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^ 315 social relation until we have established woman’s social equality everywhere with men—in the state,the church,the home and the world of work. “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all polygamists, and the Pentateuch says nothing against it. I have charity for the Mormon, for he has the law of God on his side, as he interprets it. As Miss Anthony says, the Mormon lives up to his religious idea.The question is,does the Gentile do the same? “Social purity leagues and societies have got up a great furor over Roberts . It is all nonsense to talk of social purity until they put the mother, the builder of the race, in her proper place. If the question of polygamy were to come up before Congress, perhaps I wouldn’t want Roberts there, but Roberts may be as good a judge of war and financial questions as any other Congressman. “Do we know the character of Congressmen who sit about Roberts? A physician may be as good a doctor with two wives as if he had only one.” Y New York Evening World, 20 November 1899. 1. SBA’s part at the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs in stopping a resolution against Brigham Roberts caused an uproar in women’s organizations and the press.“[I]t always hurts to suggest plucking the beam out of our own eye— before taking the mote from our neighbors,” SBA commented in her diary when noting the criticism leveled against her. She retained dozens of articles about the incident in her scrapbook.ECS’s comments were published with another iteration of SBA’s views on Roberts. Women should leave the matter to Congress, she told the Evening World, and take on “a more pertinent mission, and that is to attack the men of this ‘Gentile world’ who transgress the moral code more openly than most Mormons practise polygamy.”In the same article,the Rev.Madison C.Peters called SBA out of date with the modern reformers who espoused social purity; “Miss Anthony is getting old,”he explained. (SBA diary,12 November 1899,Film, 39:13ff; assorted clippings, SBA scrapbook 30, Rare Books, DLC.) ••••••••• 141 • SBA to Samuel Gompers Rochester, N.Y., Nov. 29, 1899. My Dear Friend,— Yours of the 22d inst. came duly. 1 I have made a thorough hunt to find a copy of that old petition, but thus far have failed. Will you not write out a form which you think would be approved? I am very glad you prefer 20 november 1899 316 & to make it simply cover a Sixteenth Amendment to secure equal political rights to the women of the United States and of the Territories. I am glad,too,that you agree with me that whatever form of government we permit in any State or Territory, it should be based upon equal rights for women. That is the only point I wish to cover. I would like to get the form of petition so clear and simple that it could not raise a question in the mind of any real friend of our cause, and I am sure you will be able to accomplish this better than any other person. I am sorry to say that Mrs. Chapman Catt cannot go to Detroit for the 12th,and neither can my first lieutenant,the Rev.Anna Shaw. 2 Both of them will be at a great distance from Detroit on that date, but I am calculating to be there. I have an engagement in Indianapolis for the 9th and 10th, and so shall reach Detroit from the West. 3 At a later date I will write you my place of stopping. I think, as you say, that it will be perfectly splendid to start this new attempt not only from Detroit, but from the American Federation of Labor, and I hope that on the 12th of December we may be able to interest the leading representatives present of your auxilliary labor organizations so that when they return to their respective homes they will secure the endorsement of the petition by all the members of their local societies. I will try to reach Detroit in time to talk over the matter with you before going into the convention. It seems to me that it would be hardly necessary for me, as president of the National W.S.A., to take with me credentials as a fraternal delegate. Still, I will ask our corresponding secretary, Mrs. Foster...

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