Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-03-02
Measure to Give Women Bal
+, lot in New Mexico for Presi-
dental Elections Defeated
Without Discussion.
LOWER HOUSE GETS ALL
TANGLED WITH MOTIONS
Constitutional Amendment En-
franChiSing Feminine Citi-
zens Brings WrangIe That
Ends Nowhere,
(By Il. l.. ID. McAllister, Staff COrre-
Spondent)

Santa Fe, March 1.-The cause of
votes for women travelled over d
rocky road in the New Mexico legis-
lature today The senate turned down
a proposition to allow women to vote
in presidential elections. On the
question of amending the constitution
so as to extend the franchise the
house is-well nobody knows just
where it is, but it is quite evident that
there is decided opposition in that
body to any change in the existing
status.
The house spent almost the entire
Gay wrangling over the suffrage ques-
ton and at the end of it all the mat
ter was just where it started Parlia-
mentary tangles were gotten into that
would BATTLE the man who invented
the game. During most of the time
1i'or0uy KNEW Just what It was that
was before the house, or whether any
thing was before the house. Some
body would make a motion to table,
and then somebody else would come
along and move to table the motion to
table, and somebody else would call
for the previous question, and some
body else would appeal from the de-
cision of the chair, and the chair
would declare that the appeal had
been laid on the table. The mix up
that resulted would give headache
to a wooden Indian.
Lots of Oratory.
Intermingled with it all there was
oratory--more oratory than a New
Mexico legislature has seen in many
days Everybody knew that suffrage
was the issue involved, but nobody
could tell just what was being done
about it.
The argument started when II. j.
r. g. proposing an amendment to the
constitution extending the franchise to
women, came from the committee on
constitutional amendments with two
reports, the majority recommending
its defeat, and the minority, its pas
sage. The minority report was signed
by Messrs. Overson of Mckinley,
chairman of the committee, and Mares
of Colfax.
Mr.. Sanchez of Valencia moved to
adopt the majority report and table
the minority report Mr.. Pardue
moved to table Mr. Sanchez motion,
and this was done by viva voce vote.
Then Mr. Pardue moved to adopt the
minority report and table the majority
report, and Mr.. Sanchez moved to
table Mr.. Pardue's motion, Then
somebody moved to recess for lunch
and the matter went over until the
afternoon session
Lost in the Shuttle.
So many things happened at the
afternoon session that Mr.. Pardue's
motion, and the motion of Mr. San
chez to table it, both got lost in the
shuttle Mr., Mares, Mr.. Ortiz of
Guadalupe, Mr.. Overson, Mr.. Pardue
and Mr.. Gonzales and several others
took turns making motions to table
and to table the motion to table.
Speaker Llewellyn played no favor
ties. All motions looked alike to him.
He entertained every one of them.
Finally it got down to the point
where Mr. Sanchez of Valencia moved
to table the resolution together with
both the majority and minority re-
ports, and Mr.. Pardue moved TO table
the motion of Mr., Sanchez. Then the
oratory opened up in approved style.
Everybody knew that if they voted
with Mr.. Pardue they were voting for
woman's suffrage and that if they
voted with Mr.. Sanchez they were
voting against it. That was about all
they did know. Mr. Mares Mr., Bryan,
Mr. Stroud and Mr.. Pardue spoke in
favor of votes for women. Mr.. Ortiz
of Rio Arriba, Mr.. Sanchez of Valencia
and Mr. Winston spoke against it,
This was on the preliminary discus
sion. On the roll call number of
members explained their votes and in
dulged in some more oratory
Two Worth Hearing.
There We're only two of the speech
es made that anybody who heard
them will remember. One of them
was by Mr.. Pardue, in favor of suf-
frage, and the other bS the aged
Judge Dlls. father of Surveyor Gen
eral Lucius Dills, who voted for suf-