at they should do this with the sanction and
assistance of the national government. In her plans she had the valuable
backing of Mrs. Spofford, who made it possible for her to remain in
Washington every winter, gave the use of the Riggs House parlors for
meetings and aided in many other ways.

Miss Anthony went quietly about among the ladies in official life whom
she could trust, and as a result various World's Fair meetings were held
at the hotel, participated in by Washington's influential women, and a
committee appointed to wait upon Congress and ask that women be placed
on the commission. She did not appear at these gatherings, and only her
few confidantes knew that she was behind them. Meanwhile it was
announced early in January, 1890, that the World's Fair Bill had been
brought before the House, and Miss Anthony at once prepared a petition
asking for the appointment of women on the National Board of Management.
This was placed in the hands of ladies of influence and in a few days
one hundred and eleven names were obtained of the wives and daughters of
the judges of the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, senators, representatives,
army officials; as distinguished a list as could be secured in the
national capital.

This petition was presented to the Senate January 12. It requested that
women should be placed on the board with men, but instead, the bill was
passed in March creating a commission of men and authorizing them to
appoint a number of women to constitute a "Board of Lady Managers."
These 115 appointments were intended to be practically of a
complimentary nature, it was not expected that the women would take any
prominent part, and no particular rule was observed in their selection.
While perhaps in some States they were not the ablest who might have
been found, they were, as a board, fairly representative. To bring this
great body into harmonious action and guide it along important lines of
work, required a leader possessed of a combination of qualities rarely
existing in one person--not only the highest degree of executive ability
but self-control, tact and the power of managing men and women. They
were found, however, in the woman elected to preside over this board,
Mrs. Bertha Honore Palmer, of Chicago. At the close of the exposition it
was universally conceded that she had proved herself pre-eminently the
one woman in all the country for this place. Her record, during the
several years that she held this ver