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312 & presenting them to Congress and finally burned them.Learning of the destruction when she called on Hedenberg in May 1899, SBA “asked him if had not a list of the organizations and their memberships,that had sent those petitions,and he told me that he had not a single vestige of all of that wonderful work.” (S. Gompers to Frances Dickinson,31 January 1891,in Gompers,Papers,3:25; History,4:184; SBA to S. Gompers, 14 November 1899, and S. Gompers to SBA, 22 November 1899, American Federation of Labor Papers,Additions of 2012,Archives Division,WHi, not in Film; SBA diary, 8 May 1899, Film, 39:13ff.) ••••••••• 138 • Remarks by SBA to the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs Editorial note: When the fifth annual meeting of the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs came to Rochester, SBA’s principal role was to organize and chair a session on “political study” led by woman suffragists. At her invitation, Harriet Mills, Lillie Blake, and Anna Shaw joined local suffragists in a session addressed to women not yet converted to the cause.But,as the city’s best-known resident,SBA was honored with a seat on the platform whenever she attended the meetings in the auditorium of the Eureka Club.Occasionally she stepped forward to join the discussion, and once she interrupted proceedings to teach women how to project their voices to the back of the room. It was, however, this incident on the fourth and final day of the meeting that captured national attention for several weeks. (Film, 40:101–2, 146–47, 208–19.) [10 November 1899] The warmest discussions of the week marked the closing hours of the fifth annual convention of the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs this afternoon. The question of presenting resolutions touching the case of Brigham H. Roberts, the Mormon elder, has been discussed between sessions all the week. It was understood that Mrs. Wm. Tod Helmuth 1 and others did not desire to have the subject touched upon.On the other hand,certain radical spirits felt that the convention would fail in its duty unless some action were taken. A resolution was finally presented this afternoon by Mrs. Huntington , of Steuben. 2 The resolution read:—“Resolved, That the fifth annual convention of the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs, representing 27,000 31 october 1899 ^ 313 women, send to our representatives in Congress a solemn protest against the seating of B. H. Roberts, the Mormon, a polygamist, in that honorable assembly.” Miss Anthony’s Remarks Immediately the president turned to Miss Susan B. Anthony, who sat at her right, and said, “Do say something!” Miss Anthony responded:— “I did hope this subject would not come up in the Convention. I should hate to see this federation going on record as asking Congress to do something unconstitutional.Congress has not the power to seat or unseat a man. He was elected to his office by the voters from his State, and the constitution does not give Congress the power to throw him out. “I think we had better let the men fight out this question among themselves . When I think of the double lives the men of the East are living without protest from any one, that they are not true to their marriage vows, it does seem unfair that the whole country should rise up in arms because one poor Mormon man from Utah has been elected to Congress.” The wife of a well known Rochester minister immediately arose and begged to differ with Miss Anthony. 3 “I am sure,”she declared,“all men are not untrue to their marriage vows. Some are, I admit, but not all.” Miss Anthony’s speech settled the question, and the resolution was strongly voted down. Y Unidentified and undated clipping, SBA scrapbook 31, Rare Books, DLC. 1. Fannie Ida Pritchard Helmuth (1838–1918), the wife and the mother of prominent homeopathic physicians in New York City, was former president of Sorosis and in her third year as president of the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs. For several decades, she worked to organize and fund homeopathic hospitals, first in St. Louis, where she lived at the time of her marriage in 1859,and in New York,where she moved in 1870.Her own views in favor of woman suffrage were well known. (NCAB, 12:472; New York Times, 23 September 1894, 2...

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