The Washington herald., 1920-08-19
OF SUFFRAGE FIGHT
DATES BACK 3 GENERATIONS
By Public Ledger scrvfccl

(By Public Ledger ScryfccD
A struggle extending through
three generations closed in ,riumur
Tor American women today whcr
tennessee wrote equal voting
rights into the law.
The Tennessee decision gave full
ting rights 10 27.OuU.0uO women
ApproXimat,lyy 10000. 600 womcr
already held the right to vote for
President under State laws. but
only 100000 could heretofore vot,
for Congress.
1t viii take but a few days tC
unwind the official rcd taDc ueccs-
sary to the ccrtifcation Of the
Tennessee ratification. The Sccrt-
tary Of State then viii proclaim
that the Constitution Of the United
States has been amended to provide
woman suffrage.
Effect Rcmains to be Seen.
The effect of the new voting
strength remains to be shown at
the polls this year, but at breakfast
tables throughout the land tomOr-
row morning women must be pre-
pared to meet the inquiry: Now
that you have it, what are YOU
going to do with it," Already it
has been said in one facetious
quarter that the Tennessee ratifica-
tiOn will mean the substitution OF
the rolling pin for the steam roller
in American politics. Great interes st
will attach to the results in the
South, where politicians have run
away from suffrage through fear
of negro domination"
The first demand of the women
for equal rights came at the time of
the Revolution and had a distinctly
militant tone. Abigail Adams wrote
to her husband, John Adams. in the
Continental Congress, asking that
women be given a voice in the new
government. We will not hold our
selves bound to obey laws in which
we have no voice or representation, 3"
she declared, and threatened a
"woman's rebellion"
Women Protest.
Protest against their disfran-
chisemcnt grew among the women
of the country, and in 1S4S Lucretia
Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
called together at Seneca Falls, n.
Y, the first woman's rights conven-
ton. From this time on the suffrage
campaign was organized and in
creasingly active. In 1872 the mill
tant note was again sounded by Su-
san B. Anthony. Quaker leader of
the suffrage forces.
At the opening of the civil war
the women were told by influential
men in Congress that if they would
give up their work for their own
freedom and bend their energies to-
ward winning the Gar, in the day
of victory they would not be for
gotten. The war was won, but the
freedom that followed did not in
clude women. Miss Anthony for sew
eral years endeavOred to secure an
Interpretation of the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth amendments which would
permit women to exercise the fran
Chise. In this attempt she went to
the polls in a New York State cleo
tion and cast her ballot She was
arrested and sentenced to pay a fine.
Suffrage history records her response
to court: May it please your hon
or" she said, Il will not pay a dol
lar of your unjust penalty, but
shall earnestly and persistently con
tinue to urge all women to the prac-
tical recognition of the old Revolu-
tionary maxim. Resistance to tyr
amy is obedience to God""
Amendment Fight starts.
Miss Anthony determined upon a
campaign for an amendment to the
Federal constitution as the only sal
walton for wofnan's cause. She
drafted an amendment. It was pre-
sented in Congress in 1878. That
same eext now becomes the Nine