Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-04-22

Montpelier April a1.--As Oh Ap-ll q,
1861, Gov. Erastus Fairbanks of Vermont
called an extra session Of .he Legislature
on account of the Civil War, so in Apri.
Of 1870, Lillian II. Olzendam, chairman of
ratification CT the federal suffrage amend
ment for Vermont, issued her cal for
regiments from the standing army OF
Vermont sufrragists to mobilize at Mont
pelicr, the onpital of the state. on the
2ist--this evening to be exact there to
march upon the great headquarters of
the opposition 20 political Justice for
women. and lay down barrage OF rca-
sons for the demand upon the Governor
OF Vermont. to call special session Of
the Legislature to ratify the suffrage
amendment. and thus make Vermont the
Victory state, the Perfect So"
And In response 20 the call from every
part Of the Green Mountain State they
came. loyal and ardent soldiers for the
great cause, overcoming every obstacle
that poor train service, almost impas
sable roads and long distance could put
in their way, many coming from tow:,s
where no trains run. where, to get there
at all. they must needs drive through .he
still deep snow and over muddy and
rocky roads. many leaving their homes
when the leaving was most inconvenient
for many reasons. all actuated by the
one desire-to add their bit to the de-
| mand that Governor Clement call the
extra session.
The appointment for an interview with
the governor was made through Major
Harvey Goodel, secretary of civil and mil
itary affairs, but the plans and the size
of the proposed delegation were kept a
| ha haip
used to the small groups of women who
have constantly been going to call upon
him to ask for the special session. suppos-
| ing this visit to be one of the same sort
| Hundreds of letters. scores of tele-
grams and dozens of telephone calls were
sent all over the State, a detailed plan
Of the visit sent to women in every town
and county, and the ball had been set roll
ing. Day and night the work went merrily
on. constantly increasing number Of
women offering to help, an ever-growing
army enlisting in this the most compre-
hensve draft of womanhood ever made
| in the Green Mountain State. Make Ner-
mont the Perfect &c. was the slogan.
Cards with this legend printed thereon
were scattered throughout the State, and
! from every quarter came the steady
stream of replies, We will make Ner-
mont the Perfect &C."
| Plans were first made for two hundred
women to make up the delegation Each
county in the State was subdivded into
a list of the larger towns, and a quota
assigned from each of those towns. But
ii wasn't enough, Out of other towns came
messages saying I'VE are sending ten
women, or twenty women or some more
women" until the size of the delegation
had become so large that for a time 1t
tlnt : ha ar1y IN
out the word mo more troops needed" "
However, when the original plans for the
delegation had been augmented to include
more than twice the number first called
for, it was found that four hundred was
about all that could get into the COVER
nor's rooms at the State House.
There are IL counties in the State
and IL of these were represented II
the delegation. In addition to the per
sonal visit to Gov Clement at this time
each woman wrote a letter or sent {
telegram to the governor, asking fo1
the special session, and each one go
four other women to do the same. thes'
communications timed to reach tn
governor the day before and the da!
following the delegations visit. 81
that his excellency has had the privi
lege in the last two days, of receivint
900 communications from tn
women, voicing their demand that h
call the extra session for ratification
In addition, a constant stream of sucl
letters and kilograms have been sen
for months, and small groups of wome
from different parts of the State hav
, made many a pilgrimage to Montpe
, lier with the one end in view-that o
rescuing Vermont from her positio
among the other States of the Unio
that have not ratified the amendment.
The women gathered at the Communit
club house as soon as they arrived in tn
capital, and the members of the com
i mittees from the different counties, a
we'll as the speakers chosen to presen
e the case to the Governor were decorate
S with badges of yellow ribbon bearin
: the words Special Session" The com
e mittee on arrangements were Mrs. Rob
n ert F. Bliss. Mrs, Fred Blanchard. Mrs
l.. w. Hanson. Miss Pease and Mrs.
], Borden Estee of Montpelier; Mrs. E. N
: Saunders and Miss Edna Howard of Mic
c dlebury; Mrs. John Spargo OF Bennine
@ ton; Mrs. William ID. Peley of St Johns
$ bury: Mrs. B. d. Thomas and Mrs. G. "
k Groom OF st. Albans Mrs. Lou Il
It Thomas of Richford Mrs. Annette v
Parmalee of Enosburg Falls; Mrs G. v
r Patterson OF Randolph; Miss Bess
J, Bacon Goodrich Of Johnson: Mrs. NJ
e Pearson of Orleans; Mrs OlNer G. Asl
ton and Miss Berenice Tuttle of Rutlan'
Mrs. Robert F. Twitchel of Below
Falls: Mrs Fremont Hamilton OF Bra
- tleboro: Mrs. Herbert r. Miller OF Viii
River junction.; and Mrs. Helen Merr
of Woodstock. These women worked
% the towns In cooperation with the loc
"A suffragsts insuring a highly organize
and co-ordnated effort to make the pls
~ most effective.
n At suffrage headquarters In the Hot
% Vermont, Burlington. where Mrs. Olze
's dams office Is located, the chairman
10 ratification had the assistance and advi
n of a splendid corps of local women, cor
,s prising the following suffragsts, and th'
n in turn enlisted the help of others
10 the city, thus making the fine shown
of Burlington in sending to Montpeli
hundred women, and this In spite
the fact that the Burlington women we
more than busy In getting ready for 4
s, play that was given this week by q
IF Burlington Equal Franchise League
he raise money for the work. Mrs. Olze
10 dams personal aids were: Mrs. Il.
Df Read. acting president Of the State Su
s, frage association; Miss Mabel Southwic
t. Mrs. Henry Blackburn. Mrs. ]. II. MI
| llebrOOk Mrs. Violpt HOyt Mrs j