New-York tribune., 1919-02-11
Senate Defeats
Suffrage Again;
One Vote Shy
Continued from page |


Democrat. Senator Goff, of West Vir-
ginia, Republican, and Owen, of Okla
homa, Democrat, were paired with
Shields, of Tennessee, Democrat. Hol-
lis, of New Hampshire, Democrat, and
King, OF Utah, Democrat, were paired
with Knox, of Pennsylvania, Republi-
can. Phelan, of California, Democrat
and Fall, of New Mexico, Republican
were paired with Smith of Maryland
Democrat. Total pairs-Twelve.
The day was without dramatic in
cident, everything happening accord
ing to the gloomy forebodings with
which the suffragists entered the gal
lery this morning. They knew that
nothing but miracle could produce the
one vote necessary, and they had lost
faith in miracles since President Will
sons eleventh h-nour appeal to the Sen
ate in September failed to move the
anti-suffrage Senators.
Rumor had it that if the miracle
We're about to happen, that is, if the
extra vote had been won over to the
suffrage side. the opponents would at
tempt a filibuster. Therefore, all eyes
attended the movements of Senators
Lodge and Martin. leaders of the op-
position. Senator Jones, of New MeXi-
co, chairman OF the Senate Suffrage
Committee, moved unanimous consent
to consideration of the suffrage amend
ment Immediately Senator Lodge was
on his feet. With his words suffrage
hopes died
@There is no objection,7 he said
suavely. He added merely that he re
quested a few moments delay for a
few matters of routine business.
Then the sufragists settled back to
hopes at the hand of this Congress.
Senator Pollock, of South Carolina
who provided the one new vote, made
the only speech for the amendment.
"Srs," he said, 81 come from the
South, but ! speak for the new South
the American South. know no sec
ton. know only my whole country
The South does not fear the race issue
have confidence in the white civiliZa-
ton of the North and of the South to-
gether to protect us from local menace
in the negro vote. The negro man has
not been able heretofore to control the
white man. The negro man and woman
together Will not be able TO control the
white man and woman.
"The Fifteenth Amendment to the
Constitution provides the precedent for
this amendment. Those who argue
States rights against this bill do it
not as a reason but an excuse. The
Fifteenth Amendment, in my iudg-
ment, was not good policy, but there
is no question OF its constitutional
legality. If I had my way I should
repeal it, but would not let it stand
in the way of this amendment which
we are considering to-day.
1--WE lack one vote to-day That
puts the sponsibility up to every
individual in the Senate. Dare you,
sirs, deny this right to the women Of
this country? How can we make the
world believe we are sincere in war
for democracy when we have no real
democracy here at home? This nation,
under God, cannot endure half free
and half slaves. How dare you post
pone the hour of Justice? How can
any one man of you pit your will
against that of 50,000,000 people? This
measure will pass, if not to-day, then
soon. I implore you to heed the
wishes of the President of the United
States and of the legislators of the
States who demand this thing.
This Congress has the chance to
make itself immortal. If it does not,
the new Congress will"
The suf'ragists watched with particu-
lar interest, f not with hope of secur-
ing a favorable vote. the response of
five Senators who come from states
bills requesting favorable votes from
hnir Sopat orc Tbaco five Senators
disregarded the requests of their legis-
latures. They were Senators Wads-
worth, of New York, and Borah, of
Idaho, Republicans. and Pomerene, OF
Ohio, Hitchcock, Nebraska, and Reed
Missouri, Democrats.
Four other Senators had received ma
jority petitions from their Legislatures
making the same request. These, too
were ignored. The four We're Fletcher
and Trammel, of Florida Moses, OF
New Hampshire, and Hale, of Maine.
Senator Moses's vote caused much
comment. inasmuch as it was TO him
that Theodore Roosevelt addressed his
last letter in behalf of the womcn's
cause.
The suffragists tonight were grimly
preparing to renew the fight begun
by Susan B. Anthony forty-one years
ago. In January, 1913, when the House
of Representatives passed the Susan b
Anthony amendment, the promised land
seemed in sight. 1t was not believed
that the Senate would fail to follow
the lead of the House, particularly y
after President Wilson had thrown his
influence on its side publicly, and since
Democratic leaders were urging it pri-
vately as a matter of party prestige
Last fall, when it came before the
Senate, Western Democrat, Pittman
of Nevada, warned his colleagues that
the defeat of the amendment would
mean the defeat of the Democratic
party at the polls IN November. This
prophesy has come true. Other issues
naturally, affected the final result.
Massachusetts, New Jersey and Della
ware have elected suffragists in the
places Of three anti-suffragists who
voted against the measure TODAY
South Carolina, however, elected SEN
ator Pollock only for the short term
and Senator Dial, who viii take the
seat of John c. Calhoun in the new
Congress is believed to be an anti.
Repub lican suhragists tonight were
divided between their grief over the
delay of the victory and their satIsfac-
tion that the credit for passing the
amendment would now go to Re
publican Congress. The delay, how
ever, will prevent either party from
deriving much practical benefit for the
election of 1920, and the partnership
between the reactionary Northern Re
publicans and the Southern Democrats
Will leave the glory always open to
debate. Suffragists, even Republican
suffragists, realize that Senators Wads-
worth and Lodge worked hand in hand
with Senators Martin and Reed for the
defeat of the measure to-day. Massa-