The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-20

Washington. ID. c., June 19.--That tn,
suffrage amendment will be ratified II
time 10 permit every woman TO cas-
her vote in the presidential election O
ios o g ne cheerful prediction OF sui
are now scattering all over the United
states to begin their campaign TO can.
ture three-fourths OF the legislatures.
Illinois. Wisconsin and Michigan have
| already set an encouraging example fol
the rest OF the states by ratifying the
| amendment.
s'There is every reason to believe that
the rest will follow" said Mrs. Carrie
Chapman Gait. Mrs. Gait is In that
| rare state OF well-being induced BY
having persistently worked for some-
thing fors forty-one years and finally
| won II. While she still thinks ''lt is d
curious and inexplicable anomaly that
the majority of the women of Europe
should be voting before those OF the
United states," she believes that aail
progressive people will unite and make
suffrage"
Her faith In the action Of the legls-
latures Is strengthened by the fact that
unlike the prohibition amendment, the
suffrage amendment has no time limit
There is a clause in the prohibition
amendment which states that 70 must
be ratified within seven years. Although
Il has been ratified, an attack is now
being made upon its constitutionalIty.
which, II stretched over a period OF
seven years, can defeat the amendment.
The suffrage amendment, which bears
no time clause whatsoever. can be
turned down by a legislature one year,
and two years later can come up again
for consideration.
The chief problem at present is get
ting q legislature together so that IL
can vote upon the amendment. There
Is no uniformity about the meetings of
state legislatures. Each has its own
fayorite period for converting, and this
is going to make ratification a some-
what irregular process. The governor
OF state has the privilege of calling
special session of the legislature, but
governors cannot be relied upon to do
this simply to ratify an amendment.
because a special session IL costly. The
governor of Kansas has gotten around
this by polling his legislators and ask
to the state capital and vote on the
amendment at their own expense. Just
how popular this suggestion will be
remains to be seen.
The National American Woman Suf-
Womans party, which contains the
more radical suffragists, including the
White House "pickets', each has an
organization In every state for the pur-
pose OF securing ratification. When a
state ratifies this organization is with |
drawn, but until then It works untir- |
ingly with all the best known methods |
OF political propaganda, in addition to |
a few Invented by the women.
Miss Maude Younger, Of the National |
Woman's party for example. intends
IN various states. Miss Younger I'M
vented this system while lobbying for
her organization in the capitol at WASH |
ngton. 1t consists OF card index in |
Guiding every representative. in con-
tssatN rfu taf -
him. His clubs. his church, |
MS ambitions. his personal idiosyncra-
lies. his diversions and aversions are all |
carefully noted dc-s on his card; 50
hat. In an emergency, any suffragist
IAN take this information and use 1t as
he sesame to an interview. A story
S told of one suffragist who tried for
several months to get an interview with
. certain senator, and was always re-
used. In desperation she consulted the
,iece OF information had been added. /
Keeps. a pack Of hounds" she read.
Abr breathed. the young lady. A few
lays later she was seen by one of her
deep in conversation with
apitol. You may be right" the young
ady was saying. but think his nose
s too pointed. and his ears too fiat"
The same afternoon, the young lady re-
urned to the suffrage Headquarters and
hdCcu dHotncT DIT OF information IN the
ard index as willing to vote for suf-
rage" Is what she wrote.
BY the same insidous methods, the
uffragists intend to round up every re-
alcitrant state legislator" and convert
lin to their cause. They are being Il
ssisted in this work by United, States
enators and representatives, who are
sing their influence to get the amend
nent ratified back home. Attention is
allied to the fact that any postpone
nent Of the ratification of the amend