The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-08
Woman Suffrage Amendment
Passes in the House.
Vote One Sided and Stood "a to
%.
HALL WAS PACKED.
Opposition Proves Even Weaker
Than Anticipated.
Mercer Makes Intellectual Effort
to Rally Forces.

At the house session last night to
consider the women's suffrage resolu-
ton it looked for awhile as though all
the members had turned rabbit under
the pressure brought to bear and the
influence exerted by the presence Nf
about five hundred SuffragetteS pres
ent in the hall. At any rate the OPP
position was weak and ineffective. The
resolution had been read by section
and passed by sections and Robert
Stone, the chairman, was about to put
the motion to recommend the resolu-
ton for passage when Joe Mercer of
Chase county got up to speak against
the measure. The resolution passed by
the necessary two-thirds majority of
"a with ten votes to spare. Only TWEEN
ty-eight members voted against the
equal suffrage scheme. The vote stood
81 to %.
Probably the largest crowd ever
gathered in representative hall was
present when the house went into
committee of the whole at 1880 and
Speaker Buchanan called Stone Of
Shawnee to the chair. The women had
worked hard all week and had the men
lined up in good shape. Platform
promises were forgotten by the mem
bers of both parties and the suffrage
question was given precedence over all
the threatened dangers of the state and
their remedie5.
The women not only filled the aisles
and spaces of the hall and sat with the
members but they camped over the
speakers desk and stood on the steps
leading up to that throne and the over
flow submerged the reading clerks
desk.
The house members appeared to be
on the verge of panic when Mercer
stepped into the breach and talked
against the resolution. Joe knew of
no good reason why the women should
be allowed to vote and brave man that
he is he boldly said so. He had not in
tended to speak against the resolution,
he said, but did not want to spoil the
fun for the spectators.
Case of Dickinson arose to ask a
question. He wanted to know If Mercer
had received the petition sent from
Chase county by Mrs. Mercer and 500
other women asking suffrage. Mercer
had seen this petition, but he did not
think that his indifference to its plead
ing would cause any trouble in the
Mercer family. "It seems to me-" said
Mercer, that these 125 members are
stampeded."
When Case got up a moment later to
speak for the resolution Mercer turned
the laugh by asking him if it was not
fact that ne had opposed the equal
suffrage two years ago when his wife
was here with him and that now that
his wife was visiting in the east he
had veered around the other way. Case
explained this by declaring that he had
seen the error of his ways
Williams of Logan, the ex-preacher,
made a lengthy speech for the resolu-
ton. He had been selected by the
women to lead the fight. His address
was a mastery effort that held the at
tention OF the house. He quoted freely
from the scriptures to prove women
should be given the right to vote.
Of TAI nd
sides Mercer, he was the only member
who had the nerve to raise his voice
against the resolution. Ellis went back
four thousand years in his quotations
and reeited more from the scriptures
than the preacher who had preceded
him. In the course of his remarks he
urged the men to marry all the state
house girls in the interest of home
building. 1.-THE sorriest day that ever
happened to woman" he said, twill
be that day that she is given suffrage"
Boyd of Republic, that old timer
who spoke for suffrage two and four
years ago in the legislature, was there
again last night with a red hot talk
for the women. Boyd is an old SOL
der of the Civil war, bur he still has
the pep" when the debate in the
house touches upon some subject in
which he is interested.
Davis of Gray spoke for suffrage.
He thought that a boy following a
leading pug dog. In fact. he thought
1t was the greater evil. Davis evident
ly does not use tobacco in any form.
Cassin of Crawford was for the reso-
luton. One Of his reasons for this
stand was, 81 have six daughters, and
I know that If they are given the bal
lot will be sure of six votes when I
run for office again.
Veatch of Washington closed the
debate for the women. He claimed
100 votes for the resolution and the
roll call showed that he was a good
guesser.
Most of the members explained their
votes on the roll call. But Wester-
man. who voted for the resolution, de-
clared that his wife was opposed to
suffrage and that she had told him
that IL he could not attend to the poll
tics for that family she would get a
man who could. Then he proceeded
by his vote to acknowledge that he
could not handle the question alone,
What will Mrs. Westerman do when
she reads the roll call vote on the suf-
frage resolution?
The suffrage resolution must go be-
fore the senate for consideration be-
fore it can be checked up to the peo-
pie at the next election. There are sin
legislature and only three can be
chosen for presentation to the voters
of the state.
The following is the roll call vote in
the house on the motion to adopt the
equal suffrage resolution:
For-Abrams, Alexander, Armstrong
Barrett, Barrier, Beachey, Bentley
Block, Boyd, Brown of Linn, Brown al
Butler. Brown of Kingman, Burke
Punger, Burtis, Cain, Carney, Carnahan
Cassin, Case, Cones, Cron, Davenport
Davis Of Bourbon, Davis of Ottawa
Davis OF Sedgwick, Davis of Edwards
Davis OF Kfowa, Davis of Gray, Dea.
con, Don Carlos, Drew, Elder Fair
Field Gray, Goddard Taslet Herr
Hines, Holden, Johnson, Keene Kerr
Kyle, Lacey, Laidlaw, Lambertson
Lawson, Mahuria, Maloy, Manchester
Matson Mccormick McComb, Nc.
Dannald McGregor. Mcmillan, Meek
Miller. Moore, Napier. Newlin, Olinger
Ostlind, Parrot, Phillips, Reader
Reardon, Schafer, Schaumburg. Sharp
less. Shearer, Shuey, Stone of Shawnee
Stone of Sherman THOMPSON Thorpe