The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-03-19
DelalUare Suffrage Fight
Close; Decision Monday
legislators Waiver - Victory
ii Sympathizers Act Quickly.
Governor for Bill.

Wilmington, Del, March 1s.-The
only thing that will cause the legls-
iature of this state to ratify the
woman suffrage amendment when 1t
meets in special session, March 22,
will be outside pressure.
Political expediency and a genuine
desire on the part Of the people in
the other forty-seven states will
airing the desired result, If the people
| Iet the legislature know. by letters
0r kilograms, that they want Della
Ware to act with dispatch and for
ever settle the controversy of whether
|'women shall vote.
Thirty-four states have ratified
Washington will meet the same day.
md ratification there is only mat
ter of recording the vote. This will
have in the hands of the Delaware
LEGISLATORS the question of deciding
for the whole nation.
I have just made a thorough can
|yass of the legislature and l can ac-
|count for a majority of only one In
|fhe house, and / would say that rati-
|fication lacks one vote in the senate.
but the desired votes in the senate
|can be obtained if the people through
but the nation will let these legisla-
|tors know that they want Delaware
40 do something heroic, that they
consider it wrong for Delaware to
|stand in the way of ratification; that
|Iocal problems and controversies in
Delaware should not hinder the ma
Hon.
Republicans everywhere should let
|the Delaware republican majority
Know that no republican state has
|tlrned down suffrage, and if Della
|ware does, 1t will be a blow to the
Republican party.
II Democrats should let the demo-
|cratic minority know that they are
upon Delaware democracy
Ito make a showing for the party in
Its claim upon the woman vote next
Hall
The fight will be a bitter one.
|Antisuffragists, under the leadership
|of Mrs. Henry P. Scott, have opened
headquarters here and at Dover the
capital.
ffMrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, former
president of the National Woman
|Suffrage association, disbanded, and
|A1rs. Lawrence Lewis and Mrs. Flor
fence Bayard Hilles, of the national
|woman's party, will have headquar-
kers at Dover.
Then there are local interests that
|may hold up ratification. Delaware
HAS a school code, fathered by Gov.
townsend, strong suffragist, over
(which the state is divided. The Du-
|ponts run Delaware. Just now a
Family political feud is on. Alfred
Dupont, reputed to have a majority
|of the legislature on his side, wants
THE school code repealed or changed.
|Coleman Dupont, close friend to the
governor, is opposed to altering the
|school code. Opposition to the school
|eode threatens to refuse to ratify
|woman suffrage until Gov. Townsend
to school code legislation.
II will vote against woman suf-
|frage ratification until the governor
|Bigns a bill we will pass on the school
declared Isaac D. Short,
president pro tenn. of the senate. IF
he vetoes our bill, the senate will
|adjourn without voting on ratifica-
|tion."
/" The vote seems to be 10 to II in
|the house for ratification and to 9
In the senate against, if the legisla-
|ture votes without regard to party
| xpediency, and not considering the
Nations desire to complete ratifica-
|tion. But if people of the other
|states make their wants known, it is
|possible to make the vote II to in
|the senate and 90 to 10 in the house.
Some of the ants are beginning to
|waver because of national sentiment.
More pressure will turn the trick.