Mrs. ALLEN.  I have made arrangements with Miss Anthony to say all
    that I feel it necessary for me to say at this time.

    Mrs. SPENCER.  I have been so informed.

    REMARKS BY MRS. NANCY B. ALLEN, OF IOWA.

Mrs. ALLEN.  Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the Judiciary Committee:  I am not a State representative, but I am a representative of a large class of women, citizens of Iowa, who are heavy tax-payers.  That is a subject which we are very seriously contemplating at this time.  There is now a petition being circulated throughout our State, to be presented to the legislature, praying that women be exempted from taxation until they have some voice in the management of local affairs of the State.  You may ask, “Do not your husbands protect you?  Are not all the men protecting you?” We answer that our husbands are grand, noble men, who are willing to do all they can for us, but there are many who have no husbands, and who own a great deal of property in the State of Iowa.  Particularly in great moral reforms the women there feel the need of the ballot.  By presenting long petitions to the Legislature they have succeeded in having better temperance laws enacted, but the men have failed to elect officials who will enforce those laws.  Consequently they have become as dead letters upon the statute-books.

I would refer again to taxes.  I have a list showing that in my city three women pay more taxes than all the city officials included.  Those women are good temperance women.  Our city council is composed almost entirely of saloon men and those who visit saloons and brewery men.  There are some good men, but the good men being in the minority, the voices of these women are but little regarded.  All these officials are paid, and we have to help support them.  All that we ask is an equality of rights.  As Sumner said, “Equality of rights is the first of rights.”  If we can only be equal with man under the law it is all that we ask.  We do not propose to relinquish our domestic circles; in fact, they are too dear to us for that; they are dear to us as life itself, but we do ask that we may be permitted to be represented.  Equality of taxation without representation is tyranny.

    REMARKS BY MISS SUSAN B. ANTHONY, OF NEW YORK.

Miss ANTHONY:  Mr. Chairman and gentlemen:  Mrs. Spencer said that I would make an argument.  I do not propose to do so, because I take it for granted that the members of this committee understand that we have all the argument on our side, and such an argument would be simply a series of platitudes and maxims of government.  The theory of this Government from the beginning has been perfect equality to all the people.  That is shown by every one of the fundamental principles, which I need not stop to repeat.  Such being the theory, the application would be, of course, that all persons not having forfeited their right to representation in the Government