Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-07-31
WANTCONSTITUTIONC CHANGED
DESIRE FUNDAMENTAL LAW TO
BE AMENDED TO GRANT sUF-
FRAGE TO FAIR SEX
SPEECHES FAVOR ACTION
NUMBERS OF soLoNs URGE THE
AMENDMENT AS AN Ex-
cELLENT POLICY

Washington, July 81 Votes for
women" was the demand today from
delegations of suffragettes from every
state in the union who besieged the
senate chamber and bomDarded the
senators with petitions bearing many
thousands of signatures, urging
consideration Of woman suffrage
amendment.
The siege of the senate followed
a demonstration, in the course of
which hundreds of women paraded
from Hyattsville, Md, through the
country roads and the city streets,
down Pennsylvania avenue and
through the capitol grounds. Mem
hers Of the senate woman suffrage
committee. which has already favor
ably reported the suffrage amend
ment, met the petition bearers and
rode to the capitol with them.
Miss Alice Paul, chairman of the
legislative committee of the National
American Woman Suffrage assocIa-
tion, officers Of the association and
the Senate COMMITTEES headed the
parade. At the capitol it disbanded
and cloudy of femininity flutterei
into the senate wing. The dignified
hush of the imposing marble room
lust off the senate chamber was
shattered by the demands of women
from various states that their cards
be taken to their senators. The pages
were busy for the better part of an
hours. hurrying senators from the
chamber to meet their constituent"
armed with petitions.
After the petitions had been pre-
sented the delegations flocked to the
galleries, where seats had been re-
served, and the woman suffrag1sts
on the floor of the senate took charge
of the demonstration Senators Ash
urst, owen, Poindexter, Jones, Works,
Lane, smoot, Clapp, Thomas, Shat
roth and Hollis made brief addresses
endorsing the petitions.
Senator Chamberlain Of Oregon, au-
thor Of the woman's suffrage amend
ment now before the senate, made an
address of welcome.
"We welcome you to the national
capital as the representatives Of hun
dreds of thousands of patriotic men
and women of the United States" said
he. "You are the bearers Of petitions
to congress praying that justice shall
be done to the women Of the land !
extend to you cordial welcome as
the bearers Of message to the people
Of the whole Of this country, to the
eongress of the United States and to
express hope that your mission may
be successful beyond your hopes and
expectations.
Senator Clapp said:
"The time is not far distant wnen
the American people will confer on
the American woman the only weapon
by means Of which she can peacefully
defend herself and her children-the
ballot"
For more than two hours the sur
frage demonstration continued, sena-
tor after senator presenting petitions.
When the time came to take up the
tariff debate, Senator Simmons, IN
charge of the bill, secured an agree
ment that it be laid aside until the
suffrage petitions remaining could be
received.
Practically every senator was arm
ed with bundle Of petitions bound
with the yellow ribbon Of the suffra-
gists Senator smoot. presenting the
Utah petitions, attacked militancy in
the fight for suffrage.
Suffrage should be given, not to
the Pankhursts and the militant radi-
Gals among our women" he said but
to those who follow In the womanly
footsteps Of the American pioneers