New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-24
Point Is Won
By Suffrage
In Delaware
House and Senate Repub-
licans Agree to Debate
Resolution Tomorrow:
Look for Showdown
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

DOVER, Del, March 23.-To-day'
developments in the special session of
the Delaware Legislature called to
adopt the Federal suffrage amendment
were favorable to ratification, but the
suffragists are not yet in the clear.
However, they took step toward the
clearing which may bring them safe
ly through
At conference Of House and SEN
ate Republicans this afternoon an
agreement was reached to bring the
suffrage resolution into the open on
| Thursday and let both sides discuss
| it. This was the unanimous action
of the members. The suffrage sup
porters would not have consented to
the program had they not been hopeful
of ratification, and they now are pre-
pared to lay their cards on the table,
face up, and ask the naturalization
crowd to do likewise.
The hearing will be at joint session
of both houses, and will be an all-day
affair. The suffragists will present
their claims from 10:3O in the morn
ing to 1880 noon. Then the meeting
will adjourn until 1880 o'clock, and
from that hour to $3.50 the anti-suf-
fragists will talk. Each side will have
thirty minutes in rebuttal, the antis
having the last word This is not
wholly to the liking of some of the suf-
frage leaders, who had hoped to be
given the last word but the member rs
decided that since they were placed
first on the program it is only fair to
let the other side speak last.
Governor Is Confident
1t was thought best by some of the
suffrage leaders to delay the show
down for few days longer in the
hope of marshalling their forces in bet
ter shape, but the Suggestion was over
ruled in this by Governor Townsend
and Secretary Of State Johnson, who
are managing the fight and who be-
lieve they are in control. The Governor
is confident tonight that he will win
The Governor and Secretary Johnson
take the stand that, since there must
be showdown some time, it may as
we'll come now as later on. 1t will
clarity the situation as nothing else
could and will show where each side
stands. 1t will show the strength of
the ratification crowd as we'll as of the
antis. Governor Townsend said to-
night the antis have shown their maxi
mum strength, whereas the potential
strength of the suffragists has not been
demonstrated.
1t is apparent that the situation
would be more favorable to ratification
if the national situation had not been
injected. The folks from Delaware like
to run their own affairs, and they re-
sent outside interference.
Cummings Is Denounced
A demonstration of this was given
to-day by Representative McNabb, of
Wilmington, Democratic leader of the
House, who denounced inte terference by
National Chairman Homer S. Cum
mings.
McNabb in a fiery speech declared
the party whip has no terrors for him,
and, waving letter he received from
Cummings, denounced the national
chairman's interference and then
trampled the letter under foot.
The resentment was reflected in the
conference of Republican leaders this
morning when Daniel Layton, Republi-
can State Chairman and son of Con-
gressman Layton, urged defeat of suf-
frage. He did this in spite of the
fact that at recent meeting of the
state committee a vive voce vote IA
vored suffrage.
81 have been for suffrage for ten
years." he said, when asked to explain
himself after the conference, "but it
is my view that it is the duty of a
legislator to reflect the views of his
constituency and not the votes of any
leaders,"
Vote Expected Soon
The suffrage lobby is trying hard to
make the Legislators see the broad, ma
tlonal view, but most of them look at
1T not from the state standpoint but