Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-13
SEES HARD SUFFRAGE
BATTLE IN DELAWARE
Advocates of Amendment Take No
Chances Despite Apparent
Odds, Correspondent
Writes.

The Baltimore Sun today printed ths
following special dispatch sent from Viii
mington last night by special CORE
spondcnt of the Sun, sent to Delaware to
investigate the suffrage situation in this
| State.
Both the friends and the enemie. OF
woman suffrage are fixing tho stage for
n genuine, stand-up fight when tho ques-
| tIon of whether the national amendment
/ shall be or shall hot be ratified is submitted
TO the special session Of the Legislature,
which will convene one week from next
| Monday
In spite of the widespread belief that
/ the Republican National Committee has
ordered the amendment ratified sudden
! conversion to suffrage of such men as for
mer United States Senator Salisbury
and L. Heisler Ball now United States
senator: the admission of State Senator
Thomas +. Gormley that, although he
IS opposed 10 it, he believes the amend
ment will be adopted: the backing that
the Democratic State Committee and
Republican Governor Townsend are Civ
ing the amendment, the members OF the
Delaware Equal Suffrage Association are
taking no chances. The "antis" are re-
ported TO be equally active But no less
than FIVE leaders of the latter group who
were asked today what they thought Of
the situation answered that indeed, they
were not prepared TO say: they had been
out of town, or they had not kept in
touch with things.
The sufragists are disposed 20 treat
lightly the theory advanced by Mrs NJ.
G.. kilbreth, president of the National
Association Opposed 20 Woman Suffrage,
and others, to the effect that the Presi-
dentnl election may be thrown into con-
fusion if Delaware and Washington ratify,
thus giving the necessary number of States
To change the Constitution. This view IL
that in Ohio a vote by the people is neecs-
sary To ratifv the amendment, and that
the constitutionality Of the action Of the
other State must be tested in the Supreme
Court OF the United State. The suff-
ragists Of Delaware aware of the impnr-
tance attached 10 the action of their Lepis-
lature, because Of its influence ON the
country. are inclined to think that those
views are advanced az desperate measures
by the ants To postpone defeat.
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, President
of the National American Woman Suffrage
Association, will start the campaign 10
prove TO the Delaware Legislature what
Is expected of il at "A meeting at the du
POnt Hotel here next Thursday. She is
expected TO stav t. assist in the work be-
fore the Legislature. The ants have not
scheduled any meetings and they have
not let their plan of csmpaign he made
public. They have fixed next Tuesday
as n great slgning-,ip day when the women
opposed 10 universal suffrage will go 10
the home OF one Of their number and sign
monster petition which is 10 be pre-
sented TO the Legisi, t'ire.
Talk of the farmers in the Legislature
defeating them is declared hy the su'fra-
gists 10 be merely bugaboo. Every ono
who says that the old-fashioned view.of
the farmer, 10 tho effect that a womans
place is at home. mindlng the children.
will defeat the amendment. believes that /
the strongest expression of this feeling /
will come from Sussex, the southernmost /
county. The suffragists say that they +
have sufficient pledg, from Senators and /
members of the House IN Sussex 10 guar |
antee that the amendment will not be-
bv those men They also saw
that they have pledges from enough MEM
bcrs of the Senate and the House in all
parts of the State 10 assure them OF
majority. But they will not make public
his list II would be giving aid and conn
fort TO the enemy, they declare. Let
the anti find out for herself, If she can,
they say
That there is going 10 be determined
to ratification there is no doubt.
One more Senator besides Senator Gormlev |
will fight ratification TO the last ditch.
They are never compromise men. II
s said that an effort will be made 10 pre-
vent any women from outside Delaware
rom taking any part in the campaign
before the Legislature. The advocates
IF this plan say that the people of Della
ware should be permitted TO decide the
question without outside interference. /
L Is not expected. however, that the
legislature will agree To slamming its
ioors in the faces of visitors.