The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-06-24

WDlVN Delaware VIII FOLLOW suit alter
WW little skrmshlng." That makes
N (N ~ 80 states-three-fourths OF the 4S
S states OF the Union. So the wom-
M, en- win and for women In
1920 els a reality.
The exact situation at that time with respect
TO the woman suffrage amendment was us foi-
lows:
The amendment had been ratified by "a states.
II had been defeated by six states; Alabama.
Georgia, Mississippi. South Carolina. Virginia and
Maryland. Washington and Delaware were hold
ing special sessions. In the other six states the
situation was this:
Connecticut and vermont-No regular sessions
until 1927 and governors had refused to call spe-
cial sessions.
Florida and Tennessee-Cannot vote on rntlh-
cation In 1920. owing to the fact that constitu-
tIonal provisions require Intervention Of an cleo
tion between submission OF amendment ana nc
tion on II.
May.
North CarolInn-Legslature TO meet In spe-
cial session In July.
The constItutionnlty of the ratification by
Ohio where the legislature submitted Its ratify'
Ing action TO a referendum OF the electorate, was
before the United States Supreme court. The
ratification by West Virginia was slated for the
courts
Since then there has been all kinds OF excite
ment. For example. after Washington had ratl-
fed and while Delaware was hanging desperately
10 the top rail OF the fence. Mississippi nearly
decided TO change her mind and win the glory OF
being the thirty sixth state The Bayou state
legislature had voted against ratification January
o. 1920. The senate unexpectedly rescinded It's
action and voted for ratification, But the house
stood pat and again refused to rntify by vote
OF 81 to % The members yelled long and Justify
when H. II. Watts OF PIsgah rose and shouted:
Il would rather die and go to tiades than
vote for woman suffrage"
All this irst-pag' publicity has aroused an ex-
traordlnary public iE.eresi In the TOyear fight OF
the American woman for full suffrage. And II is
a most interesting struggle. Though the organ
ized movement began In lsiS, there are some
high lights before that.
Possibly Mary wollstonecraft first set the Eng
Ilsh-speaking world 10 thinking on the subject by
publishing her hook. "vndlcation Of the Rights
Of Women" u-ondon 1T90l.
In 1870 appeared the first lecturer In this
country She vas Frances Wright gifted Scotch
girl Of twenty-five years.
In 1895 Ernestine l.. Rose. an exlled Polish
woman. visited this country and advocated the
right % woman 10 vote IN a lecture with the H.
tie. Science OF Government" Such was her beau
~ wit and elOquence that she drew crowded
houses
This seed fen on fertile ground. American
women had voted under several of the colonial
governments and at the time OF the Revolution
had demanded a share In government Abigail
Adams spoke for others beside herself when she
wrote to her husband John Adams: "If women
are not represented In this republic, there
will be another revolution"
In 1870 the Worlds AntI-Savery convention
was held in London. Several American delegates
were sen, I'm response to Invitation. Among them
were Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Iucretin Mott uT03-1sS0) was a Massachusetts
Ouakeress and an acknowledged minister" of
the Friends She was the wife Of James Mott
and both husband and wife ardent abolition
lists Elizabeth Cady stanton usl5.l9O2) was
horn in New York state and the wife OF
Henry h. Stanton. journalist and antl-slavery
speaker.
The London Worlds Anti-Slavery convention
refused 10 admit these two American delegates
because they were women. Reading between the
lines II IL easy TO guess that this treatment "got
their spunk up" For before they got home they
had decided to have a convention OF their own to
which they were sure OF admission.
These two women found a kindred spirit in
Susan B Anthony (lS20-l9o8). She OF Mas
sachusetts Quaker stock and enthusiastic
worker for Temperance" and abolition, In ls47
she delivered her first "woman's Rights" address
and was derIded freak Of nature.
by lS4s the time ripe for the first wom-
ans rights convention. II held at Seneca
Falls ~ y under the management of these three
women and Mrs. Mott and Mrs. Stanton had no
trouble in gaining admlttance.
Up to the Civil war the movement gradually
gathered strength. During the war the women
IN nj nm OQ