New-York tribune., 1918-01-11

! ida. and Mrs Lawrence Lewis, Of Phila-
delpha. also OF the picketSline and also
of Occoquan Workhouse and the Dis
trict jail, remained for the entire ses.
sion, as did also Mrs. William Kent.
wife of Representative Kent, of Cali
fornia.
Miss Dorothy Stevens, Miss Bulah
Amador, Mrs. Boeckel, and some OF
the younger members ,ofsthe National
Woman's party occupied standees IN
| the corridor Tor. while, and thsn re-
turned TO. their headquarters and to
work. In still another part of the gal
lery were Miss Mary Garwt Hay. Mrs.
Ogden Reid. Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw
and Mrs. Rosalee Locw Whitney. 4
And from some super allcry, in some
sort of royal box. as it were. one
could. in fancy's eye, see sitting there
Susan Il. Anthony and Harriet Reechcr
Stowe and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
! George William Curtis and Edward
Everett and Wendell Phillips and all
the long line Of men and women who
! lived and labored for the cause OF
woman suffrage
The ball was put in play when Rep
resentative Foster Of Illinois, acting
chairman OF the Rules Committee, pre-
scnted special rule for the amend
tnent and, BY resolution. moved its
adoption.
There was a debate of twenty or
thirty minutes on. the resolution carry
ing the special rule. After the rule
had been amended to close all debate
on the amendment till o'clock, it was
easily adopted.
The leaders Of the opposing forces
were organized for mass play. Miss
Rankin. effectively gowncd and her
wavy light hair most becomingly
E.
centre Of the House, closely attended
by her Wyoming colleague, Representa-
tive Mondel. Over to her right sat
the belligerent Meeker, of Ohio, with
Little. of Kansas.
Raker with Miss Rankin
BY Miss Rankin's left WAS Represen-
tative Raker. her strong supporter and
fellow Republican leader. Further to
the south in the chamber sat Judge
Saunders. or Virginia, distributor
with Mr.. Meeker of the speaking time
of those who would oppose the amend
ment.
1t was not far from the half hour
after noon when Miss Rankin opened
the debate for the amendment. The
lone female member of the House has
not voice Of great carrying power,
and it was difficult to hear what she
said more than few feet away. She
read her speech, as many others did,
! and made no attempt to strew the
flowers of oratory.
Representative Raker followed Miss
Rankin and Representative Meeker fol-
lowed Raker. Then the debate was on.
In all candor, it must be said that 95
per cent of the oratory uncorked was
pretty bad. Through four weary hours
! y k~%A Il \
Clark, of Florida, made one OF the best
of the early speeches. His notes ham
, pered him and he referred infrequently
to them. His argument was the old
one for state rights, that an amend
ment, such as the Anthony amendment,
deprived the states Of their sovereign
rights to regulate suffrage within their
own boundary. A prohibition amend
ment Congress, of course, had the
right to pass, because anything that
Congress has the right to tax, it has
the right to destroy.
Insisted on States Rights
"The right of franchise may not be
given" said the speaker, "unless given
by the will of the separate states.
There is no inherent right of suffrage.
| Women are not disfranchised. They
never have been enfranchised. They
are just where God and nature intend
them to be, and there they should stay
/ see by the morning paper that some
of my colleagues took tea with the
President yesterday afternoon and
that, over the tea cups, the President
said a good word for 4thisfamc pdment
and hoped it would be carried.
II am Democrat | want to fol-
low the leader of my party, and want
~ hot a. 1ip1>
ming change artist myself. Once and
again, the President has declared that
this matter should be left to the sew
eral states. But now we find that he
has had n change of mind and say
to him that no President, no spokes-
man of his party has the right to re
peal the law of his party, as laid down
in the party platform"
Represe ntative Blanton, Of Texas,
was the first Southern statesman to
speak up for the amendment. "You
rights" said MIR. Blanton, 'in the hope
of camoutlaging the people Of this
country into the belief that you are not
against woman suffrage. The ringer
of the changes on the state rights the
ory is against giving the ballot to
woman on general principles, and if
he were honest he would say so. rep
resent the largest Congressional dis
trict in the United States. l made the
chief issue Of my campaign the suf-
frage issue. My opponent came out
just as strongly against. it, The dis
trict gave me big majority.
Not Surprised at Republicans
N am not surprised at Republicans
crtcising and mocking the stand our
Pres ident has taken in this matter,
hut | am amazed that any Democrat,
like the gentleman from Florida
| (Clark), should fall into the line of the
Presidents critics. Why, sir, the very
job he holds depended, almost, on the
election of that President"
| Representative Gray, of New Jersey