Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-08-19
NATIONS IN WHICH WOMEN
VOTE

Hungary ...---.-...-.......-.. 1918
England ....-..-.--...----...-----.-. 1918
Holland ..-...--.-...--...-.-..... 1919
RaIoiuno t-....-.....-.-.... 1919
british Fast Africa ....--...-..-...... 1919
Pbodesia ..-........-............. 1919
Iuvemhourg .........--....-.-.-.-....... 1919
Iceland .-........-.--....-....... 1919
Sweden .............-..-.-.--.-.---.......- 1919
tinted states ................-..-...... 1920
Colonial Period-Under several col
onial governments women voted.
American Revolution-Wom de-
manded to be included in govern
ment Abigail Adams wrote to her
husband, John Adams. "If women are
not represented in this new republic,
there will be another revolutinon."
In lss4-Woman' rights conven-
ton at Seneca Falls, New York, ar
ranged by Lucretia Mott and Eliza
beth Cady Stanton, the first big suf
frage demonstration in this country.
In 1S72-Miss Susan B. Anthony
made the test in 1872 of voting at the
polls. She was arrested, refused toI
pay her fine, but was never jailed.
In 1s75-Miss Anthony drafted the
Woman Suffrage amendment, which
reads: 1.-THE right of citizens of the
| United States to vote shall not be de-
MED or abridged by the United States
or by any state on account of SEX"
In IS7S-Amendment introduced
in Senate by Senator Sargent, of Cal
! ifornia.
State Campaigns-By the end of
1912 women had won the right to
vote in nine states. Wyoming
| 1850, Colorado, Utah and Idaho
| (1S94), Washington 1910, Califor-
ME 1910, and Kansas, Arizona and
Oregon 1922.
In 1eI3-The women of Illinois
won state and presidential suffrage.
In 1914, the women of Montana and
Nevada were enfranehised; in 1917,
the women of New York, and in 1918,
the women of Oklahoma, South Dako-
ia and Michigan.
Organization of the National Wo-
mans Party - When the National
/ Woman's party, then called the Con-
| gressiOnal Union, was organized in
1913 to concentrate on a campaign
for federal amendment, no action or
even debate on the federal amend
ment had taken place in Congress
since 1887. Politicians were opposed
and political party platforms silent
aDount the amendment.
Within seven years every political
party had included in its platform an
equal suffrage plank, President Will
son had publicly appealed for the pas
sage of the amendment as 'a vitally
necessary war measure" the amend
ment had been passed by both houses
of Congress and ratified by SO states,
while political leaders Wed with each
other for the credit of the victory.
The National Woman's party from
the beginning adopted the policy of
holding the party in power response
BILE for the fate of the amendment
and brought pressure on that party
through the political power already in
the hands of the western women.
Most spectacular of the Demon
STATIONS was the picketing of the
v hite House, which began in Jan
uary, 1917, and lasted until No
"ember, 1917. During the picketing
between 400 and 500 women were
arrested for the crime of reminding
the president of his responsibility for
enfranchisement and sentenced to
prison terms ranging from three days
to seven months. These arrests were
later declared by the District Court
of Appeals to have been illegal.
In 1918, January-Two weeks af-
ter the last pickets were released
, from Jail, and one year from the day
the first picket line went out, the
federal amendment nassed the Lower
House of Congress.
In 1919, June 4.-The Senate pass
ed the amendment with two votes to
spare. The House had repassed it
on May 21, 1919.
In 1919-192O-Special sessions of
% legislatures had to be called to Sc
cure the necessary SO notifications.
In all but five of the Sc states cam
paigns upon either the governor or
the Legislatures were necessary.
In the first month after the passage
of the amendment by Congress, nine
states ratified Wisconsin, Michigan,
Ohio, New York, Illinois, Pennsyl-
vania, Massachusetts and Texas.
The three states which ratified
, within a few hours of each other on
June 10, Wisconsin, Illinois and Mich
igan, fought for the honor of first
place on the ratification rolls.
Kansas, the first full suffrage state
: to act, set new record on June 16.
The members of its Legislature, at
their own suggestion, paid their ex-
penses and met without salary in a
r special session. New York was the
t second state to meet especially for
this purpose, and then Texas, desir-
ing to be the first Southern state to
act, met in special session on June %.
The half mark was passed by the
ratification on Nov. 1 of California.
The most difficult campaign occur
red in the last few states. particular
ly in New Jersey, West Virginia and
Delaware. The opposition resorted
to every possible device to defeat rati-
fcation or to substitute referendum.
In West Virginia the amendment was
saved by one vote, that of Senator
RlOch who rl1Shad from California hIy