Americus times-recorder., 1920-03-19
SUFFRAGE FIGHT
IN DELAWARET
BEHARDBATTLE
Only Outside Pressure
Can Bring About Rat
ihcation
BY GEORGE B. WATERS,
N. E. A. Staff Correspondent.

WILMINGTON, Del, March 19.-
The only thing that will cause the
legislature of this state to ratify the
woman suffrage amendment when it
meets in special session, March %,
will be outside pressure.
Political expediency and a genu-
inc desire on the part of the people
in the other At states will bring the
desired result, if the people let the
legislature know, by letters or tele-
grams that they want Delaware to
act with dispatch and forever settle
the controversy of whether women
shall vote.
Thirty-four states have ratified.
Washington will meet the same day,
and ratification there is only a mat
ter of recording the vote. This will
leave in the hands of the Delaware
legislators the question of deciding
for the whole nation.
have just made a thorough can
vas of the legislature and l can ac-
count for majority of only one
vote in the house and [ would saw
that ratification lacks one vote in the
senate. But the desired votes in the
senate can be obtained if the people
throughout the nation will let these
Legislators know that they want. Della
aware to do something heroic, that
they consider it wrong for Delaware
to stand in the way of ratification !:
that local problems and controver-
sizes in Delaware should not hinder
the nation.
Republicans everywhere should let
the Delaware Republican majority
know that no Republican state has
turned down suffrage, and if Della
ware does, it will be a blow to the
Republican party.
Democrats should let the Demo-
cratic minority know that they are
depending upon Delaware democracy
to make showing for the party in
its claim upon the woman vote next
fall.
The fight will be a bitter one.
Anti-suffragists under the leadership
of Mrs. Henry P. Scott have opened
headquarters here and at Dover, the
capital.
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait, former
president of the National Woman
Suffrage Association, disbanded, and
Mrs. Lawrence Lewis and Mrs. Flor
ence Bayard Hilles of the National
Woman's party, will have headquar-
4ers at Dover
Then there are local interests that
may hold up ratification. Delaware
has school code, fathered by Gov
ernor Townsend, strong suffragist.
over which the state is divided. The
Duponts run Delaware. Just now a
family political feud is on. Alfred
Dupont, reputed to have 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the school code repealed or changed.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
code threatens to refuse to ratify
woman suffrage until Governor
Townsend consents to school code
legislation.
81 will vote against woman suff-
rage ratification until the governor
signs a bill we will pass on the
school question:" declared Isaac D..
Short, president pro tenn of the
Senate. "If he vetoes our bill, the
Senate will adjourn without voting
on ratification"
The vote seems to be 19 to IT in
the House for ratification, and 8 to
8 in the Senate against, if the legis-
lature votes without regard to party
expediency, and not considering the
nations desire to complete ratifica-
ton. But if people of the other
states make their wants known, it is
possible to make the vote IL to 5
IN the Senate and 25 to 10 in the
House.
Some of the ants are beginning
to waver, because Of national senti-
ment. More pressure will turn the
trick.