Volume VI Part 22 (1/2)
Not in any other State campaign had the women anti-suffragists taken so conspicuous a part. There was a society of considerable social prominence in Portland and the a.s.sociations in Ma.s.sachusetts and New York sent nearly twenty speakers and workers, all women except J. B.
Maling of Colorado and Charles McLean of Iowa, whose utterances had more than once been repudiated by the men and women of their States.
Mrs. James W. Wadsworth, Jr., president of the National a.s.sociation, addressed parlor meetings. Toward the end of the campaign their numbers became much less, as they learned that the ”machines” of both political parties expected to defeat the amendment.
The election took place Sept. 10, 1917, and the amendment received 38,838 noes, 20,684 ayes--lost by 18,154, the negative majority nearly two to one. About half as many men voted for it as the number of women who signed a pet.i.tion for it. Mrs. Livingston gave as the princ.i.p.al reasons for the defeat: 1. Inherent conservatism and prejudice. 2.
Resentment at the ”picketing” of the White House by the ”militant”
suffragists. 3. Briefness of the campaign. 4. Inability because of lack of organization to reach the rural vote. 5. Reactionaries of both parties uniting in opposition.[70]
In her summing up Mrs. Livingston said: ”Without the aid of the National American a.s.sociation the campaign would have been impossible.
The magnificent generosity with which it furnished speakers, organizers, posters and literature will make the women of Maine forever its debtors.[71]
At the convention of the State a.s.sociation in September, 1917, in Augusta, Miss Mabel Connor was chosen president and at the conventions of 1918 in Lewiston and 1919 in Portland was re-elected. At the convention in October, 1918, having recovered somewhat from its defeat, the a.s.sociation voted to introduce a bill for the Presidential suffrage in the next Legislature in 1919. The Legislative Committee consisted of Mrs. Balentine, chairman; Miss Connor, Miss Bates, Mrs.
Pattangall, Mrs. Cobb and Mrs. Guy P. Gannett, with Miss Lola Walker as executive secretary to the chairman.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION. The State Suffrage a.s.sociation and the State Woman's Christian Temperance Union always worked for woman suffrage measures in the Legislature in cordial cooperation, beginning in 1887.
1901. Suffrage bills did not come out of committee.
1903. A bill was introduced for Munic.i.p.al suffrage for tax-paying women by Representative George H. Allan of Portland. The Joint Standing Committee eliminated ”taxpaying” and reported a bill giving Munic.i.p.al suffrage to all women. The State Suffrage a.s.sociation did an enormous amount of work in behalf of this bill, sending letters to 15,000 women representing 239 cities and towns who were paying taxes on approximately $25,000,000. Several thousand answers urging the bill were received, coming from every county and from 237 of the cities and towns. It was lost in the Senate by a tie and in the House by a vote of 110 noes, 29 ayes.
1905, 1907, 1909, no suffrage bills were reported out of committee.
1911. Four members of the Judiciary Committee made a minority report in favor of the suffrage measure and the House voted to subst.i.tute the minority report but the Senate refused to concur.
1913. A new resolve asking for submission of a suffrage amendment was drafted by George H. Allan and introduced in the Senate by Ira G.
Hersey, which gave a vote of 23 ayes, 6 noes. In the House the vote was 89 ayes, 53 noes--only six more votes needed for the necessary two-thirds.
1915. A joint resolution to submit a full suffrage amendment pa.s.sed the Senate by 26 ayes, 4 noes; the House vote by 88 ayes, 59 noes--ten more votes needed for the two-thirds. Introduced by Representative Lauren M. Sanborn.
1917. The resolution was adopted in the House February 21 by 112 ayes, 35 noes; unanimously adopted by the Senate February 22. In signing it the next day Governor Carl E. Milliken said to the suffrage leaders: ”You have appealed to reason and not to prejudice. Your campaign has been a very fine example of what a campaign should be.” The amendment was defeated at the polls in September.
1919. In March an Act granting women the right to vote for Presidential Electors, prepared by George H. Allan, was introduced in the Senate by Guy P. Gannett of Augusta and in the House by Percival P. Baxter of Portland. The joint committee by 8 to 2 reported ”ought to pa.s.s.” The hearing before the Judiciary Committee was called one of the best ever held. Lewis A. Burleigh of Augusta, editor of the Kennebec _Journal_, and Professor Frank E. Woodruff of Bowdoin College made the princ.i.p.al speeches. Telegrams were read from U. S. Senator Fernald and Representatives Ira G. Hersey, John A. Peters and Wallace H. White, Jr., urging the pa.s.sage of the bill. The ”antis” were present in force and made a hard fight. They were fully answered by Mrs. Nancy M. Schoonmaker of Connecticut. An effort was made to attach a clause to the bill referring it to the voters but it was thwarted, Senator Leroy R. Folsom of Norridgewock making a strong speech against it. In the House a still more determined effort was made to secure a referendum but it did not succeed. Speeches were made by Frederick W.
Hinckley, Percival F. Baxter and Elisha W. Pike, legislators, and Mrs.
Katharine Reed Balentine, chairman of the Legislative Committee, and Miss Mabel Connor, president of the State Suffrage a.s.sociation. On February 26 the bill pa.s.sed the Senate by a vote of 25 ayes, 6 noes.
On March 19 it pa.s.sed the House by 85 ayes, 54 noes.
The favorable vote was obtained after six months of quiet, continuous and intensive political work by the Legislative Committee. Members of the Legislature worked for the success of the bill; the Governor supported it and the press was largely in favor.
The anti-suffragists immediately announced their proposal to bring the Presidential Suffrage Law before the voters under the initiative and referendum, upon pet.i.tion of at least 10,000 legal voters filed within a specified time. The effort to secure these names lagged and without doubt would have been given up had it not been for Frank E. Mace, former State Forest Commissioner, who organized committees all over the State at the eleventh hour and pet.i.tions bearing 12,000 signatures were filed July 3, within 90 days after the Legislature adjourned, as required. As there was doubt about the const.i.tutionality of this referendum, the State Supreme Court, on July 9, 1919, was requested by Governor Milliken to decide. On August 6 the Court rendered its decision that the Act came within the provisions of the initiative and referendum. As the pet.i.tion did not ask for a special election the Governor sent out a proclamation for the referendum to be submitted at the next general election Sept. 13, 1920. The Federal Suffrage Amendment was declared to be adopted on August 26 but there was no way in which the referendum could legally be omitted from the ballot. Therefore on September 13 the women, already having full suffrage, went to the polls to vote on getting partial suffrage and the official count showed 88,080 ayes, 30,462 noes.
RATIFICATION. Governor Milliken called a special session of the Legislature for November, 1919. In his message he recommended the ratification of the Federal Amendment in the strongest possible manner, saying that if only one woman in Maine wanted to vote she should have the chance. The anti-suffrage forces of the entire country were concentrated on Maine at this time to prevent ratification and it was with the greatest difficulty that a movement to postpone action until the regular session was defeated. The amendment was ratified in the Senate on November 4 by 24 ayes, 5 noes; in the House on November 5 by 72 ayes, 68 noes. After the vote was taken an attempt to reconsider was made but was unsuccessful.
The same Legislative Committee of women that had charge of the Presidential bill had charge of the ratification.
At the annual convention of the State Suffrage a.s.sociation in Portland in October, 1919, it was voted to hold a School for Citizens.h.i.+p at Bates College in August, 1920. Mrs. George M. Chase was made chairman of the Committee of Arrangements and the work was largely carried out by Miss Rosamond Connor, 100 women from many parts of the State attending and deriving much benefit. Mrs. Nancy M. Schoonmaker was the princ.i.p.al instructor. At a meeting of the a.s.sociation in Augusta on November 12 it was merged into the League of Women Voters with Miss Mabel Connor as chairman.
Suffrage work in Maine was carried on for many years in the face of the greatest obstacles but there was always a small group of devoted women willing to make any sacrifice for the cause, who carried the torch until another group could take it, and every step gained was fought for. The history would be incomplete without mention of the Portland Equal Franchise League, of which Mrs. Arthur L. Bates was president, which for many years was the backbone of the State a.s.sociation. The list of State officers who freely gave their services is too long to publish. Among other prominent workers not already mentioned were Dr. Jennie Fuller of Hartland; Mrs. Zenas Thompson and Miss Susan Clark of Portland; Mrs. Isabel Greenwood of Farmington; Miss Anna L. Dingley and Miss Alice Frost Lord, connected with the Lewiston _Journal_.[72]
Among the men not mentioned elsewhere, who advocated woman suffrage in the face of criticism and with no advantage to be gained, were Judge William Penn Whitehouse and Obadiah Gardner of Augusta; Leonard A.