Volume VI Part 17 (1/2)

A bill for Primary suffrage pa.s.sed the Lower House in 1919 by 86 ayes, 15 noes, but met with great opposition in the Senate even from men posing as friends of woman suffrage. In a one-party State, as Iowa had been for many years, the dominant party hardly could feel that its supremacy would be threatened by women's votes in the primary, but, as one speaker navely disclosed in the debate, the ”machine” might be thrown entirely out of gear. ”Why,” said he dramatically to the listening Senate, ”the Republican party would be in hopeless confusion. n.o.body could tell in advance what candidate the women might nominate in the primary!” The bill was postponed by 31 ayes, 17 noes.

The next step was to have a bill introduced to give women a vote for Presidential electors. One of the contributing factors to its success was the ever-increasing number of victories for similar bills in other States, particularly the recent victory in Missouri, which had completed the circle of ”white” States surrounding Iowa. One of the features of the debate in the Senate was the reading of a letter from John T. Adams, vice-chairman of the National Republican Committee, heretofore an anti-suffragist, by Senator Eugene Schaffter, the sponsor of the bill, in which he impressed upon the Republicans the political urgency of granting the Presidential franchise to women.

After a hard campaign by the Legislative Committee of the State Suffrage a.s.sociation, with Mrs. Frank W. Dodson of Des Moines as chairman, the Iowa legislators joined the procession and on April 4, 1919, the Senate pa.s.sed the bill by a vote of 38 ayes, 8 noes, the House following on April 19 with a vote of 84 ayes, 2 noes.

RATIFICATION. When the Federal Amendment went to the last vote in Congress, the Iowa delegation maintained its record on each vote that had been taken, both Senators and ten of the eleven Representatives--all but Harry E. Hull--casting their votes in the affirmative. Immediately Mrs. Devitt of Oskaloosa, acting president, and Mrs. Fred B. Crowley of Des Moines, corresponding secretary of the State a.s.sociation, requested Governor William L. Harding to call a special session of the Legislature to ratify it. It met on July 2 in special session for this sole purpose. Men and women had made their way early to the Capitol, filling the galleries and the rear of the chambers. The legislators, too, were apparently as happy as boys, with a new idea of real democracy in Iowa. It seemed like a gathering of great-hearted, honest-of-purpose men who were eager to do an act of justice. The joyous expressions of these men, who had taken hot, dusty rides on day trains from their farms and stores in the scorching July weather to come and cast their votes for ratification, a.s.sured the women of victory. It was a wonderful moment. After a joint session at 10 a. m., to hear the reading of the Governor's message, by 11:40 the vote had been taken in both Houses. Every Senator but two was present and was recorded in the affirmative; the vote in the House was 96 ayes, 5 noes; E. H. Knickerbocker, Linn county; T. J. O'Donnell, Dubuque; C. A. Quick and George A. Smith, Clinton; W. H. Vance, Madison. Senators J. D. Buser of Conesville and D. W. Kimberly of Davenport were absent. The former had voted against Presidential suffrage and the latter had not voted.

An informal luncheon followed in one of the Des Moines tea rooms which had often housed the suffragists in times of desolation and it was turned into a jollification meeting. Three former State presidents and other women spoke and there were many present for whom the occasion meant the fulfillment of an idea to which they had given years of devoted service.

FOOTNOTES:

[50] The History is indebted for this chapter to Miss Flora Dunlap, president of the State Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation 1913-1915 and chairman of the League of Women Voters.

[51] s.p.a.ce is given to this report because it is a fair ill.u.s.tration of the conditions under which woman suffrage amendments were defeated again and again in different States.

CHAPTER XV.

KANSAS.[52]

Kansas was not yet a State when in 1859 twenty-five of her justice-loving men and women met and formed the first a.s.sociation to gain political freedom for women, and the liberty lighting torch kindled then was kept aflame by organization for fifty-three years before the women received equal political rights with the men in 1912.

A State Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation was formed in 1884 and thereafter annual conventions were held.

During 1901 Miss Helen Kimber, president of the a.s.sociation, travelled through fifteen counties and held twenty-five meetings. She had obtained for the national suffrage bazaar held in New York in December, 1900, besides many smaller donations, a car load of flour from the Kansas Millers' a.s.sociation and two hundred pounds of b.u.t.ter from the Continental Creamery Company of Topeka. She was re-elected president at the convention held in McPherson, Nov. 7, 8, and the following year visited more than half the counties, forming organizations where they did not already exist. The attempt made in the Legislature through the influence of the liquor interests to deprive women of their Munic.i.p.al suffrage, possessed since 1887, brought more of them to realize its value and at the spring election more than ever before were elected on school boards, for which women could vote.

The convention of 1902 was held in Topeka October 14-15 and Miss Kimber was re-elected; Mrs. John B. Sims, secretary. Several thousand people listened to the inspiring addresses of Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, and the senior editor of the _Woman's Journal_, Henry B. Blackwell.

Headquarters were established in Topeka. Pet.i.tions for Presidential suffrage with about 32,000 signatures had been secured to be presented to the Legislature of 1903. There was an increased vote of women at the spring election and forty-two were elected as county officers, for whom only men could vote.

The State convention of 1903 was held in Abilene December 8-9 and Miss Kimber was again re-elected. She reported suffrage meetings conducted at the Winfield, Beloit and Lincoln Chautauquas. Mrs. Mary C. C.

Bradford of Colorado was the outside speaker and afterwards spoke in four of the princ.i.p.al cities. Mrs. Sadie P. Grisham of Cottonwood Falls was elected president at the convention held in Topeka Nov. 9, 10, 1904. The increase of members.h.i.+p of nearly a thousand was largely accredited to the efforts of Mrs. Alice Moyer, State organizer.

Presidential suffrage was again adopted for the year's work. The suffrage departments were maintained at the Chautauqua meetings and literature and letters were sent to every member of the incoming Legislature. The convention of 1905 was held in Topeka October 20-21.

Mrs. Grisham refused a second term and Mrs. Roxana E. Rice of Lawrence was elected president. On Oct. 14, 1906, the convention met in Topeka and Mrs. Rice was re-elected and with others of her board represented Kansas at the national convention in Chicago the next February.

The annual meeting of 1907 was again held in Topeka on November 14 and a report from the national convention was given by the vice-president, Mrs. Lilla Day Monroe, but all propositions and resolutions offered by the mother organization were either rejected or referred to a committee and at the conclusion of Mrs. Monroe's report she moved that ”the Kansas Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation withdraw from the National.”

After discussion to the effect that it could do more effective work alone the motion was carried. Mrs. Monroe was elected president, Mrs.

J. D. McFarland first and Mrs. Rice second vice-president. The treasurer reported $260 in the treasury and was instructed to pay $25 to the Susan B. Anthony memorial fund. The board decided to publish the _Club Member_, devoted to women's activities.

The convention of 1908 met October 30-31 in Topeka, the Good Government Club and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of that city uniting with the a.s.sociation in an evening program. Mrs. A. H.

Horton was elected president, Mrs. Monroe first and Mrs. Margaret Hill McCarter second vice-president. The fact was evident that there had been no organization work and little activity throughout the State for several years, and, as there was now no connection with the National a.s.sociation, interest was awakened only at biennial periods by the convening of the Legislature.

At the convention of 1909 in Topeka, December 10, 11, T. A. McNeal of this city, former member of the Legislature, princ.i.p.al speaker at the evening meeting, chided the women and declared that the little advance made along suffrage lines of recent years was not because of men's lack of interest but on account of women's indifference. Mrs.

Catharine A. Hoffman was elected president; Mrs. R. V. Chambers first and Mrs. McCarter second vice-president; Mrs. E. E. Raudebush, secretary; Mrs. Emma Sells Marshall, treasurer; Mrs. McFarland and Mrs. Rice, auditors. The president appointed an advisory board of fifteen men and women and named Mrs. Genevieve Howland Chalkley State organizer. The press was used to advantage and good speakers from Kansas and neighboring States helped to make woman suffrage a more popular subject. A number of meetings of a semi-social nature were held in the capital city before the Legislature met. One, ”a Kansas equal suffrage banquet,” followed a business meeting of the a.s.sociation, Jan. 28, 1910, at Hotel Throop. About one hundred guests were present, Governor W. R. Stubbs and wife and former Governor W. E.

Hoch and wife having seats of honor. Mrs. Hoffman was toastmistress and about twenty men and women responded to toasts.

Mrs. Hoffman's policy was to make a strong appeal to the next Legislature for the submission of a full suffrage amendment to the voters. On Dec. 9, 1910, she called her officers and a number of well known workers to a conference in Topeka and a plan of action was outlined. A room in the State Historical Department, which through the courtesy of Geo. W. Martin had been used as legislative headquarters in other years, was again retained with Mrs. Monroe as superintendent. Mrs. William A. Johnston, Mrs. Stubbs and Mrs. C. C.

G.o.ddard were appointed a legislative committee. Governor Stubbs had been re-elected in November, 1910, and in his message to the Legislature in January he strongly advised the submission. Then the battle royal for votes opened. The resolution was introduced early in January. Every legislator was asked by each member of the committee to vote for it; many of the members' wives were in Topeka and teas, dinners and receptions became popular, at which the ”a.s.sisting ladies”

were asked to keep the subject of woman suffrage to the front and in this way many men and women were interested and educated.

Mrs. Hoffman was a conservative but diligent worker and among her able a.s.sistants were a number of men and women from the colleges and universities. Mrs. Lillian Mitchner, president of the State W. C. T.

U., was a constant helper. The names of all the valiant workers would be those of hundreds of Topeka people and hundreds more out in the ”home districts,” who used their influence with the legislators, and those of wives of Senators and Representatives who influenced their husbands' votes. The State House headquarters was a busy place and a large amount of work was done there. The amendment resolution was pa.s.sed by the votes of the men but it could not have been done without the careful, well planned work of the women. It was adopted by a large majority in both Houses and signed by Governor Stubbs Feb. 12, 1911.

The State convention met in Representative Hall, Topeka, May 16, 1911.

Kansas women were now for the third time entering a campaign for political liberty, which made the meeting one of unusual interest.