count
of the past year's work and an encouraging view of the future, and at
both day and evening sessions there were the usual number of able and
entertaining speeches. Reports were made by delegates from thirty-six
States. At the business meeting the question again came up of holding
the annual convention in Washington at the beginning of each new
Congress and in some other part of the country in alternate years. This
plan was vigorously opposed by Miss Anthony, who said in her protest:

The sole object, it seems to me, of this national organization is
to bring the combined influence of all the States upon Congress to
secure national legislation. The very moment you change the purpose
of this great body from National to State work you have defeated
its object. It is the business of the States to do the district
work; to create public sentiment; to make a national organization
possible, and then to bring their united power to the capital and
focus it on Congress. Our younger women naturally can not
appreciate the vast amount of work done here in Washington by the
National Association in the last twenty-five years. The delegates
do not come here as individuals but as representatives of their
entire States. We have had these national conventions here for a
quarter of a century, and every Congress has given hearings to the
ablest women we could bring from every section. In the olden times
the States were not fully organized--they had not money enough to
pay their delegates' expenses. We begged and worked and saved the
money, and the National Association paid the expenses of delegates
from Oregon and California in order that they might come and bring
the influence of their States to bear upon Congress.

Last winter we had twenty-three States represented by delegates.
Think of those twenty-three women going before the Senate
committee, each making her speech, and convincing those senators of
the interest in all these States. We have educated at least a part
of three or four hundred men and their wives and daughters every
two years to return as missionaries to their respective localities.
I shall feel it a grave mistake if you vote in favor of a movable
convention. It will lessen our influence and our power; but come
what may, I shall abide by the decision of the majority.

Miss Anthony