Volume VI Part 37 (1/2)

Out of the 240 precincts in the State every one that had ten votes in it was canva.s.sed and open air or hall meetings held before election.

More than 180 were organized, each with a woman leader, who, with her committee, ”picketed the polls” every hour during election day, handing out the final appeal to give women a square deal by voting for the amendment. The suffrage map showing Nevada as the last ”black spot” in the West was printed in every newspaper and on every leaflet, put up in public places and on large banners hung in the streets.

The amendment received the largest proportionate vote for woman suffrage on record. Reno and Washoe county, as had been antic.i.p.ated, went against it by a majority that was brought down to 600. Of the remaining fifteen counties, three others, the oldest in the State--Ormsby, Storey and Eureka--also defeated the amendment, but the favorable majorities of the other northern counties and the staunch support of the miners in the south won the victory. Esmeralda, a mining county and one of the largest in population, gave a majority for the amendment in every precinct. Out of 18,193 votes cast on it, it had a majority in favor of 3,679, and Nevada gave its leverage on Congress for the Federal Amendment.

At the annual convention of the State Equal Franchise Society in Reno in February, 1915, the Nevada Woman's Civic League was formed as its successor. It continued an affiliated member of the National American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, pledged to support the Federal Amendment.

Its object was to meet a general demand of the newly enfranchised women for information about the wise use of the ballot.

FOOTNOTES:

[112] The History is indebted for this chapter to Mrs. O. H. Mack, vice-president of the State Equal Franchise Society.

[113] Charter members besides those already mentioned were Mrs. J. E.

Stubbs, J. D. Layman, C. A. Jacobson, Mrs. Jennie Blanche Taylor, Mrs.

Julia F. Bender, J. E. Church, Miss Laura de Laguna, Grant Miller, Miss Kate Bardenwerper, Mrs. W. H. Hood, Mrs. Orr, Mrs. Boyd, Mrs.

George McKenzie, Mrs. May Gill.

[114] The History is indebted for this sketch to Miss B. M. Wilson, vice-president of the State Equal Franchise Society during the campaign, 1912-1914.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

NEW HAMPs.h.i.+RE.[115]

There has been a woman suffrage a.s.sociation in New Hamps.h.i.+re since 1868 with some of the State's most eminent men and women among its members. In 1900 it took on new life when the New England a.s.sociation, with headquarters in Boston, sent Mrs. Susan S. Fessenden to speak and organize. In 1901 Miss Mary N. Chase of Andover spent a month forming societies and a conference was held at Manchester in December, addressed by Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, and Henry B. and Miss Alice Stone Blackwell, editors of the _Woman's Journal_.

In 1902 the National Board engaged Miss Chase as organizer for a month. A State Suffrage a.s.sociation was formed with seven auxiliary clubs and the following officers were elected: President, Miss Chase, honorary president, Mrs. Armenia S. White, Concord; honorary vice-presidents, ex-U. S. Senator Henry W. Blair, U. S. Senator Jacob H. Gallinger; vice-president, Miss Elizabeth S. Hunt, Manchester; secretary, Miss Mary E. Quimby, Concord; treasurer, the Rev. Angelo Hall, Andover; auditors, Miss Caroline R. Wendell, Dover; Sherman E.

Burroughs (afterwards member of Congress), Manchester.

A convention met in Concord December 2 to revise the State const.i.tution and on the 4th Captain Arthur Thompson of Warner offered an amendment which struck out the word ”male” from the suffrage clause. A hearing on it was granted on the 9th and Mrs. Catt and Mr.

and Miss Blackwell addressed the convention. After long discussion by the delegates it was voted on the 11th, by 145 to 92 that this amendment should be submitted to the voters with the revised const.i.tution in March, 1903. The State suffrage convention was held in December at the time the hearing took place. The officers of the State a.s.sociation did a great deal of work before the const.i.tutional convention met to influence its action. Miss Chase spoke 103 times before the local Granges, an important factor in State politics. Miss Quimby circularized the delegates, prepared a leaflet of opinions from prominent citizens and aided in securing a pet.i.tion of 2,582.

In January, 1903, Mrs. Catt came and took charge of the campaign, remaining until the vote was taken in March. Others from outside who gave their services without pay, speaking throughout the State, were Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, vice-president of the National a.s.sociation; Mrs.

J. Ellen Foster, Mrs. Harriot Stanton Blatch, Mrs. Mary D. Fiske, Mrs.

Priscilla D. Hackstaff, Mrs. Maud Wood Park and Mrs. Mary E. Craigie.

The National a.s.sociation contributed $3,255 to the campaign and various States sent generous donations. Among the New Hamps.h.i.+re speakers were Captain Arthur Thompson, the Rev. Charles W. Ca.s.son (Unitarian) of Milford; the Hon. Oliver E. Branch of Manchester; the Hon. Clarence E. Carr of Andover. Miss Chase continued her work among the Granges, addressing thirty-seven. Miss Quimby circularized 87,000 voters. Mrs. White gave the headquarters in Concord. Seventy-five ministers preached sermons in favor of the amendment.

So much interest was aroused that the opponents wrote for Dr. Lyman Abbott of New York to come to Concord. Among the signers of the letter were former Governor Nahum Batchelder of Andover; Judge Edgar Aldrich of the district court of Littleton; Winston Churchill of Cornish; Irving W. Drew of Lancaster and George H. Moses of Concord.[116] On March 4 Representatives' Hall was packed to hear addresses against the amendment by Miss Emily P. Bissell of Delaware; Mrs. A. J. George of Brookline, Ma.s.s.; Judge David Cross of Manchester and Dr. Abbott. The Concord _Monitor_ of that date in a leading editorial said: ”Through a maudlin sense of false sentiment the const.i.tutional convention sent this question to the people ... and the people will deal with it as it deserves.” On March 5 came the speeches of the suffragists.

Representatives' Hall was even more crowded than before and scores were turned away. The Hon. James O. Lyford of Concord presided and the speakers were Mrs. Catt, Mr. Branch, one of the ablest lawyers in the State, and Henry H. Metcalf of Concord, founder and editor of the _Granite Monthly_. The amendment was submitted to the voters March 10 with the const.i.tution. The votes in favor were 14,162; against, 21,788, lost by 7,626.

During the year the members.h.i.+p of the a.s.sociation more than doubled.

The annual meeting was held in the Unitarian Church, Milford, November 18, 19. In 1904 the National a.s.sociation engaged Miss Chase to do three months' organization work and the members.h.i.+p increased 137 per cent. The annual meeting was held in the Christian Church at Franklin November 14, 15, with addresses by the Rev. Nancy W. Paine Smith (Universalist) of Newfields and other State speakers. On Oct. 30, 31, 1905, the State convention was held at Claremont with Dr. Shaw as the princ.i.p.al speaker. The most important work of the year had been the effort to secure a Munic.i.p.al suffrage bill. Mrs. Mary I. Wood of Portsmouth, president of the State Federation of Women's Clubs, had been the chief speaker at the hearing.

In 1906 the convention was held at Concord, October 30, 31, with addresses by Dr. Shaw, Mrs. Wood, vice-president, and Mrs. Fannie J.

Fernald of Old Orchard, president of the Maine Suffrage a.s.sociation.

Mrs. White, now 89 years old, gave reminiscences of the early days of the suffrage movement. Among the clergymen taking part were the Reverends Edwin W. Bishop (Congregationalist); John Vannevar, D.D.