and weakens their influence on popular thought;
second, because giving all men the absolute authority to decide
the social, civil and political status of women, creates a spirit
of caste, unrepublican in tendency; third, because in depriving
the State of the united wisdom of man and woman, that important
"consensus of the competent," our form of government becomes in
fact an oligarchy of males instead of a republic of the people.

_Resolved_, That since the women citizens of the United States
have thus far failed to receive proper recognition from any of
the existing political parties, we recommend the appointment by
this convention of a committee on future political action.

_Resolved_, That as there is a general awakening to the rights of
women in all European countries, the time has arrived to take the
initiative steps for a grand International Woman Suffrage
Convention, to be held in either England or America, and that for
this purpose a committee of three be appointed at this convention
to correspond with leading persons in different countries
interested in th