The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-09
TWELVE FAVOR
VOTES FOR WOMEN
Interesting Discussion Upon
Suffrage Amendment to
Constitution
SPEAKER BYRD ONE
OF THE DOZEN
Creamer, Chalkley and Mon
tague Address House in
Favor Of Measure; Love
and Banks Oppose


7. christian. Of Mathews: Daniel
Coleman, of Norfolk: James }.
Dreamer. OF Richmond city; y. Henry
Evans, Of Caroline; Hill Montague, OF
Richmond city; Du Val Hadfor0, Of
Bedford; A. Il. Robertson. Of Ice: w.
b. Walton, OF Hanover: William
Watts, OF Roanoke, and Richard Eve
iyn Byrd, OF Frederick.
These dozen men will hereafter be
given high place in the annals Of tho
wornan's suffrage movement Of VIZ
GINA, for they. on yesterday. cart
their votes to submit to the people
of Virginia An amendment to the
Constellation giving the women OF the
State the right to vote on equal terms
with men.
OF the other eighty eight members
Of the House, thiriy.five voted mo"
on the proposal. and three were not
present.
The vote came after an hours dis
cussion. the bill providing for the SUI
frage amendment being the special
order of the day.
ladies Crowd Galleries.
In honor Of the occasion the gall
leries were crowded with Handsomely
dressed ladies. the great majority OF
whom were evidently in sympathy
siastic few were not less vigorous In
Applaudtng the speeches made against
the amendment.
When the hour OF the special order.
1880 o'clock. arrived, MIR. Montague
was given something Of q shower bath,
fguratively speaking. hardly mad ne
risen to eau the attention OF the chair
70 the special order whom Mr.. WI
leroy, OF King william. moved the
f<~saA - a~h
had the motion prevailed. would have
bean to have absolutely cut OF all de-
bate or discussion OF the measure.
Mr.. Montague resented the attitude
| Of the King william man. declaring
| that 1t wus not ordinary courtesy. and
that he took umbrAye at tho act.
The spesker put the motion. but
. tho House WIS determined to treat the
| ladies With rather more gallantry and
, not an aye" was heard. while a
/. chorus OF "nces" caused q smile to
! play over the face OF the Richmond
j.. champion OF the suffrage measure.
Bell Offers Amendment
| At this point Mr.. Bell. ct Culpeper.
/ who ID by the way. ono OF the few
| bachelors In the House, offered an
amendment to the Montague measure
giving to property holding women the
right TO vote on all tax questions and
| also giving them the right to par
ticipate In school elections Mr.. Bell
made strong speech In favor Of
:, the amendment
| He thanked the House for having de-
clined to cut of debate on the ques-
/ ton. He had not introduced the sur
/ frASe measure by request. a. was fire.
/ quently done. he said, but because OF
/, his sense of the justice Of the cause
+, Of the women Of the State. He knew
that the House did not have the
/; time to listen to an extended argu-
ment He desired the House to un-
derstand that the women Of virginia
and the men who were advocating
j the measure were not standing alto
gether alone In the movement. He
i declared that such men ~ former
President Roosevelt and President
Taft had recognised the force behind
the movement. Al q matter OF hu-
man Justice. he declared. the suffrage
should be granted Ia women. The
/ other night the members had listen
ed to the Hon. Woodrow Wilson when
| he had spoken OF the dawn Of . new
| day, when changed conditions re-
! quired q change In tho law and when
| ne had quoted from the bill Of rights
| OF Virginia the indisputable right OF
| tho people 10 CuAu8o I4sdlE b6Wo ~
| meet existing conditions
Who said that women should NOT
| vote:" Mr.. Montague Intercepted
with emphasis. Man alone had limit
| ed the suffrage and It was ct the
(, hands OF man alone that women
/ could receive the right. The Wo-
mans Suffrage League OF Virginia, he
declared. were asking for no strange
| or unwise thing. Many OF the lead
| Ing statesmen of the day had declared
/, that suffrage must inevitably come.
!, For himself he was not Ashamed tU
xtand on the floor OF the House OF
Delegates OF Virginia and ask the
Hoeue to pass the amendment
T He spoke or the progress OF the
last fifty years and declared that with
such progress In view the women
would not be discouraged In their
efforts. He did not altogether know.
| he said, that the gentleman from CUT
pepper INT. BelD had gotten convert
| ed, but he was glad to re him como
| over.
| Not New Moyesnenf.
! He declared that John Stuart Mills.
| the leading iogician Of his time. had
stood In his piAee IN the British Par
| siamSnt In 1891 and advocated votes
! for women and that sixty-three mem-
I pSTH VA thV SO~J ss"N 'o~SN A~s - -
/ that time.
He avowed that nve hundred
| American organisations had endorsed
! the movement In the past few years.
! and that organized lapOr had orn-
/ bodied II In its constitution. He de-
ciared that woman was man's equal
| intellectually. and morally she was
vastly his superior. 1t were = far
/ safer thing to treat woman ~ an
/ equal than. ~ some had said, TO place
her on . pedestal. and Il would be
more nearly dischartint our duty to
! manhood. whether sP not thu pres.
ent Assembly votee to give women
| the suffrage II was coming. The men
| OF the HorE~ rtontA .ntA 80 I'VE
~wenAment and thereby do their duty
snd stop talking about lovely w.msn.
| He Declared that no one would de-
elafe that the cause wAs not . just
1 one. and. said Mr.. Montague. who
ever seee that the cause u Just and
| fails 70 sAy ~ = 4 tr4lt0t 70 hla con-
ecisnee and : slave 20 prsyndics.
| LOve'a 1JnuAAn30ned Appeal.
| Mr.. Love- Of Lunenbur9. took the
Moor ana made m impAoa1onod ap-
neal against the amendment. He
/ wished. hs sid. 10 appeal 70 the men
| Of YirsiniA to protect the womAnhcOd
| Of the state from bstng diagracsd.
| II the suffrage questi0h wero lo4s 10
| q vote Of the women ~ the Dtata e
| woui6 tan By ~ 20 I. He declared
4 that h 49, not In fnvoP ~ nnf4ANR