136 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



Mr. Vest: "The Senator from Massachu- 

 setts was pleased to say that the Committee 

 on the Judiciary had so many important ques- 

 tions pending before it that the subject of 

 woman suffrage should not be added to them. 

 The Committee on Territories is open to any 

 complaint or suggestion by the ladies who 

 advocate woman suffrage, in regard to this 

 subject in the Territories ; and the Committee 

 on Privileges and Elections, to which this sub- 

 ject should go most appropriately, as affecting 

 the suffrage, has not now before it, as I am 

 informed, one single bill, resolution, or propo- 

 sition of any sort whatever. That committee 

 is also open to inquiry upon this subject. 



"But, Mr. President, out of^all committees 

 without business, and habitually without busi- 

 ness, in this body, there is one that beyond 

 any question could take jurisdiction of this 

 matter and do it ample justice. I refer to that 

 most respectable and antique institution, the 

 Committee on Revolutionary Claims. For 

 thirty years it has been without business. For 

 thirty long years the placid surface of that 

 parliamentary sea has been without one single 

 ripple. If the Senator from Massachusetts 

 desires a tribunal for calm judicial equilibrium 

 and examination, a tribunal far from the 

 'madding crowd's ignoble strife,' a tribunal 

 eminently respectable, dignified, and unique, 

 why not send this question to the Committee 

 on Revolutionary Claims? When I name the 

 personnel of that committee it will be evident 

 that any consideration on any subject touching 

 the female sex would receive not only deliber- 

 ate but immediate attention, for the second 

 member upon that committee is my distin- 

 guished friend from Florida (Mr. Jones), and 

 who can doubt that he would give his undi- 

 vided attention to the subject? It is emi- 

 nently proper that this subject should go to 

 that committee because if there is any revolu- 

 tionary claim in this country it is that of wo- 

 man suffrage. It revolutionizes society; it 

 revolutionizes religion; it revolutionizes the 

 Constitution and laws; and it revolutionizes 

 the opinions of those so old-fashioned among 

 us as to believe that the legitimate and proper 

 sphere of woman is the family circle as wife 

 and mother and not as politician and voter 

 those of us who are proud to believe that 

 ' A woman's noblest station is retreat ; 



Her fairest virtues fly from public sight ; 



Domestic worth that shuns too strong a light.' 



"Before that Committee on Revolutionary 

 Claims why could not this most revolutionary 

 of all claims receive immediate and ample 

 attention? More than that, as I said before, 

 if there is any tribunal that could give undi- 

 vided time and dignified attention, is it not 

 this committee? If there is one peaceful 

 haven of rest, never disturbed by any profane 

 bill or resolution of any sort, it is the Commit- 

 tee on Revolutionary Claims. It is, in parlia- 

 mentary life, described by that ecstatic verse 

 in Watts's hymn : 



' There shall I bathe my wearied soul 



In seas of endless rest, 

 And not one wave of trouble roll 

 Across iny peaceful breast.' 



" For thirty years there has been no excite- 

 ment in that committee, and it needs to-day, in 

 Western phrase, some ' stirring-up.' Sir, I in- 

 sist upon it that in deference to this committee ; 

 in deference to the fact that it needs this sort 

 of regimen and medicine, this whole subject 

 should be so referred." 



The President pro tempore: "The Senator 

 from Missouri offers an amendment, that the 

 subject be referred to the standing Committee 

 on Revolutionary Claims. The question is on 

 the amendment of the Senator from Missouri." 



Mr. Farley called for the yeas and nays; and 

 they were ordered and taken, as follows : 



YEAS Bayard, Beck, Brown, Butler, Camden, 

 Coke, Fair, Farley, Garland, Gorman, Hampton, Har- 

 ris. Jackson, Jonas, Maxey, Morgan, Saulsbury, 

 Vance, Vest, Voorhees, Walker, Williams 22. 



NAYS Aldrich, Cameron of Pennsylvania, Cam- 

 eron of Wisconsin, Conger, Davis of Illinois, Dawes, 

 Edmunds, Frye, Hale, Harrison, Hawley.Hill of Col- 

 orado. Hoar, Johnston, Jones of Florida, Kellogg, 

 Logan, McDill, McMillan Miller of California, Mitch- 

 ell, Morrill, Platt, Plumb, Kansom, Eollins, Saun- 

 ders, Sawyer, Sherman, Teller, Windom 31. 



ABSENT Allison^ Anthony, Blair, Call, Coekrell, 

 Davis of West Virginia, Ferry, George, Groome, 

 Grover, Hill of Georgia, Ingalls, Jones of Nevada, 

 Lamar, Lapham, McPnerson, Mahone, Miller of New 

 York, Pendleton, Pugh, Sewell, Slater, Van Wyck 

 23. 



So the motion was not agreed to. 



The President pro tempore: "The question 

 recurs on the adoption of the resolution. It is 

 in order to move to refer the resolution to the 

 Committee on the Judiciary, the Chair under- 

 stands." 



Mr. Bayard, of Delaware : " I make a mo- 

 tion that the resolution be sent to the Commit- 

 tee on the Judiciary. 



" I would state that I voted with some regret 

 and hesitancy upon the motion of the Senator 

 from Missouri (Mr. Vest) to refer this matter 

 to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. 

 My regret was owing to the fact that I do not 

 wish even to seem to treat a subject of this 

 character in a spirit of levity or to indicate the 

 slightest disrespect, by such a reference, to 

 those whose opinions upon this subject differ 

 essentially from my own. I cast the vote be- 

 cause I considered it would be taking the sub- 

 ject virtually away from the consideration of 

 Congress at its present session. I do, however, 

 hold that there is no necessity for the creation 

 of a special committee to attend to this sub- 

 ject. The Committee on the Judiciary has 

 within the last few years, upon many occa- 

 sions, attempted to deal with it. Since you, 

 sir, and I have been members of that commit- 

 tee" 



Mr. Hoar : " I desire to ask the Senator, if he 

 is willing, having been lately a member of the 

 committee to which he refers, whether it is 

 not the rule of that committee to allow no 

 hearings to individual petitioners, a rule which 



