The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-08-19
WAS HARD FIGHT
TO GET VOTE
Campaign for Woman Suf-
frage Was Conducted
Nearly rs Years
ORGANIZED WORK
STARTED IN 1913
Many Special Sessions
Called to Act on
Ratification

Washington, D. c., Aug. l9.-Ratifi-
cation of the suffrage amendment to
the constitution ends a struggle which
began in this country before the col
onies declared their independence. 1t
will eventually enfranchise 25,O000O0
women.
Woman suffrage first raised its voice
in America in Maryland in l647 when
Mistress Margaret Brent, heir of Lord
Calvert, demanded a place in the leg
islature of the colony as a property
holder of wide extent. And in the days
of the revolution, Abigail Adams wrote
her husband John Adams, at the con
tinental Congress, which was fran
ing the laws of the infant nation that,
''if-in the new particular care
and attention are not paid to the la
dies, we are determined to foment re-
bellion and will not hold ourselves
bound to obey any laws in which we
have no voice
Organized work for woman suffrage
began in the United States with the
woman's rights convention in Seneca
Falls, n. Y, 1913, which was called
by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, early leaders of Massaclu
sets and New York, in response to the
indignation aroused by the refusal to
permit women TO take part in the an
ti-slavery convention of 1910. From
the date of that convention the suffrage
movement in the United States began
the fight that lasted 10 years and end
ed with victory. Another convention
followed in 1852 at Syracuse, n. Y, at
which delegates from Canada were
preseu and it was there that Susan b.
Anth onr assumed leadership of the
cause to which she devoted her life.
In 1869 the National Woman Suf-
frage association, with Miss Anthony
and Mrs Stanton at its head, was
formed in New York and in the same
year the American Woman Suffrage
association was organized in Cleveland
with Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe
as its leaders. At first differing widely
in policy. the national association
working to put suffrage amendment
through the federal Congress and its
sister organization bending its efforts
tC convert the country, state by state,
the two associations later united un
der the name of the National Woman
Suffrage association. The associations
drive for the vote was led in turn by
Mrs Stanton, Miss Anthony, Dir. Anna
Howard Shaw and Mrs. Carrie Chap
man Gait, the latter Of whom is now
its president
The Amendment Itself.
The 10th amendment. which bears
her name, was drafted by Miss An
thony in 1878 and was first introduced
in Congress in 1878 by Senator A. A.
Sargent of California; and it is in the
same language that the new principle
OF the national law reads:
Article 1870. Section l. The right Of
citizens Of the United States 10 vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any state on ac-
count of sex.
Section , Congress shall have pow
er by appropriate legislation. to en-
force the provisions Of this article.
The amendment holds the record of
being before the country longer than
any other successful amendment to the
constitution. II was introduced as the
10th amendment and has been success
sively the 18th, 18th and 10Th and has