New Britain herald., 1920-03-11

The West Virginia ~slature ratified
 the federal suffraS" ;,i3; cndment late yesterday afternoo Final action on
 the amendment was taken by the
 senate in adopting the ratification
 resolution of the house of delegates
 by a vote of 15 to If. West Virginia
 is the 34th state to ratify
 Bloclh's Vote Decides.
 The vote of Senator Jesse A. Bloch
 of Wheeling, who made hurried trip
 from California to vote on the amend
 olent. was effectual in breaking the
 deadlock between pro- and anti-suf-
 frage forces. Senator A. R. Mont
 gonery was not permitted to vote,
 his seat having been declared vacant.
 The final vote on the Anthony
 amendment was taken at S:15 o'clock
 in the senate after one Of the most
 dramatic sessions ever witnessed in
 either house of the legislature. For
 several hours suffrage leaders and
 their pponents fought in an effort to
 gain a definite advance. Each step
 by either party was hotly contested
 anti-suffrase forces determined to
 offset their opponents victories in
 keeping the legislature in session, and
 the suffra gsts confident of gaining
 ma jority to ratify, by the vote of Sem
 ator Bloch. Galleries Enthusiastic. Crowded galleries were kept in or
 der Mith difficulty as each phase of the battle apparently swung one side or the other. At first occupants. of the galleries took more interest in the Wheeling senator. who was re- garded as considerable sensation by the West Nirginjans owing to his
 importance and the means by which +, toG G hrou ucrht h m
 to Charleston. Soon. however, inter- est in the senator was obscured by issues featuring the contest These included the action of the senate in declaring vacant the seat of Senator
 A. R. Montgomery, depriving him of the vote which would have defeated
 ratification resolution of the lower house, without amending the senate rules. one week after the senate's vote defeating it's own resolution on the same subject.
 4 few minutes after adJournnl en- hundreds of men and women started a demonstration in the corridors, many of them having concealed tin horns about their persons. Those without horns added to the din FI cheering and whistling.
 In. Charleston last night there was no eviden intention of suffrage advo- cates celebrating their victory in making West Virginia the S4tf1 state to tify the Susan B. Anthony amendment
 Fight Over Senator's Right to Seat. The first fight of the day in the senate was over the report of a part of, the committee on privileges and elections on the question of Senator Mont gomery's right to a seat It was not made clear whether it was a majority or minority report. but it was not made by the chairman of the committee.
 The report presented the letters Of Senator Montgomery to Governor Cornvell and the governors reply one rendering the senator's resigne tion, the other accepting it---an7 other evidence. It recommended that Mont gomery's seat. having been va
 cated by himself. be declared vacant by the senate.
 His case. the main points of which were that his residence in Illinois was only temporary, that he now in tended to return to West Virginia and resume his residence in the dist rict which he represented, and that the senate records showed he still was mem Der, was presented by Senator Gribble.
 '.Antis' Lose Needed Vote. Senator M. K. Doty. who made the committee report. and Senator Fred
 l.. Fox. minority leader. supported the motion for the adoption Of the cors,- mittee report. By a vote of 16 to 1e. this was accomplished. and anti suffra gsts found themselv without the vote which would counter Senator Bloch's in at least securing a tie. , Ratification forces then surprised their opponents in proposing to adopt
 the house resolution without amend , ing senate rules to reconsider it's own
 resolution reiectinS the amendn,e
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