New-York tribune., 1920-03-11
Amid Scenes of Widest
Excitement the Senate
Ratifies Amendment to
Federal Constitution
State 34th to Take
Favorable Action
Senator A. r. Montgom-
cry Unseated and Bloch
Gives the Needed Vote

CHARLESTON, w. Va, March To-
The West Virginia Legislature ratified
the Federal suffrage amendment late
this afternoon. Final action On the
amendment was taken by the Senate in
adopting the ratification resolution of
the House of Delegates .,y a vote of Is
to ID.
The vote of Senator Jesse A. Bloch,
of Wheeling, who made hurried trip
from California to Charleston to vote
on the amendment, was effectual in
breaking the deadlock between pro-
and anti-suffrage forces. Senator A.
R. Montgomery was not permitted to
vote, his seat having been declared
vacant.
Galleries Crowded
The final vote by the Senate was
taken at 6:15 o'clock after one of the
most dramatic sessions we're witnessed
in either house of the Legislature. For
several hours suffrage leaders and their
opponents fought in an effort to gain a
definite advantage. Each step by
either party was hotly contested-anti-
suffrage forces determined to Offset
their opponents victory in keeping the
Legislature in session. and the suffra-
gists confident of gaining majority
to ratify by the vote of Senator Bloch,
who had rushed nearly across a con-
tinent for the occasion.
Crowded galleries were kept in order
with difficulty as each phase of the
battle apparently swung in favor Of one
side or the other. At first occupants
of the galleries took more interest in
the Wheeling Senator, who was re-
garded as a considerable sensation by
the West Virginians, owing to his i'm
portance and the means through which
the suffrage forces had brought him to
Charleston.
Shortly, however, interest in the
Senator was thrown into the back
ground due to issues featuring the
contest. These included the action Of
the Senate in declz,ing vacant the seat
Of Senator Montgomery. depriving him
of the vote which would have defeated
ratification and the taking up and
adopting of the ratification resolution
Of the Lower House, without amending
the Senate rules, one week after the
Senate's vote defeating it's own resolu-
tion on the same subject.
Halls and corridors in the State
House were thronged with spectators,
including hundreds of women, man OF
whom wore yellow flowers, as did many
men, as token Of their allegiance to
the suffrage cause.
'T'':v Senate chamber presented a
colorful picture. with yellow flowers
and ribbons as the scheme. Each Som
ator had brought to his desk as many
chairs AS could be crowded about it,
the majority being occupied by women
Apart from this, every available inch
of space OF the chamber was utilized
for spectators. When President Sinsel
n dow
clear the aisles for the pages, but the
space had to be cleared often there
after, owing to the opportunity for
vantage points the aisles offe red
The gallery had filled long before the
convening hour. As champions of one
cause or the other appeared, the occu-
pants frequently broke into cheers. but
there was no organized demon stration.
Once or twice in tho course of Senator
Wallace Gribble's address in behalf of
Senator Montgomery, whose vote the
anti sutiragists needed. there were
bursts of applause, which were stopped
only after vigorous rapping by the
president.
few minutes after adjournment
hundreds Of men and women started a
demonstration in the corridors, many
of them having concealed tin horns
about their persons. Those without the
horns added to the din by cheering and
whistling.
No Night Celebration
In Charleston tonight there was no
evident intention of suffrage advocates
celebrating their victory in making
West Virginia the thirty fourth state
to ratify the Susan B. Anthony amend
ment
The first fight of the day in the SEN
ate was over the report of a part of
Continued on page six