Imperial Valley press., 1916-02-16

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majority of the members present in
each house to propose a constitutional
amendment, so in spite of the bare
majority in the Senate the resolution
failed. The House voted on the same
amendment January II, 1915. The
record was ia in favor to 204 against,
with 46 not voting Twelve of those
not voting were paired in favor of the
| amendment. Since these votes were
taken the women have campaigned in
| nearly all the states. On local refer
endums the proposal lost in New .Jer-
sey, New York, Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania. In the matter state,
lost only by the opposition in the ma
chine-contro1led wards in the city of
Philadelphia.
Ar effort has been made to organ
ize the women voters in the dozen
western suffrage states. To this end
a big convention Of women voters was
held early in the summer in San Fran
cisco on the grounds of the Panama
exposition, and two envoys-Miss Jol-
life and Mrs. Field-were delegated
to carry a message to the Sixty
fourth Congress. This message was
to the effect that voting women would
stand together against any party not
willing to propose the Susan B. An
thony amendment, so that it might be
referred to the states. The message
was also carried to President Wilson,
who, since the last vote in Congress,
has announced himself in favor OF
woman suffrage, though not favorable
to the plan to remove the sex quail
fication from the federal constitution
by amendment. The president, when
interviewed three years ago, would not
admit any interest in the subject The
women feel, therefore, that their ef-
forts, so far as he is concerned. have
been very productive. They expect,
they say, that he will soon see the
necessity for letting the states act on
proposal to amend the Constitution.
In lobbying for the suffrage amend
ment-and the halls of Congress are
daily filled with women lobbyists-a
great variety of sentiment is found
among the Congressman. Some are
suffragists by conviction, but excuse
themselves from voting on the ground
that their constituents are not suffi-
GENTLY educated on the subject to
agree with them. Others are opposed
to suffrage, but are obliged to stand
for it because they come from suffrage
states. To some the subject is new
and thrilling; others regard it from
the academic, and even the Biblical
standpoint. Senator Catron of New
Mexico, for instance, to delegation
of women who waited on him, hurled
the Bible, thus:
"God,' said he, "has given man do
miniop over woman. 1t would be in
furious to woman to lower her from
the pedestal on which man has placed
her and it would be injurious to de-
prive man of woman's refining influ-
ence." i .-i~
Of course there are not many like
the New Mexico senator, but there is
Brandegee of Connecticut, who was so
fearful as to his mental integrity on
tn esubject that he refused to see or
listen to any deputation of suffra-
gists. His refusal proved to be more
sensational in his state than could
have been any declaration from him on
the subject. and the women got more
publicity (Which was part of what
they wanted) than they would have got
had he made them two-hour speech
There are number of men in Con-
gress who are as earnest in the suf-
frage fight as any of the women. For
instance, Senator Brady of Idaho de-
clared:
my feeling is that as long as there