The morning call., 1895-02-07
WOMEN AFTER VOTES.
They Crowded the House to
Hear Their Fate.
THE DEMOCRATS OBJECT.
An Amendment to Speneer's Bill
Offered by Reid.
HE WANTED THE WORD MALE USED.
Spencer Defended His Pet on the COnSti.
tutional Ground That People In.
Cluded Women.
HE WANTED THE WORD MALE USED.

chamber was crowded this morning when
Speaker Lynch called the lower House TO
order. The woman suffrage bill, reported
by the Committee on Elections, was oh the
calendar as special order, and the friends
of woman suffrage were out in force. They
were mostly women. When the session be-
gan they had crowded the men out OF
nearly all the seats on the floor, aud many
women were still standing. Then scores
of chairs were brought in, and these were
filled with women, and still many more
were left standing Soon the galleries were
filed. The male habitues OF the gallery
and lobby were driven back and out.
Reid, the Democratic member from Weav-
ervilIe, precipitated the discussion
Hardly had the bill been read when he
brought forward an amendment to Spen-
GERS bill, which introduced the word male
wherever it had been omitted in the bill
under consideration. Reid announced that
he could see no reason for a discussion
upon the constitutionality of the bill. The
members, he thought, had all made up
their minds as to how they should vote,
and he did not want to waste time talking
further
Lit ll1tl1 illOfCl VIC ll1SNlOQS
which was at once seconded by Laugenour,
the leader of the Democratic minority
Pendleton of Los Angeles and Cargiu of
San Benito.
A point of order was raised that Reid
could not make this motion, and at once a
half dozen Democratic members were on
their feet repeating it. But the House was
was wideawake. There was to be no cut
ting off debate. Chairman Lynch put the
question, but before the clerk could get his
roll in order, Spencer Of Lassen, the father
of the threatened bill, was on his feet.
The proposed amendment, he said, had
precipitated the discussion. He intended
making his argument on constitutional
points first. a number of Republicans, he
urged, were standing behind expressed
doubts as to the constitutionality of the
measure as an excuse for not voting for
woman suffrage and carrying out the
pledges of the Republican platform He
was going to show that the bill was so
clearly constitutional that no intelligent
thinking man could shield his opposition
to plank of the platform by such a sub
teffuge.
To-day the question is being asked
What shall we do to prevent election
frauds and wrongs that disfgure and
threaten the safety of our political system?
Let me tell you. Say to the women,
Come and help us put things Alright
The speaker referred at length to the
various counties and States of the Union
wherein women were allowed to vote.
At this iuncture Wade of Napa, who is
opposing the movement, created much sur
prise by asking that as the hour for
adjournment was at hand the matter under
discussion be continued at some other
time. But the chair gently informed the
interrupting member that it was only II 80
o'clock and that there was good hour yet
before him. Wade then subsidized and
Spencer resumed.
The women, he urged, were only asking
what was just and fair. They had been
making steady progress and had never lost
ground.
Bledsoe of Humboldt followed with
the statement that he had doubt re-
garding the constitutionality of the bill
ana believed the Supreme Court should be
allowed to decide the question. He con-
sidered it the duty of every Republican to
vote as his platform had promised.
Bulia of Los Angeles was not going to
offer any argument. He did not think it
necessary after member had promised to
support the Republican platform. Certain
members claimed that they would not vote
for the suffrage bill because they thought
it unconstitutional. Not one in ten had
made exhaustive research of the question
and the action was merely an evasion.
Way down in their hearts they did. not
want women to vote.
"There is not Republican here who was
not elected on a platform promising
women the suffrage. We will not do our
duty as men and Republicans unless we
vote for the bill, - he said.
Cutter of Yolo asserted that not one
woman in fifty in his county wanted to
vote. The Republican platform had been
drafted by Grove L. Johnson aud accepted
as a whole with a hurrah. If the woman
suffrage plank had been voted on ne was
sure it would not have been adopted.
"Not one woman in ten wants to vote"
he urged.
"What do you say to that 25 900 petition
of two years ago?" asked Bulla.
ID SAAeAb "a AHAeS JOAAbJ VI VIC OOllCIl4 W dS
the response. 'When the majority of the
women of California want to vote, 1 will
assent to giving them the suffrage.
"The majority of women would feel de-
graded by having the right of voting
thrust upon them, " he concluded. IT OBJ
ject then to stufing down the threats of
the majority the action demanded by the
minority and make them barter these I'M
desired rights for the positions they now
hold as the queens Of our hearts and our
homes"
The fight of the new woman in the
Assembly to-day was long and fierce. At
first it was too much like the proceedings
of court in which lawyer pleads his
case. But toward the last dinner was for
gotten in the eagerness to hear what ideas
the next speaker had to bring forward, and
an intense interest developed. The result
was not what the suffragists had hoped.
Had their managers succeeded in getting
the bill to a vote to-day it might have
passed, as they counted forty-two votes
and hoped for nine more. Their forty-two
votes would have been sufficient to carry
the bill. Now it is problematical when the
bill will again come up for consideration.
1t was not made the special order for any
day upon adjournment and so is shelyed