The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-22
HEARING GIVEN
TOSUFFRAGISTS
Women from Equal Rights
States Tell Senate Commit
tee Of Good Derived.
SPEECHES BY LAWMAKERS
Some Senators Declare Themselves in
SPEECHES BY LAWMAKERS
Some Senators Declare Themselves in
Favor of Constitutional Amend
ment Women Seek.

Congressman from equal suffrage States
and officers of the Woman's Federal
Equality Association presented argu-
ments to the Senate Committee on Suf-
frage at the hearing before the COM
mittee yesterday urging the necessity and
justice of the proposed amendment to
the Constitution of the United States
enfranchising the women of the coun-
try.
Senators Chamberlain and Lane of
Oregon, Senator Poindexter OF Washing
ton, and Representative French of Ida
no were among the members of Con-
gress TO speak in favor of the amend
ment They testified before the COM
mittee that the granting of the ballot
TO the women OF their States had bene-
flied the States, and had neither caused
the breaking up of homes nor the
neglect of children. Representatives of
the National American Woman Suffrage
Association will be heard next Saturday
at 10 o'clock in the morning.
Mrs. Charles Morton, of Washington,
vice president of the Federal Association,
introduced the speakers. The committee
room was filed with suffragists. Sem
ator Poindexters detailed answer to the
arguments presented to the committee
by the ''antis'' last Saturday, at which
meeting Mr.. PoindeXter was present, was
the feature of the hearing. Among the
women who spoke were Mrs Clara Be-
wick Colby. corresponding secretary of
the Federal Association, and Miss May
Wright Sewall, of Indiana.
Good Results in West.
Mr.. Poindexter testified that equal suf-
frage had had good practical results in
Washington. He stated that even the
intellectually shown by the "Antis" was
a demonstration of the qualifications of
women for the ballot. He maintained
that equal suffrage was FOR the benefit
of all the people and for the race, and
that the suffragists were not working
simply for themselves. Senator Poin-
dexter was several times applauded by
the suffragists in the course of his
speech
The Washington Senator ridiculed the
fear that suffrage would IN any way in
terfere with woman's special duties. He
concluded that women were as intel
ligent, If not more so, than men, and
said that he regretted the tendency to
drag in the sex question: which had
nothing to do with the case.
Mrs. Morton was the first to speak.
She said that the Federal Association
stood sponsor for the resolutions for
constitutional amendment, introduced in
the Senate by Senator Chamberlain of
oregon and in the House by Representa-
tive Mondell of Wyoming. A letter from
Senator Warren OF Wyoming praisinS
the results of the forty-fourth year of
equal suffrage in his State. was then
read. {.
Confident of Success. .
Senator Chamberlain stated that there
was no doubt as to the power of Con-
sress to pass his resolution. He said
that he hoped that the West would
prove good example to the "efete
East" Senator Lane and Representative
French recommended the enfranchise-
ment of women Mrs. Colby made the
closing argument. She stated that the
only point that the anti-suffragists have
made is that the States would resent
the passage of resolution for woman
suffrage by the Federal Congress.