Evening star., 1920-03-11
WOMAN SUFFRAGE
: Wins BY Is TO A
IN WEST VIRGINIA
Senator Bloch Casts Decid-
inq Vote-BattIe Won, Mrs.
| Gait Believes.
By the Associated Press.

CHARLESTON, W. Va, March IL
The West Virginia Legislature ratified
the federal suffrage amendment late
yesterday afternoon. 1t was the thirty :
fourth state to ratify. Final action on
the amendment was taken by the sen
ate in adopting the ratification reso-
luton of the house OF deieSa'cs U. q
vote of Is to H. The vote of Senator
Jesse A. Bloch of Wheeling, VINO
made a hurried trip from California
to Charleston to vote on the amenu
ment, was effectual in breaking tne
deadlock between pro ana anu SUI
frage forces. Senator A. X Mon 'SoHt
cry was not permitted to VOTE ms
seat having been declared vacant.
The final vote in the senate on tne
amendment was taken at o:lo eioen'
after one of the most dramatic seS
sions ever witnessed in either mouse
of the legislature. For seVerai hou.s
suffrage leaders and their oppone.,9
fought in an effort % gain Il denht'e
advantage. Each step was ho'i! -.
tested-anti- forces ue
mined to offset their opponents -
tories in keeping the Legislature ~
session and the suffragists conhueh'
of gaining majority to ratil!' o9 '"e
vote of Senator Bloch
Halls and corridors in the stat
house were thronged with spec'atoIs .
1ncludlnS nunuIeds VI rnlIox-
of whom as well as men. wore SelloN
flowers as n token of their alieSiahee
to the suffrage cause
Fight Over Montgomery.
The first fight of the day in the Sen.
kte was over the report OF part y,
the committee on the privileges anu
elections on the question OF oehnsol
Montgomery right to sea-.
reuort presented the letters OF Sena
tor Montgomery to Gov. Cornwell ana
the governors reply-the one tendsr
ing the senator's reslgnation' ~;
other accepting it-and other
dence. 1t recommended that MoIi. ),
gomery's seat having been Vaca.eu
by himself, be declared vacant U! '"e
senate. ,;,h
His case, the main points of when
were that his residence in Illinois was
only temporary. that he now ln.ehus
to return to West Virginia and re-
sumo his residence in the district
which he represented. and that the
senate records showed he was SUI!
member. was presented py seha'of
Gribble.
Senators NJ X. Duty: who made the
committee report. and Fred L. Fox.
minority leader. supported the motion
for the adoption of the committee re-
port. By vote of Is to IL TINS was
accomplished. and anti-sunraglsts
found themselves without the vote
which would counter Senator Bloch's
In at least securing tie.
Ratification forces then surprised
their opponents in proposing to adopt
the house resolution without amend
ing senate rules to reconsider its own
resolution rejecting the amendment
The opposition had made it's prln-
cipal fight on this issue and raised a
point of order. Senator Harvey Har-
mer, leader of the suffragists. and
Senator Gribble. the opposing leader,
debated the question, and when ap-
pealed to President Sinsel declined to
rule on the point, but submitted 1t
to the senate. Senator Harmer was
sustained by a vote of 15 to IA, and
then the house resolution was adopt
ed. Adjournment was taken until 10
am. today.
Mrs. Gait Says Fight In Won.
NEW YORK, March 11.-"Suffrage
10 won. The words are simple. but
they thrill as few words do or can"
This was the enthusiastic conclu-
sion Of Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait.
president of the National American
Woman Suffrage Association, in a
statement issued here on receipt of
news that West Virginia had ratified
the federal suffrage amendment. With