The Washington herald., 1915-01-10
WOMEN BATTLE
YEARS FOR VOTE
Suffrage Measure Comes Be-
fore Congress After Half
Century Endeavor.
JULIAN STARTED THE BILL
Susan B. Anthony Amendment Intro
duced in House at Every Session
for Forty-hve Years.
By LAURA p. MORGAN.


After half a century of endeavor, a
measure of success will crown the ef-
forts of those advocates of equal suf-
frage who believe in Federal action,
when the vote is taken this week on
the pending Monder resolution. For the
first time both houses of Congress will
have permitted a resolution for a consti-
tutional amendment granting equal suf-
frage to men and women TO come to a
vote
In this connection it is significant that
it is the first Congress throughout which
the National American Woman Suffrage
Association, in its Congressional COM
mittee, has maintained in Washington
a force of workers who have kept the
question before the minds of the mem
bers of Congress. While il is unQues-
Iionably true that this measure of sue
cess is due TO the growth of public
sentiment in favor OF suffrage, resulting
in the addition of important States to
the suffrage map, it is safe to say that
it would not have come so quickly had
it not been for the labor on the part OF
this committee.
History of Resolution.
Forty-five years ago Mr.. Julian. Of
Indiana, introduced in Congress reso-
luton for an amendment to the Federal
Constitution to enfranchise women. 1t
was drawn on lines parallel to the ht-
teenth amendment which enfranchised
the negro providing that The right OF
citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any State on &C
count of sex" This was what has been
= 1,a AnfhnnV n
amendment, which has been reintroduced
in every succeeding Congress from that
day to this though under different names
as its sponsors changed, and now appears
in the Sixty-third Congress as the BTis-
tow -Mondell resolution.
This amendment has always been sup
ported by the National Association. and
il was on this measure that the Congress
sional committee concentrated its ettorts
during the last session of Congress.
The resolution was introduced in the
Senate by Senator Chamberlain. of Ore
ron. on the first day OF the present Con-
gress. reported favOrably by the Woman
Suffrage Committee, and voted upon on
March l9, 1914, by a majority vote OF
35 to 81 though lacking the two-thirds
necessary to pass. This is the first time
that the amendment has come to vote
in either house. It was Immediately re-
introduced by Senator Bristow. Of Kan
sas, and again reported favorably by
the committee II is now on the cal
endar of the Senate.
In the House the resolution was in
troduced by Mr.. Mondell, of Wyoming,
reported without recommendation by the
Judiciary Committee on May ,. 1914 and
from that time until the action of the
Rules Cor1mittee on December i. has
been on the House calendar awaiting
a special rule under which it could come
up before the House for consideration.
Committee Works Hard.
During the progress Of this resolution
through Senate and House, the Congress
sionaI Committee, under the leadership
of Mrs. McdilI Mccormick and Mrs. An
toinctte Funk. has been untirinS in its
efforts To secure its passage. Believing
that the first step was an accurate
knowledge Of the situation. the two
women made A thorough canvass Of the
ninety-eight members Of the Senate and
435 members of the House. personally in
terviewing practically all Of them. More
over through these interviews they have
paved the way for subsequent legislation
on suffrage in the event Of the defeat
Of this resolution. They have endeavOrCd
10 discover the real views of all the
members on the subjeCt-their objection
to this form OF legislation. if any: what
form Of legislation they do favor, II any;
and IL not. why not.
The members of Congress have, i'm ad-
dtion. been given abundant opportunity
to state their views on the question by
letter on the opening day Of the pres
ent session every Representative received
a letter from Mrs. Funk calling his at
tentiom to the suffrage measures now
before the House and asking for n state
ncut rs to whether he was prepared to
give his cooperation. She reminded him
that the Federal lawmakers were facing
a widespread demand from both men
and women to give this question serious
consideration. and she urged upon him
the fact that American women are no
longer satisfied to receive the reply that
Representatives are fairly representing
their constituents, when as matter
ur fact they are representing and con-
siderinC only such of their constituents
as are CntranChiscd.
Battle WnEed in Districts.
hut the committee has not confined its
work to members of Congress. While
Mrs. Funk was put in charge Of the
Washington office. Mrs Mccormick Cs-
tabIished headquarters in Chicago and
from there built up a machine which
iS i'm good working order i'm thirty-onc
States and is being rapidly perfected in
the others. In each of these States
there is a Congressional chairman and
under her a chairman for every Con-
grcSSiunaI district. These women are in
close touch with the Congressional Com
mittee and through them pressure can
he brought to bear upon every Repre-
sentative from the State. For instance.
IL a Representative says to a member OF
the committee that there is no suffrage
sentiment in his district. within a few
days he is so deluEed with letters from
home that he begins to realize that the
subject is worthy OF serious consider
tion.
No inconsiderable part of the work done
by the committee on the BristOw- MOndeil
resolution has been the use that it has
made of this organization. Letters and
kilograms have been constantly inter
changed between the committee and the
States in the effort to win every posi-
bic vote for the measure. Whatever the
result, the SiNty-third Congress has
marked a tremendous advance toward
the recognition of women as a factor in