New-York tribune., 1920-03-27
Delay Cheers
Suffragists
In Delaware
s'Antis'' Fail in Efforts to
Force Immediate Action
in Assembly and Ballot
Will Be Taken "Wednesday
Ratification Is Predicted
Republicans Rally to the
Defense of Amendment
as Party Issue Is Raised
From a stoc Corrcspondont

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From star Correspondent !
DOVER, Del, March 26.-Sufrrage
prospects frightened to-day with the
fixing of the date for a vote in the
Delaware Assembly on the ratification
of the Federal amendment. The meas.
ure will be reported out of the AS.
sembly committee on Tuesday and the
vote is expected on Wednesday. Ir
the Senate the bill was reported BY
the Judiciary Committee, but no date
set for the vote.
The Republicans in the Assembl,
rallied to the defense of suffrage to.
day. 1T has become more than ever q
party light, with the Republicans ir
control of the Legislature. The line.
up by parties was forced when Assem-.
blyman McNabb, the Democratic anti.
suffrage leader, threatened to produce
petition from eighteen anti-suffrage
members demanding an Immediate vote
Even the anti-suffrage Republicans re.
FUSED to be party to this, however
and voted with the suffragists in thei,
decision to report the measure.
This delay will give the suffrage
women a chance to work up sympathy
Tor the cause over the weekend. Every
days delay, every day of newspaper
editorials, of letters from the home
folks and pressure from political lead
ers outside the state, works for the
advantage of suffrage. So Dover is
deserted again this afternoon. The au.
tomobiles flying yellow and purple
flags have disappeared from the village
green before the State House.
Predicts Ratification
The suffrage workers have scattered
to the remote villages, where the farm
ers' wives are being urged to Join the
army OF women voters in other states
Another delegation Of suffragists is in
Wilmington comforting with state lead
erS.
The anti-suffragists are equally busy
and an antisuffrage mass meeting is
scheduled for tomorrow night in
Centerville. Mrs. George Bass. chair
man of the Women's National Demo
cratic Committee, departed, also, this
afternoon with the look on her face of
the cat who swallowed the canary.
Just what promises she may have Sc
cured from the Democratic anti-suf-
fragists she refused to divulge, but
she announced that if suffrage were
defeated it would be the Republicans
fault.
Suffrage will be ratified in Della
ware she said. "How do l know? |
know that the Republican party will
not assume the responsibility for de-
feating it in the thirty-sixth state and
that under no possible chance will any
Democrat take part in any tactics
which may be resorted to in the at
tempt to defeat it,"
Thorn ava or11y Gx,o
Delaware Senate and there are twelve
Republicans The "four irreconcili-
ables" of the Senate are Democrats
led by Senator Gormley. He was the
only member of the Senate Judiciary
Committee who voted this morning
against reporting the bill out of COM
mlttee.
Governor Townsend added a word to
the general chorus of suffrage cheer
this afternoon when he stated again to
reporters that he believed the amend
ment would be ratified
There is no truth in all this talk
about local political factions and per-
sonal jealousies entering into the stu
ation," he said.
"The simple proposition is that these
men believe their constituents do not
want suffrage. They cannot see the
national aspect of the question at ALL
Assemblyman McNabb has said that
there are not twenty-five women in his
district who want the vote. One of the
suffrage workers has undertaken to
show him twenty-five names of women
VINO do want it.
The suffragists realize that they are
TAR from certain of victory. yet many
little incidents Of the day help them to
believe the tide is turning in their
favor. One is Senator Gormley's fail
ure to prevent the report of the Judici-
ary Committee. There are commonly
supposed to be three anti-suffragists is
and two sufragists on this committee
but the suffragists so far wavered
in their hostility as TO permit the bill
TO come out of committee. 1t was re-
ported without recommendation"
Appeal From the South
Senator Walker, chairman of the
committee and an ardent sufragist, de-
clared after the meeting that the bill
would pass the Senate. One of the
anti-sutfrage influences at work with
the Democrats previous to Mrs. Bass
operations is said to have been appeals
home state Of Senator Underwood, one
of the most bitter opponents of suf-
frage in the United States Senate. Mr.
Underwood is having the same diff
Guilty with the suffragists of Alabama
that Senator Wadsworth is experience
ing in New York.
The Democratic. primaries in Ala
bama take place early in May; there
FORE the endeavor of Senator Under
woods friends is to delay ratification
of the Federal amendment until after
the primaries. To counteract this ap-
peal from the South, letter from SEN
ator Owen. of Oklahoma, a suffragist,
urging Delaware to stand by the amend
ment, was made public by Miss Alice
Paul, of the National Woman's party.
Eosc Snxs S1, frnoo