Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-03-26
REP. C0NN0R GETS
ANOTHER BODY BLOW
SENATOR +. J. MILLER PULLS
THE RECORD OF 1897 ON HIM
TO PROVE HIS POSITION
FALSE

Noticing the story in the Wash.
ington Standard last Tuesday of Rep
resentative w. w. Connor's bitter
psrtisan speech trying to claim the
gratitude of the women for the re-
publican party for the gift of suf-
rage, former Senator T. J. Miller
called this papers attention to some
early records on the matter of suf-
frage.
In the campaign of 1896 the pop
ulist party was the only one that
favored suffrage in its platform, AMI
in the legislative session OF 1897 tho
question came up and passed botn
houses, by populist and democratic
votes-the only republicans support
ing the measure being silver repub-
licans who acted with the populists
and democrats and against the reg
ular republicans.
Senator Miller showed US the SEN
ate Journal. which recorded the vote.
The bill was introduced by SEN
ator Hill, q socialist from Lewis
county. 1t was favorably reported
by a committee Of which Senator
Miller was chairman. 1t was adort-
ed in the senate by vote AZ follows:
Ayes: Cole. Grow. Davis. Easter
day. Field. Harper, High, Hill,
Houghton, Kieth. Lemi, McReavy,
Miller. IT. JD, Paul. Plummer,
Range. Reinhart. Runner, Taylor.
Van Pstten, Yeend. populists and
dsm0crats; Deckenbaugh- FFink. Har-
per, Lesh, republicans. Deckebaugh.
however. did not favor suffrage, but
voted In the Affirmative. and gave
notice that he intended to move re
consideration.
The vote against the measure was
cast by Baum, Dorr. Hall. Megler,
Miller (David), Pusey, Warburton.
Washburn. Wilson. Wooding, all re-
rublicans save Baum and David Mil
ler, who were gold democrats.
In the house practically the same
ratio was maintained. Mr.. Hodgdon.
who replied to Connor the other day,
was also q member of the house at
that time and voted for suffrage. Mr..
Cute was member then and voted
against It.
Thus 1t appears that Mr.. Connor
was either very ignorant Of the his
tory of his party, or else he deliber-
ately misrepresented the facts In
order to make q partisan claim on the
gratitude of the women. In fact It
runs in the mind of the writer that
Mr.. Connor himself opposed the
measure when 1t came up and wss
successfully passed in this state by
a vote at the polls. At any rate he
has been reactionary on everything
else that came up, SO II he did vote
for suffrage he was not running true
to form.
II some one who has the record on
Mr.. Connor at that time doesn't pull
1t on him, he'll be getting of easier
than he deserves.
As to his speech concerning repub-
lican states, he also misrepresented
the facts. He claimed New Jersey,
Vermont and Connecticut republican
states as having ratihed--and thev
have not. He listed Virginia as
against 1t, and Virginia ratified the
amendment. The New England and
Middle sections Of the U. 8. have
more states than the South against
the amendment.
As a matter of fact It is very mar
row, not to call 1t by worse name.
for Mr.. Connor to try to inject poll
tics into the question at all. The
women Of our country owe their
progress toward universal suffrage
to their own splendid efforts, as Mr.
Hodgdon rightly said. They are be-
holden to no political party for It.
least of all to the politicians Of the
Connor stripe who so brazenly tried
to claim the credit.
Big statesmen of both parties were
for It, the most renowned of whom.
Of course, was William Jennings
Bryan. and the most prominent man
who Opposed it consistently and all