Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
The annual meeting took place in October, 1914, at Des Moines and Miss
Dunlap was re-elected president. In March the Mississippi Valley
Conference, with many interesting delegates, had been held in that
city and made a very favorable impression. Miss Jane Addams and Mrs.
Harriet Taylor Upton, president of the Ohio Suffrage Association, had
spoken at a Sunday afternoon mass meeting in the largest theater. When
the convention met at Des Moines in October, 1915, a woman suffrage
amendment to the State constitution had at last been submitted by the
Legislature to be passed upon by the voters in June, 1916. Miss Dunlap
was again re-elected and arrangements were perfected for continuing
the vigorous campaign already under way. By the time the association
held its convention at Waterloo in September, 1916, the amendment had
been defeated but nevertheless the meeting was large and enthusiastic.
Miss Anna B. Lawther was elected president and arrangements were made
for securing as soon as possible the re-submission of the amendment.
The convention of 1917 met in October at Des Moines and Miss Lawther
was re-elected. The country was now in the midst of war, and, like
patriotic women everywhere, Iowa suffragists turned all their
attention to helping win it. Miss Lawther served on a special
committee appointed by the Governor to organize the women of the State
for war activities. Every woman on the suffrage board filled an
important position in the various State war organizations and every
county chairman and local member was active in the work of her
community. The women worked long, full days for the war and far into
the night for suffrage.
When the State convention met at Cedar Rapids in September, 1918, the
women were still immersed in war work. Meanwhile the Lower House of
Congress had voted to submit the Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment and
for some months the efforts of the association had been centered on
this amendment. It had secured pledges from all the Iowa
representatives in Congress to vote for it except Harry E. Hull, who
voted against it. In June a "suffrage school" had been held in Penn
College, Oskaloosa, for the express purpose of educating women in the
need of this amendment and the necessity of educating State
legislators to the point where it would be ratified as soon as it was
submitted. Miss Lawther was again re-elected but resigned the next
June and Mrs. James E. Devitt, the vice-president, filled the office.
In 1919 the association was in the thick of the struggle to obtain
from the Legislature Primary and Presidential suffrage. The former was
defeated; the latter passed both houses in April. The Federal
Amendment was ratified by the Legislature July 2.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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