will soon be wending
their way hither. Women have been granted select committees
in both Houses of congress, and better still, each of those
committees has given us a majority report in favor of a
sixteenth amendment to the constitution of the United
States, prohibiting the disfranchisement of citizens on
account of sex. Gentlemen, delegates of this State
constitutional convention, I now appeal to your highest
sense of honor and justice to give us the right to
vote--give it to us, not because we possess any particular
merit, but give it to us because it is our right! Then
Dakota will in fact be "a home of the free"--honored by all
nations, and the Banner State of the Union [applause].

But, after all our work and pleading, they turned a deaf
ear--infinitely worse, they were dishonest; at least this was
true of the committee on elections. I was present at every
meeting of that committee. At their last, I was with them three
hours (the entire session) to answer objections. One member made
the motion, "that the word 'male' be not incorporated within our
State constitution." The vote on the motion was a tie, when the
chairman cast his vote in the affirmative. After weeks of hard
work I had reached the goal! and with eyes brim full of tears,
thanked that committee. They then adjourned, to report in open
convention the next morning to my utter surprise, that "Women may
vote at school elections and for school officers." No words of
mine can express the disappointment and humiliation this defeat
of justice caused me.

Among the hundreds of questions asked me by that committee were
these: "Do you want a prohibitory plank in our State
constitution?" Answer: "No; prohibition should be settled by the
people; it cannot be with one-half our citizens disfranchised,
and that half its most earnest advocates." "Do you think
prohibition prohibits?" "No; man's prohibitory laws are good
enough, but he does not enforce them; women have not the
authority to do so; but if you will give us the power, we will
soon have prohibition that _will_ prohibit." A voice: "I believe
it!" "Do you think the majority of women want to vote?" "I do
not; but is that any reason why you should deprive the one who
d