The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-10
WOMEN WON IT..
Their Battle for Suffrage Car
ries in the House.
Sharpest Debate of Session
Precedes the Vote.
HACKNEY TOTHE FRONT
BeIlicOse Statesman From Cow
ley Led the Anti Forces.
Proposes an Amendment of
Amusing Nature.
Final Vote ON the Question Was
SIS to so.

~ ~
With only two votes to spare over a
constitutional majority of GO, the bill
giving the women of Kansas the right
to vote in presidential elections passed
the house at 4:45 Thursday afternoon
There were IS votes for the bill, so
against it and 10 absentees.
In all respects the afternoons enter
tainment provided by the house for the
big crowd of spectators was up to the
advance notices. 1t started off prompt
ly at 2:3O with a burst of fireworks by
Bill" Hackney, swung quickly around
into a regular hammer-and-tongs de-
bate by some of the best speakers in
the house, was illuminated by sharp
clash of a personal nature between
! Plummer and Robinett, and was sent
smashing through a final vote over the
objections of some of the members who
wanted to adjourn. AS q grand finale,
the roll call was interspersed with Tex
plantations in which the wives and
mothers of the members were called to
witness the vote, and which swung
back and forth in the balance so close
ly that the result was in doubt until
the last five names were called. At one
time, when the roll call was about two
thirds completed, the vote was tie;
then dozen men, one after another
voted for the bill, and this was what
saved it.
The members voted as follows:
For the bill-Adair, Banks, Benson
Bergman, Brady, Briefly, Brown of
Sherman, Clark of Jefferson, Clark of
Davidson, Eddy, Elstun, Fisher, Glass
cock, Grass, Guyer, Hamersly, Harri-
son, Haskins. Hildreth, HoIdren, Jones
Of Norton, Jones of Trego. Kerns, Kirt-4
land al,
thews, Mcbride, Afiley, Montee, Morgan,
Murphy, Nelson, Orr, DISTANT. Pawling,
Phenecie, Plumb, Roger. Rochester,
RObinett, Schermerhorn. Seaver. Sim
mons, Skinner. Sourbeer. Stannard
Steckel, Sticher, Stober. Stout, Tread
way, Trigg, Turner. West, White Will
son. Young and Stubbs-65.
Against the bill-Adams, ALBANIAN,
Archer. Beekman, Beeson, Bird, Boggs.
Brandon, Brown of Brown, Creech
CrocAer, Curran, Farris. Fieser Fraser.
Hackney, Hall. Holden, Howerton,
Hulett Husey. HuSsey Kinriisons Lam
Myers. Olhausen, Osweiler. ,Perdue,
Peter, Policy, Pomeroys Potts, Plum
mer. Praile. Pringle.s Ransom. Rhodes. 1
Richards, Roush, Schmidt Tannehi1l !
off-50
observation-disclosures. Burke. Ewell, |
Goebel, Ham. Jeffries. Josserand, Nc
Gillivaray. Stone and Taylor-10.
AAODl1StIS sharp I(etOrf.
When the debate was drawing to a |
close, Robinett got. the floor and amid |
considerable protest, and numerous
calls for question" endeavored to !
make a few remarks in support of the |
bill.
viii the gentleman from Wyandotte |
permit a question - interrupted Plum |
mer of Jefferson.
Yes, if you will permit one in re-
turn" answered Robinett, who had /
been discussing the advantage of fav- I
ing women vote in elections involving /
the enforcement of the prohibitory law.
Who was it, said PIummer that |
put the prohibitory laws on the statute |
books, the men or the women?'
In answer to the gentleman shot !
back RObinett holly. Let me ask this
question: the gentleman from Jefferson
said in his speech that he was afraid
women would be dragged down and /
polluted if they should get into politics
and m1nSle with the filthy politicians;
how does he explain his conduct as a
member of the committee on house en-
ployes in getting his sister-in-Iaw a
job in the telephone room of the house
of representatives -
The members of the house and the
spectators cheered and howled at this
retort; there was so much racket that
Plum I'M could not say anything in re-
ply and he probably had nothing to say.
Hackney's Amendment.
w. r. Hackney, of Cowley did not
delay the opening of hostilities after
the suffrage bill had been read. He in
troduced the following amendment:
Man and wife are one Cor ought to
be-. The wife is not fitted to perform
the duties or functions devolving upon
the husband Her duties are domestic,
social moral, spiritual and religious.
His are military, governmental, politi-
cal, financial, commercial and indus
trial. AS between husband and wife
let there be divisions of labor as indica-
ted by nature If all husbands and
wives vote the same ticket nothing is
gained, the result is the same, a waste
of time, trouble and expense But if
other, trouble begins, the devil of con-
tention enters their Garden of Eden,
and marriage is robbed of its sweetness
and glory. The demolition of marriage
will be result, and what is gained?
All loss, no gain.
Therefore, Be it enacted by the leg
islature Of the state of Kansas:
Section l. That section 642 of the
general statutes of Kansas, 1901, enti-
tied, An act comforting upon women
the right to vote at city elections and
to hold certain Offices be, and the same
is, hereby repealed"
Bert Stec1el, of Barton, said the
amendment was absurd and ought to be
buried The women sent him a huge
bunch of red roses tied with yellow rib
bons as compliment to his stand
Then West of Edwards declared that
God has intended women TO vote, ana
he proposed TO do all he could 10 carr7y
out the ideas of the Almighty
E. K. Robinett of Wyandotte said:
Taxation without representation: that
IS the essence of a denial of the ballot
to women. I watched the city nri-
mary election at nv town of Kansas
City, and I took pains to notice what
part the women took. / found the
wives Of doctors, the wives of lawyers,
the wives of school professors were
in the front rank of the voters and
workers in that election. They will
tell you that the women who want
re faa old -