Volume VI Part 62 (1/2)

Senate to take favorable action on the Federal Amendment was introduced but it did not come out of committee. The Hon. William Jennings Bryan stopped over trains to pay his respects to Governor Westmoreland Davis. He was escorted to the Capitol by members of the Equal Suffrage League and made a brief address to the a.s.sembly in joint recess, urging ratification of the Federal Amendment if submitted in time for action at this session.[193]

RATIFICATION. The Legislature a.s.sembled August 13, 1919, in special session for the purpose of meeting the federal appropriation for good roads. The Federal Suffrage Amendment having been submitted to the Legislatures for ratification on June 4 was due to be presented by the Governor. As the special session had been called specifically for good roads, the State Equal Suffrage League intended to await the regular session of 1920 to press for action but to test the legislators a questionnaire was sent to them. Answers proved that it would be well-nigh impossible to obtain ratification at this time, even though substantial pet.i.tions from all sections of the State were shown to men representing the localities from which these came. Spurred on, however, by efforts of the National Woman's Party to secure action at any cost, the opponents succeeded in having a Rejection Resolution railroaded through the House without debate ten minutes before adjournment in the second week of the session. The Senate refused to sanction such tactics and by 19 to 15 voted to postpone action until the next session.

1920. The State league's committee on ratification was composed of Mrs. Valentine, Miss Clark, Mrs. Bosher, Mrs. Jobson, Miss Houston and Miss Mary Elizabeth Pidgeon.[194] Miss Josephine Miller, an organizer for the National a.s.sociation, was sent into the State toward the end of the campaign. There were in the two Houses 61 new members who had been elected since the Federal Amendment was submitted. Very strong pressure to ratify was made upon the General a.s.sembly. President Wilson sent an earnest appeal and others came from Homer c.u.mmings, chairman of the National Democratic Committee; A. Mitch.e.l.l Palmer, U.

S. Attorney General; Carter Gla.s.s, U. S. Treasurer; U. S.

Representative C. C. Carlin and other prominent Democrats. Thousands of telegrams were sent from women throughout the southern States. A cablegram came from Lady Astor, M. P. of Great Britain, a Virginian.

Urgent requests for ratification were made by presidents of colleges, mayors of cities, State and county officials and other eminent citizens.

Before the Governor had even sent the certified copy of the amendment to the Legislature its strongest opponent, Senator Leedy, also an opponent of the administration at Was.h.i.+ngton, introduced a Rejection Resolution couched in the same obnoxious terms he had used in August.

By urgent advice of the leaders he finally omitted some of its most offensive adjectives. It was presented in the House by Representative Ozlin and referred to the Federal Relations Committee, which granted a hearing. On the preceding evening Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National Suffrage a.s.sociation, addressed a ma.s.s meeting held by the Equal Suffrage League in the Jefferson Hotel. The hearing was held before a joint session of the Senate and House in the Hall of Delegates at noon on January 21. Some of Virginia's foremost citizens spoke for ratification, among them Allan Jones, member of the State Democratic Committee; Roswell Page, State auditor and a brother of the Hon. Thomas Nelson Page; U. S. Representatives Thomas Lomax Hunter and Howard Cecil Gilmer; J. B. Saul, chairman of the Roanoke County Democratic Committee; former Senator Keezel; Dr. Lyon G. Tyler. The women speakers were Mrs. Catt, Mrs. Valentine, president, and Mrs.

John H. Lewis, vice-president of the State Suffrage League, and Mrs.

Kate Waller Barrett.[195]

Notwithstanding this very able presentation the Federal Relations Committee reported the Rejection Resolution favorably. On the floor Lindsay Gordon of Louisa county subst.i.tuted a Ratification Resolution and Harry Rew of Accomac a subst.i.tute to refer ratification to the voters. The latter carried on January 27 by a vote of 55 to 39, supported by Representatives Gordon, Willis of Roanoke, Williams of Fairfax, Hunter of Stafford, Rodgers, J. W. Story, Wilc.o.x of Richmond, Snead of Chesterfield and H. W. Anderson, Republican floor leader.

The battle front now s.h.i.+fted to the Senate, where, owing to illness of the chief suffrage proponent, G. Walter Mapp, consideration had been postponed. On February 6, the day finally set, proceedings were similar to those in the House, Senator E. Lee Trinkle's ratification resolution and Senator Gravatt's referendum being respectively subst.i.tuted for Leedy's rejection. The referendum, under Leedy's coercive method, was voted down. All day the contest raged on the ratification resolution, with strong speeches in favor by Senators Trinkle of Wythe, Corbitt of Portsmouth, Paul of Rockingham, Layman of Craig, West of Nansemond, Parsons of Grayson. Supporting the measure by vote were also Senators Crockett, Haslinger and Profitt; and pairing in favor Pendleton and Gravatt. The Ratifying Resolution was defeated. The Rejection Resolution was adopted by 24 to 10 votes; in the House by 16 to 22.

One week later the resolution of Senator J. E. West to submit to the voters a woman suffrage amendment to the State const.i.tution pa.s.sed the Senate by 28 ayes, 11 noes; the House by 67 ayes, 10 noes; as it would have to pa.s.s the Legislature of 1921 and ratification of the Federal Amendment was almost completed, this vote was merely an empty compliment. A few days thereafter the Qualifications Bill, offered by Senator Mapp, was overwhelmingly adopted, Senate, 30 ayes, 6 noes; House, 64 ayes, 17 noes. It made full provisions for the voting of women if the Federal Amendment should be ratified.

FOOTNOTES:

[190] The History is indebted for this chapter to Mrs. Edith Clark Cowles, Executive and Press Secretary; Miss Adele Clark, Legislative Chairman, and Miss Ida Mae Thompson, Headquarters Secretary of the State Equal Suffrage League.

[191] From year to year delegates from the Equal Suffrage League went to the State political conventions, asking for an endors.e.m.e.nt of woman suffrage. The Republicans, the minority party, always received them courteously and a few times put the plank in their platform. The Democrats always treated them with discourtesy and never endorsed woman suffrage in any way until 1920, when they ”commended the action of the General a.s.sembly in pa.s.sing the Qualifications Bill contingent upon the ratification and proclamation of the 19th Amendment.”

[192] There were very few changes in officers during the eleven years of the league's existence. The list was as follows: Honorary vice-presidents, Miss Mary Johnston, Miss Ellen Glasgow.

Vice-presidents: Mrs. Kate Waller Barrett, Mrs. Louise Collier Willc.o.x, Mrs. C. V. Meredith, Mrs. T. Todd Dabney, Mrs. W. J. Adams, Mrs. John H. Lewis, Miss Nannie Davis, Mrs. Stephen Putney, Mrs. Kate Langley Bosher, Mrs. J. Allen Watts, Mrs. W. T. Yancey, Mrs. C. E.

Townsend, Mrs. W. W. King, Mrs. J. H. Whitner, Mrs Faith W. Morgan, Mrs. Robert Barton; secretaries, Mrs. Alice M. Tyler, Miss Adele Clark, Mrs. Grace H. Smithdeal, Miss Roberta Wellford, Miss Lucinda Lee Terry; treasurers: Mrs. C. P. Cadot, Mrs. E. G. Kidd; auditors: Mrs. John S. Munce, Mrs. Henry Aylett Sampson, Mrs. S. M. Block.

[193] By act of the General a.s.sembly of 1918 women were admitted to William and Mary College. They were admitted to the graduate and professional schools of the University of Virginia by act of the Board of Visitors in 1920.

[194] Miss Pidgeon was appointed by the National a.s.sociation in November, 1919, for organization to prepare for ratification of the Federal Suffrage Amendment. After its defeat the next February she continued until June 15, organizing citizens.h.i.+p schools throughout the State. The expense to the a.s.sociation was $1,792.

[195] The next day, after Mrs. Catt had returned to New York, Harry St. George Tucker appeared before the Legislature and ridiculed her and her speech in the most insulting terms. In 1921 Mr. Tucker was a candidate for Governor and was defeated at the primaries by Senator E.

Lee Trinkle, whose plurality was 40,000. He had been a strong supporter of woman suffrage and his victory was attributed to the women.

CHAPTER XLVI.

WAs.h.i.+NGTON.[196]

The period from 1900 to 1906 was one of inactivity in State suffrage circles; then followed a vigorous continued campaign culminating in the adoption of a const.i.tutional amendment in 1910 granting to women full political equality. This victory, so gratifying to the women of Was.h.i.+ngton, had also an important national aspect, as it marked the end of the dreary period of fourteen years following the Utah and Idaho amendments in 1895-6, during which no State achieved woman suffrage.

The Legislature of 1897 had submitted an amendment for which a brilliant campaign was made by the Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation under the able leaders.h.i.+p of its president, Mrs. Homer M. Hill of Seattle, but it was defeated at the November election of 1898. The inevitable reaction followed for some years. Three State presidents were elected, Dr. Nina Jolidon Croake of Tacoma, 1900-1902, elected at the Seattle convention; Dr. Luema Greene Johnson of Tacoma, 1902-1904, elected at the Tacoma convention; Dr. Fannie Leake c.u.mmings of Seattle, 1904-1906, elected at a meeting in Puyallup at which only five persons were present, the small suffrage club here being the only one surviving in the State. Dr. c.u.mmings, aided by Mrs. Elizabeth Palmer Spinning of Puyallup, State treasurer for many years, and Mrs. Ellen S. Leckenby of Seattle, State secretary, kept the suffrage torch from being extinguished. Mrs. Leckenby held office continuously throughout twelve years.

The revival of interest plainly seen after 1906 was due to the impetus given through the initiative of Mrs. Emma Smith DeVoe, who with her husband, John Henry DeVoe, had recently come from Harvey, Ills., and established a new home. Mrs. DeVoe was a life-long suffrage worker who had served many years in many States with Susan B. Anthony and also was a national organizer. She began by calling on individual suffragists and suggesting that Was.h.i.+ngton was a hopeful State for a campaign and aroused so much interest that in November a large and enthusiastic convention met at Seattle. Dr. c.u.mmings presided and inspiring addresses were given by A. W. McIntyre of Everett, formerly Governor of Colorado; Miss Ida Agnes Baker of the Bellingham State Normal School; Miss Adella M. Parker of the Seattle Broadway High School and Professor J. Allen Smith of the University of Was.h.i.+ngton.

Mrs. DeVoe was elected president.

Conventions were held at Seattle in 1907, 1908 and 1909, Mrs. DeVoe being re-elected each time. By June, 1909, there were 2,000 paid members of the State a.s.sociation and afterwards, many thousands of men and women were enrolled. The executive committee decided upon a campaign to amend the State const.i.tution for woman suffrage and Mrs.

DeVoe was made manager and given authority to conduct it according to her own judgment. No other convention or executive committee meeting was held, only frequent informal conferences, until after the vote was taken on November 8, 1910. The final executive committee meeting was held at Seattle in January, 1911, when it was voted to continue the a.s.sociation until all bills were paid and then disband. It was decided to present the large silken banner ”Votes for Women” to the next State having a campaign and it went to California the following year. The unfinished business was completed by the old officers, Mrs. DeVoe, Mrs. Leckenby and Dr. Eaton.[197]

CAMPAIGN. After the defeat of 1898 no amendment came before the Legislature for eleven years, nor was there any legislation on woman suffrage until a resolution to submit to the voters an amendment to the State const.i.tution giving full suffrage was presented to the session of 1909. It was drafted by Senator George F. Cotterill of Seattle, a radical suffragist, after many conferences with Mrs. DeVoe, and was introduced, strangely enough, by Senator George U. Piper of Seattle, an able politician and a friend of the liquor interests, in honor of his dead mother, who had been ardently in favor of woman suffrage. It was presented in the House by Representative T. J. Bell of Tacoma. The State a.s.sociation rented a house in Olympia for headquarters and Mrs. DeVoe spent all her time at the Capitol, a.s.sisted by many of its members, who came at different times from over the State to interview their Representatives and Senators. The work was conducted so skilfully and quietly that no violent opposition of material strength was developed. The resolution pa.s.sed the House January 29 by 70 ayes, 18 noes; the Senate February 23 by 30 ayes, 9 noes, and was approved by Governor Marion E. Hay on February 25.