The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1920-08-19
Seventeen Million Women May
Vote in Presidential Election
This Fall

Cne reueTdl outrage AHneHuHleHI
yesterday. The Senate ratified the
amendment last Friday by vote of
20 to 4.
Tennessee is the thirty-sixth state
to ratify the amendment and the ac-
ton of the legislature makes the
law operative. By its action seven
teen million women will be allowed to
cast a vote in the presidential elect
ion this fall
Nine states have defeated the
amendment, they are: Alabama,
Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina,
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Louis
lana, North Carolina.
1t is the desire of the suffrage
forces to add at least one other
state to their list before the Novem-
Der elections.
Suffrage leaders are rejoicing over
the adoption of the suffrage amend
ment. The sentiments of many of
them were expressed by Mrs. Carrie
Chapman Gait, President of the Ma
tional Woman Suffrage Association,
who said in prepared statement:
"our mothers began it. So it came
on to US, in a way, a sacred trust
And a great part of our rejoicing to-
day in The hour Of victory is COM
pounded of our feeling of loyalty to
the past and our satisfaction that we
have stood faithful to its trust.
at was lifty-one years ago that the
women Of the National Suffrage
Association began what was to be a
fifty year long campaign to get the
Congress of the United tSates to pass
a federal suffrage amendment. Con-
gress had been importuned for the
amendment by the women even be-
forethat, but 1896 marked the or
ganization of the National" with
the avowed purpose of securing suf-
frage by national legislation.
Much Lobbying.
"From that day until June A, 1919,
the maintenance of a congressional
lobby in Washington to work for fed
eral suffrage was part of the pro-
gram of the National Suffrage Asso-
citation. 1t meant keeping up an I'M
broken chain of lobby work at Wash
ington for over half a century.
at was in 1878 that the amend
ment was presented to the 45th con-
gress by the National in the form in
which it was finally passed. Twenty.
two congresses were to have chance
at it on that identical form. Before
twenty-five congresses the women of
the National were to stand and plead
for justice. OF those twenty-five
congresses the Republicans domin.
ated both branches in eleven and the
Democrats in four, while in seven the
House was Democratic and the Sen
ate was Republican. In this revela,
ton of well-divided. long-continued
opposition lies, perhaps, the explana.
tion of why women smile somewhat
cynically today at all party claims
to monopoly of merit in forwarding
the suffrage program. ever was {
measure so Systematically opposed
never one whose progress was SC
vehemently disputed inch by inch.
Countless Obstacles
GAS with its passage, so with the
ratification. Delay and obstacles
have been the constant portion of the
National Sugrage Association in Sc
curing the needed SO states Because
of the failure of the 65th Congress tC
pass the amendment, the measure haC
to go to the state Legislatures in al
"off" year. Only ten states could rat
fly in regular session. Twenty-si,
special sessions have had to be calleC
to secure the full complement of rat
ilcation. To get these special ses
sions called has been in itself a mon
umental work for the National Stuff
rage Association, necessitating an in
trminable chain of letters, kilograms
and special personal emissaries,
"Now that it is all over, the feeling
of 'ceaslessness' is probably the sen
sation uppermost with us all. An
perhaps it is just as well that
should be. For women cannot stoI
The National cannot stop. With
new purpose, the purpose of maxim
the vote register for an improve
citizenship, the women of the Nation
al are already lined up under ne'
name the Leogue of Women Voters.
ATTORNEY MACY