Volume VI Part 33 (1/2)
1919. Work for Presidential suffrage was continued. Extra pressure was brought to bear on the Senate. Two national organizers, Miss Ames and Miss Alma Sa.s.se, were sent into various senatorial districts to enlist the help of influential people and when the time came for a vote it undoubtedly was favorable pressure from home that kept some of the Senators in line. When the General a.s.sembly convened Jan. 8, 1919, Governor Gardner recommended such suffrage legislation as the women might desire. Through the courtesy of Lieutenant Governor Crossley, President of the Senate, and S. F. O'Fallon, Speaker of the House, it was the first bill introduced.
On February 6 the Presidential bill was put on the calendar over the adverse report of the Election Committee, an action almost without precedent. On the 11th the Speaker left the chair and delivered a powerful address urging its pa.s.sage. Representative Frank Farris also made a strong speech in its favor and the final vote was 122 ayes, 8 noes. The opposition used every device to prevent it from being brought up for the final reading in the Senate but finally the time was set for March 28. On that date two of the Senators favoring it were absent and their votes were absolutely necessary. Senator David W. Stark was at his home in Westline and Senator Howard Gray had been called on important business to Caruthersville. On the 27th Mrs.
Miller, Mrs. O'Neil, Mrs. Haight and Miss Ames, who had been in Jefferson City for over three months, met for final consultation.
Senator Stark responded to a telephone call and promised to be in his seat the next morning. It was found it would be impossible for Senator Gray to arrive on time. They were in despair but a savior was at hand.
Democratic National Committeeman Edward F. Goltra offered to charter a special train to bring Senator Gray, a Republican, to Jefferson City in time to cast his vote. This offer was gladly and gratefully accepted and the Senator left Caruthersville that night. The next morning all the other Senators were in their seats, the opposition complacent and confident that the bill could not pa.s.s. While Senator McKnight was reading a telegram from the National Suffrage Convention in session at St. Louis urging the immediate pa.s.sage of the Presidential suffrage bill Senator Gray quietly walked in and took his seat! The opposition, out-witted and out-generaled, threw up their hands and the bill was pa.s.sed by a vote of 21 to 12, some of its former opponents voting for it. On April 5 in the presence of the board of the State a.s.sociation it was signed by Governor Gardner.
FOOTNOTES:
[102] The History is indebted for this chapter to Miss Marie R.
Garesche, a founder and first vice-president of the St. Louis Equal Suffrage League.
[103] Thirteen men were enrolled this year, Eugene Angert, George Blackman, R. W. Boysselier, Dr. W. W. Boyd, Mr. Chauvenet, E. M.
Grossman, Charles Haanel, Stephen Hart, Charles Van d.y.k.e Hill, Dr.
John C. Morfit, H. J. Peifer, Judge R. E. Rombauer and Percy Werner.
[104] Because of lack of s.p.a.ce it has been impossible to include the long lists of names prepared of women who worked all over the State.
CHAPTER XXV.
MONTANA.[105]
Before 1900 the National American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, under the presidency of Miss Susan B. Anthony, helped to organize suffrage societies in Montana and several conventions were held. In 1899 Dr.
Maria M. Dean was elected president. She was succeeded by Mrs. Clara B. Tower, whose report to the national suffrage convention of 1903 said:
On May 1, 1902, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, National president, Miss Gail Laughlin and Miss Laura A. Gregg, organizers, arrived in Helena and in conjunction with the State officers planned a campaign to include a meeting in every town of any importance.
Mrs. Catt re-organized the Helena Suffrage Club and remained two weeks, conducting a large correspondence, addressing all the women's organizations in the city and a ma.s.s meeting. Miss Laughlin spent these two weeks in b.u.t.te, where she spoke to a number of labor unions and obtained resolutions strongly endorsing woman suffrage from the Silver Bow Trades and Labor a.s.sembly, a delegate body representing 10,000 men. Mrs. Catt then went to b.u.t.te and for ten days she and Miss Laughlin delivered addresses before the princ.i.p.al organizations of the city, among which were the Woman's Club and the Trades Council. Their visit closed with a ma.s.s meeting at which a large number of names were secured for members.h.i.+p in the Equal Suffrage Club, which was organized immediately afterward. The campaign was then placed in charge of Miss Laughlin, who did the field work, and Miss Gregg, who arranged the dates from the headquarters in Helena. The speaking before labor unions was continued through the State and not a union or delegate body of laboring men failed to endorse woman suffrage. Miss Laughlin, by invitation, addressed the State labor convention, representing all the labor unions, and resolutions strongly endorsing woman suffrage and the submission of an amendment were pa.s.sed with only one dissenting voice on a roll-call vote.
Miss Laughlin spent the summer and fall visiting every town of importance, organizing more than thirty clubs, and securing committees to circulate pet.i.tions where organization was impracticable. The State convention was held in b.u.t.te in September in preparation for work in the Legislature during January and February, 1903, for submission to the voters of a woman suffrage amendment to the State const.i.tution, which had been strongly recommended by Governor Toole in his Message. A considerable sum was raised for press work and Miss Mary E.
O'Neill was appointed superintendent. A resolution asking the National a.s.sociation for the services of Miss Laughlin for legislative work was adopted and she remained.[106]
The bill for full suffrage was introduced in both Houses; public hearings were granted by the Judiciary Committee of each and the House took a recess that its members might attend in a body. Miss Laughlin and others spoke and the measure had strong advocates in Dr. O. M.
Lanstrum, J. M. Kennedy, John Maginness, Colonel James U. Sanders, F.
Augustus Heinze (the copper magnate), Colonel C. B. Nolan, State Senators Whipple, Myers and Johnson. State officers and members of the Helena Club a.s.sisted in the legislative work, which continued two months. The vote in the House was 41 ayes, 23 noes, but two-thirds were necessary. The resolution introduced in the Senate by H. L.
Sherlock was also defeated.
At the session of 1905 the amendment resolution was again introduced and Mrs. Tower travelled from Boston to be present at the hearing.
Mrs. J. M. Lewis, Mrs. Walter Matheson and Miss O'Neill addressed the committees but the vote was adverse.
For a number of years little was done except in a desultory way. The suffrage resolution was presented at almost every session of the Legislature but there was no intensive work for it. Some of the political equality clubs lived on, the strongest one in Missoula with J. Was.h.i.+ngton McCormick president and Miss Jeannette Rankin vice-president. In 1911 Dr. J. M. Donahue had introduced the suffrage resolution in the Legislature but no work had been done for it and this club sent Miss Rankin to Helena to press for its pa.s.sage. It found champions in Colonel J. B. Nolan, W. W. Berry and D. G. O'Shea and opponents in James E. McNally and Joseph Binnard. Miss Rankin obtained permission to address the House. The Senate refused to attend officially but adjourned and was present almost in a body.
House members brought flowers and the room resembled anything but a legislative hall, as ma.s.ses of hats hid the legislators and people were banked in the doorways. Miss Rankin was escorted to the reading desk by a number of old-time suffragists, Dr. Dean, Dr. At.w.a.ter, Mrs.
Sanders, Mrs. Mary Long Alderson and Miss May Murphy. As Representative Binnard was the strongest opponent he was delegated by the members to present Miss Rankin with a corsage bouquet of violets.
He made a flowery speech and attempted to turn the meeting into a facetious affair but when Miss Rankin spoke his purpose was defeated and she received much applause. The bill was, however, reported out of the committee without recommendation and neither House took any action.
At the State Fairs of 1911 and 1912 the suffragists erected attractive booths, giving out suffrage literature and b.u.t.tons to all pa.s.sers-by.
They were in charge of Ida Auerbach, Frieda Fligelman and Grace Rankin Kinney. In 1912 a State Central Committee was formed with Miss Rankin as temporary chairman and Miss Auerbach as temporary secretary. Later Mrs. Grace Smith was made treasurer. The first meeting was called in the studio of Miss Mary C. Wheeler of Helena. These women attended the State conventions of the Republican, Democratic and Progressive parties and succeeded in getting planks in their platforms for a suffrage amendment to the State const.i.tution. Then all nominees were circularized and asked to stand by their party platforms. Miss Rankin went over the State quietly, stopping in every county seat and searching out women willing to work. She secured the consent of Thomas Stout to introduce the bill at the next session.