ey had
Miss Anthony, Miss Shaw, Mrs. Catt and other speakers waiting for
engagements and did not dare make dates ahead lest it might interfere
with the big Republican rallies which they wished them to address. Again
and again they went to the Republican Central Committee and asked for
the schedule of their meetings and the privilege of sending their
speakers to them. Finally, after weeks of anxious waiting, the chairman,
Major Frank McLaughlin, sent a letter to the suffrage headquarters
saying in effect: "The committee had decided not to grant this
privilege; in the language used at one time by Miss Anthony, it meant
'too many bonnets at their meetings,' and they wished to reach the
voters."

He added that they were at liberty to make any arrangements they chose
with the county chairmen. This meant, of course, that they must
ascertain the name and address of every county chairman in the State,
watch the papers for the announcements of meetings, hold their speakers
in reserve, and beg the privilege of having them heard. All this, when
the endorsement of the suffrage amendment was the first plank in the
Republican platform unanimously adopted by the State convention! There
was nothing, however, except to make the best of it; but when they
attempted to arrange with the county chairmen, they found Major
McLaughlin had written them not to allow the women speakers on their
platforms! While many of them refused to obey his orders, he had
practically destroyed the best opportunity for reaching the people.

The Republican State Convention had enthusiastically adopted a
resolution declaring for "the free coinage of silver at a ratio of 16 to
1." When the National Convention met in St. Louis soon afterwards it
adopted a gold standard plank, and there they were! The Populists and
Democrats who agreed on a financial plank saw here an opportunity and,
in many counties, effected a fusion and held their meetings together.
This, of course, nullified the permission given the women to put
speakers on the Populist platform, since the Democrats, as a party, were
opposed to woman suffrage, and there they were! If they attempted to
hold simply suffrage meetings, they could get only audiences of women,
because all the men were in attendance at the political rallies. So the
only thing left was for the women in every city and town in the State,
whenever a political mass meeting was advertised, to go to the managers
and humbly beg to have one o