n to those who want to come in and we are especially glad
to receive loyal women."[17]
Mrs. Florence Fenwick Miller, a member of the London School Board for
nine years, brought greetings from Mrs. Priscilla Bright McLaren, 87
years old, of whom Miss Anthony said: "She is an elder sister of John
and Jacob Bright. John was the great champion of manhood suffrage but
Jacob was still greater, for he was a champion of suffrage for women
also. Mrs. McLaren sent a loving and appreciative message to "the dear
American women who have so steadfastly held up the banner of woman
suffrage and especially to the octogenarians, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony," and closed it with a Christmas poem. Miss
Anthony recalled her last visit to Mrs. McLaren in Edinburgh three
years before and said: "I wish you could see how beautiful she looked
as she lay on the bed in her pretty white cap and blue dressing sack.
She is an inspiration to the women of Great Britain and she has been
to me."
Mrs. Clara Bewick Colby (D. C.), gave a greeting from Mrs. Stanton,
in her 87th year, and read her paper on Educated Suffrage.[18] In this
able and scholarly document Mrs. Stanton said:
The proposition to demand of immigrants a reading and writing
qualification on landing strikes me as arbitrary and equally
detrimental to our mutual interests. The danger is not in their
landing and living in this country but in their speedy appearance
at the ballot-box, there becoming an impoverished and ignorant
balance of power in the hands of wily politicians. While we
should not allow our country to be a dumping-ground for the
refuse population of the old world, still we should welcome all
hardy, common-sense laborers here, as we have plenty of room and
work for them.... The one demand I would make for this class is
that they should not become a part of our ruling power until they
can read and write the English language intelligently and
understand the principles of republican government.... To prevent
the thousands of immigrants daily landing on our shores from
marching from the steerage to the polls the national Government
should prohibit the States from allowing them to vote in less
than five years and not then unless the applicant can read and
write the English language.... To this end, Congress should enact
a law for "educated suffrage" for our native-born
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