's absence in the West, and announced that they would hold
joint sessions with the suffrage convention the next two days at
Steinway Hall. It was only by Miss Anthony's firm stand and indomitable
will that this was averted, and that the set of resolutions which they
brought, cut and dried, was defeated in the committee. She positively
refused to allow them the use of Steinway Hall, which had been rented
in her name, and at length they were compelled to give up the game and
engage Apollo Hall for their "new party" convention. Mrs. Stanton and
Mrs. Hooker called her narrow, bigoted and headstrong, but the
proceedings of the "people's convention" next day, which nominated Mrs.
Woodhull for President, showed how suicidal it would have been to have
had it under the auspices of the National Suffrage Association.

The forces of the latter, however, were greatly demoralized, the
attendance at the convention was small, and Mrs. Stanton refused to
serve longer as president. Miss Anthony was elected in her stead and,
just as she was about to adjourn the first evening session, to her
amazement Mrs. Woodhull came gliding in from the side of the platform
and moved that "this convention adjourn to meet tomorrow morning at
Apollo Hall!" An ally in the audience seconded the motion, Miss Anthony
refused to put it, an appeal was made from the decision of the chair,
Mrs. Woodhull herself put the motion and it was carried overwhelmingly.
Miss Anthony declared the whole proceeding out of order, as the one
making the motion, the second, and the vast majority of those voting
were not members of the association. She adjourned the convention to
meet in the same place the next morning and, as Mrs. Woodhull persisted
in talking, ordered the janitor to turn off the gas.

The next day, almost without assistance and deserted by those who
should have stood by her, she went through with the remaining three
sessions and brought the convention to a close. In her diary that
evening is written: "A sad day for me; all came near being lost. Our
ship was so nearly stranded by leaving the helm to others, that we
rescued it only by a hair's breadth." She stopped at Lydia Mott's and
then at Martha Wright's for comfort and sympathy, finding them in
abundant measure, and reached home strengthened and refreshed, ready
again to take up the work.

At the request of many suffrage advocates, Miss Anthony and Laura De
Force Gordon went to the National Liberal Conventi