Volume VI Part 9 (1/2)

Anna Howard Shaw, national president. Miss Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a field worker sent by the National a.s.sociation, spent two weeks in Dover, canva.s.sing the legislators, a.s.sisted by members of the State a.s.sociation. At the Senate hearing March 14 strong speeches were made by Senators Reinhardt, John M. Walker, and a number of leading women. Senators Zachary T. Harris and Dr. George W. Marshall worked for the bill, which was endorsed by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Ministerial Union, State Grange, Central Labor Union and Socialist Party, but it was lost the same day by 11 noes, 6 ayes. The bill was reported favorably by the House committee and Dr. John H.

Hammond declared that it was time to quit playing politics with it and pa.s.s it but on March 19 it was defeated without debate by 23 noes, 8 ayes.

1915. A full suffrage bill was presented jointly by the State a.s.sociation and the Congressional Union, introduced by Senator Harris and Representative Frank M. Saulsbury. The Campaign Committee representing the two a.s.sociations and headed by Mrs. Florence Bayard Hilles opened headquarters at Dover with Miss Mabel Vernon in charge.

Expenses of maintenance were paid by Mrs. George Day of Connecticut, a member of the advisory council of the Union. A suffrage procession headed by Mrs. Hilles and Mrs. Victor du Pont, Jr., marched to strains of martial music from the station to headquarters on its opening day early in January and gave the stately old capital a decided innovation. Speaking followed from a gaily decorated automobile.

”Suffrage fliers” (motor cars) carrying able speakers and workers, made whirlwind trips throughout the State. The anti-suffragists organized as a committee, with Mrs. Henry B. Thompson chairman and Mrs. David J. Reinhardt secretary.

On January 21, before the Revised Statutes Committee of the House, all of the Representatives and many of the Senators, a hearing was given to the suffragists. The speakers were Mrs. Cranston, Miss Leila Aaron of Dover, Miss Vernon and Mrs. Hilles, whose argument was nearly flawless. On February 3 the ”antis” spoke before practically the same audience and the enthusiasm equalled that of the suffrage hearing.

Thomas F. Bayard, brother of Mrs. Hilles, opened the hearing and introduced Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Grace W. Goodwin of Westfield and Mrs.

Preston Lea, wife of a former Governor. On February 9 the suffragists were granted a second hearing, all members of the Senate and several of the House being present. On February 16 the House Committee reported the bill favorably. On March 8, with an hour's interval between, the House killed it by a vote of 22 noes to 8 ayes; the Senate by a vote of 11 noes to 6 ayes. Legislative friends were Senators Edward Hart, John A. Barnard and Speaker Charles H.

Grantland.

Preceding the vote was a gay and colorful parade of suffragists, followed by speechmaking outside the State House. Able speakers and workers from other States had spoken during the campaign, among them United States Representatives J. A. Falconer of Was.h.i.+ngton and William Kent of California; Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Thomas R. Hepburn, president of the Connecticut Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation and Miss Anne Martin, president of the Nevada a.s.sociation. Among local speakers were Dr.

George Edward Reed, D.D., former president of d.i.c.kinson College; John S. Hamilton of Wilmington and Mrs. Cranston. On March 11, three days after the defeat, at a well-attended luncheon in Hotel du Pont, Wilmington, was opened the campaign for 1917 in true Bunker Hill spirit.

1917. A full suffrage bill was presented, the Congressional Union in charge. The State was canva.s.sed for and against. Before the joint hearing on February 16 the bill had been reported favorably by committees of both House and Senate. It went to defeat, however, on February 23 by a vote in the House of 21 noes to 12 ayes, in the Senate on February 26 by a vote of 6 noes to 8 ayes. Among the anti-suffrage leaders were Judge George Gray, General James H. Wilson, Miss Emily P. Bissell, Mrs. George A. Elliott and Mrs. Henry P.

Scott.

FOOTNOTES:

[27] The History is indebted for this chapter to Miss Mary R. de Vou, corresponding secretary of the Delaware Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation fourteen years; also treasurer and auditor.

[28] The Women's College affiliated with Delaware College at Newark, the State College for men, was opened in September, 1914.

[29] The History is indebted to Miss Winifred Morris, secretary of the State Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation, for much of the material in this story of the effort for ratification.

CHAPTER VIII.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.[30]

While the women in the District of Columbia rejoiced with those in the States over the successful end of the long, hard fight for the Federal Suffrage Amendment their joy was tempered by the fact that they still had before them a struggle for an amendment which would enfranchise the residents of the District--one really for equal suffrage, men and women alike being without the vote. The Congress itself now has entire jurisdiction, each branch appointing a committee for the purpose.

The district is a munic.i.p.al corporation, administered by a Board of three commissioners, two of whom are appointed by the President of the United States from civil life, confirmed by the Senate, the third being detailed by him from the engineer corps of the army. The argument for the citizen's franchise is that representation in Congress for the residents of the District would only give them a voice in the governing body without impairing the ”exclusive jurisdiction” given to Congress by the National Const.i.tution. It has a population greater than six of the States and pays taxes in excess of twenty-two States--each of which has two Senators and Representatives based on its population. Local self-government also is advocated by some residents but the majority are behind the movement to obtain representation in Congress and the vote for presidential electors.

From the time this matter was first agitated the woman suffrage a.s.sociation of the District has insisted that women should have the same rights granted to men.

Although the suffragists of the District had no hope of enfranchis.e.m.e.nt from the Federal Amendment, nevertheless their interest in the cause never flagged and they gave freely of their time and money to aid the movement for it. From 1869 to 1895 they a.s.sisted every year the convention of the National Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation in Was.h.i.+ngton, and afterwards whenever it was held in this city. Its great celebration of Miss Susan B. Anthony's 80th birthday in February, 1900, gave a new impetus to the cause. The various societies had been organized in 1898 into the District of Columbia State Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation, corresponding to those in the various States.

The old parent society formed in 1868 and the first Junior Club were augmented by the Political Study Club organized in 1900, to study the origin, growth and government of cities and later agitating the question of placing women on boards of charities, schools, etc.; by the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Club, organized in 1901, to take up the study of general taxation, methods of carrying on the public schools, tariff, finance and city government; by the College Equal Suffrage League, organized in 1909 and doing excellent work, and in 1916 by the Anthony League, organized in 1911 primarily for suffrage, but taking up civic affairs. The Woman Suffrage Council was formed from these societies in 1914 to aid the Congressional Committee of the National a.s.sociation at its branch headquarters in Was.h.i.+ngton. The name was afterwards changed to Equal Franchise League when it was decided to keep the organization intact for the purpose of working for suffrage in the district. Mrs. Glenna Smith Tinnin was the first chairman, followed by Mrs. George A. Mosshart and Mrs. Louis Brownlow.

The D. C. State a.s.sociation held regular meetings about four times a year and some special sessions. It kept the woman suffrage sentiment active and was responsible for a great deal of progressive work. The following served as presidents: Mrs. Helen Rand Tindall, 1898; Mrs.

Ellen Powell Thompson, 1899; Mrs. Carrie E. Kent, 1900; Mrs. Tindall, 1901; Mrs. Kent, 1902-3; Mrs. Mary L. Talbott, 1904-5; Mrs. Jessie Waite Wright, 1906-7-8; Miss Harriette J. J. Hifton, 1909-10; Mrs. Le Droit Barber, 1911; Miss Florence Etheridge, 1912; Mrs. Nina E.

Allender, 1913; Mrs. Kent, 1914; Miss Mary O'Toole, 1915 to 1920.[31]

A number of prominent women in the District were officers of the local suffrage clubs and worked under their auspices, being connected through them with the D. C. State a.s.sociation. A part of the program of the latter in 1904-5 was a study of Fisk's Civil Government of the United States, Laws affecting Women and Children, taxation and other subjects of public interest. There was also discussion of bills before Congress of special interest to women and the a.s.sociation supported those for the protection of neglected and delinquent children, compulsory education and restriction of child labor. A bill to raise the salaries of public school teachers was strongly pressed. Among those especially active were Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey, Dr. Emily Young O'Brien and Mrs. Alice Stern Gitterman. Through their efforts two truant officers were appointed, one white and one colored. During this period the work was being done which led to the establishment of a Juvenile Court with one probation officer, Mrs. Charles Darwin. In 1906 and 1907 the suffragists were active in agitating for women on the Board of Education and succeeded in having two white women and one colored woman appointed, as well as thirty women supervisors of the public playgrounds. In 1908, also as a direct result of the efforts of Mrs. Helen Rand Tindall and other members of the a.s.sociation, two public comfort stations were built at a cost of $35,000, with bath, rest rooms and all sanitary conveniences, the first in the city. The a.s.sociation and the College Equal Suffrage League sent representatives to a hearing before the Commissioners to ask that if a referendum on the excise question should be taken women should have a vote as well as men. In 1909 the a.s.sociation a.s.sisted in the pet.i.tion work of the national organization and paid the secretary who was in charge of their headquarters in Was.h.i.+ngton for keeping them open evenings. Under the auspices of the a.s.sociation lectures were given by Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst and Mrs. Ethel Snowdon of England.

In 1910 at a hearing granted to the National a.s.sociation by the Judiciary Committee of Congress the District was represented by Miss Emma M. Gillett and Mrs. Katharine Reed Balentine, who overheard one of its members say that if the women really wanted suffrage they should do something more than come up there to make speeches so as to have them cheaply printed and mailed without postage. Miss Gillett, who soon afterwards was made chairman of the National Congressional Committee, was so stimulated by this remark that at her request the D.

C. State a.s.sociation raised $100 and she herself contributed $100 and used the fund to circularize every candidate for Congress in the 1910 campaign. She appealed through the _Woman's Journal_ for contributions, but only $14 were received. The circular asked seven searching questions covering all forms of woman suffrage. The answers were tabulated and sent out by the a.s.sociated Press. [See Chapter X, Volume V.]

President Seth Low, of the National Civic Federation, called a conference in Was.h.i.+ngton Jan. 17-19, 1910, of delegates to be appointed by the Governors of States and ”presidents of commercial, agricultural, manufacturing, labor, financial, professional and other bodies national in extent.” The program was to include discussions of ”public health, pure food regulations, uniform divorce law and discrimination against married women as to the control of their children and property.” The suffragists asked the Commissioners to appoint women among the twelve delegates to represent the District, but this was not done. Mr. Low in answering Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt's criticism that women delegates had not been invited, said it had not occurred to him that women would be interested but that he would place the name of the National Suffrage a.s.sociation on the list for future calls of a like character.