astor of the First Unitarian
church of Des Moines, Ia., assisted by Dr. Shaw and the Rev. Eliza
Tupper Wilkes of Los Angeles, with a special musical program. Miss
Gordon had filled the Unitarian pulpit in the morning, giving an
eloquent sermon on Revelations of God. Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Gilman
had preached in the Congregational church in the morning and the Rev.
Mrs. Blackwell in the evening. Miss Laura Clay gave a Bible reading
and exposition in the Taylor Street Methodist Episcopal church in the
evening. The Rev. J. Whitcomb Brougher, pastor of the White Temple,
the large Baptist church, invited Miss Anthony to occupy its pulpit
and expound "any doctrine she had at heart." The _Oregonian_ said:
"She took him at his word and got in some of the best words for
suffrage that have been put before the Portland public. There was such
enthusiasm over the venerable founder and leader of the suffrage
movement that when she appeared on the rostrum the applause was as
vigorous as though it had not been Sunday and the place a church.
There was not room in the big Temple for another person to squeeze
past the doors." The papers quoted liberally from the sermons of all
and the Portland _Journal_ said: "Each preached to a congregation that
taxed the capacity of the church.... The welcome accorded the women
by the Portland pastors was sharply in contrast with the hostility
shown by the clergy when equal suffrage conventions began in the
middle of the last century.[40]

The Monday evening session was opened by Willis Duniway, who gave a
glowing appreciation of the work of the National American Suffrage
Association and said in the course of a strong speech that he wanted
to see woman suffrage because it was right and because he wanted the
brave pioneer women who had worked for it so long to get it before
they passed away. "I want my mother to vote," he declared amid
applause.[41] "The basis of safe and sane government is justice, which
has its roots in constitutional liberty and means equal rights and
opportunities.... I claim no right or privilege for myself that I
would not give to my mother, wife and sister and to every law-abiding
citizen." When he had finished his mother rose and said dryly: "That,
dear women from the north, east, south and west, is one of Mrs.
Duniway's poor, neglected children!"

Miss Mary N. Chase, president of the New Hampshire Association, spoke
convincingly on The Vital Question, taking as the keynote: "A