The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-09-08
LONG FIGHT FOR
NATIONAL SUFFRAGE
ENDS IN VICTORY
NEARLY TWENTY SEVEN MIL
LION WOMEN WILL CAST
BALLOTS AS A RESULT

uEnJ IOf NOLtS. VdouinStO H anu
Tennessee have ratified the constitu-
tional amendment making 36 states
out of AZ.
Upon the opening March 22 of the
special sessions of the legislatures of
Washington and Delaware, the wo-
man suffrage situation in the United
States was briefly this:
Amendment to the Constitution
passed by congress June A, 1919, as
drafted in 1875 by Susan b. Anthony:
"The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any state on account of SEX. Rati-
fication necessary by legislatures of
three-fourths Of the AS states of the
union.
Amendment ratified by "a states,
beginning with Wisconsin, June 10,
1919. and ending with West Virginia
March 10, 1920. Constitutionality of
Ohio ratification before the United
States Supreme court.
Amendment defeated by six states
between September IL, 1919 and Feb
ruary II, 1920, as follows in the or
der named: Alabama, Georgia, Miss
issippi, South Carolina, Virginia,
Maryland.
Connecticut and eVrmont-No reg
ular sessions until 1921. Governors
had refused to call special sessions.
Florida and Tennessee-Cannot
vote in 1920 because of constitutional
provision requiring election to inter
vene between submission and amend
ment and action on it.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to meet in
June; small hope for ratification.
North Carolina - Legislature to
meet in special session in August.
Gov. Thomas X. Beckett had declared
his intention to ask for ratification.
Washington promptly ratified. Del.
aware and Louisiana refused. The
governors of Connecticut, Florida and
Vermont refused to call special ses-
sions. The United States Supreme
court upheld the Ohio ratification on
the ground that no state constitution
had the authority to change in any
detail the method which the United
States Constitution itself provides
for it's amendment This decision
cleared the way for the special session
In Tennessee, which began August
8.
1t is seventy years since the organ
lied movement for women suffrage
was begun in the United States.
In 1848 Lucretia Mott and Eliza
beth Cady Stanton called the first
Woman's Rights convention at Seneca
Falls, N. Y, which launched "De-
claration of Sentiments" and passed
resolution demanding equal suf-
frage
These are two immortal names in
American history Lucretia Mott
G793- 1880 was born in Nantucket,
Mass, of Quaker parents. After
teaching, she became an lucknow
lodged minister" of the Friends. She
married James MottA who worked
with his wife against slavery.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-
1902 was born in Johnstown, N. Y.
She married in 1910 Henry b. STAN
ton, a journalist and anti-slavery
speaker. From 1869 to 1893 she was
president of the National Woman
Suffrage and addressed congressional
on woman suffrage. She
was the joint author of "History OF
Woman Suffrage" (1S81-S) and
eighty Years or More" (1895) is
her autobiography.
A third name is that of Susan b..
Anthony (1820-1906). She joined with
Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton in organizing the woman
suffrage movement. She became in
time the real leader of the move
ment; certainly she was its first mil
liant suffragist. Born in Adams,
Mass, she came of Quaker stock and
early devoted herself to temper
ance" (the prohibition of those days)
and to the abolition of slavery.
In 1875 Miss Anthony drafted the
amendment to the Constitution which
has now been ratified. In 1878 the
amendment was introduced in the
senate by Senator Sargent of Cali
fornia. 1t was defeated in 1887 and
thereafter was not even debated in
congress until 1914.
During the years the Constitution
al amendment campaign was making
no progress the women won many
victories in the states, securing full
suffrage in 10; presidential suffrage
in IL and partial suffrage in several
others.
The National American Women
Suffrage association in 1912 opened
headquarters in Washington and be-
gan an active campaign for the pas
SAGE VI Tile III lJlO
established branch headquarters
there which were devoted entirely to
the amendment campaign. The CAM
paign was educational and social as
well as political and attracted world
wide attention.
The National Woman's party, or
ganized in 1910 by Alice Paul, estab-
1ished Washington headquarters in
1913 and introduced the militant into
the campaign.
Alice Paul-the third Quakeress to
immortalize herself-is the spectacu-
lar figure Of the struggle. She devel-
oped the deadliest card index on
members of congress that practical
politics has ever seen. She served
notice through the White House pick
cts that the president was the imam
higher up, The arrest of nearly 500
of these pickets and the imposition
of Jail sentences followed. Incident
ally Miss Paul herself served seven
terms in Jail.
The amendment was beaten three
times In the senate and once in the