Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
By agreement, a Democrat, Senator Charles M. Harriss, presented the
resolution for ratification in the Senate, and a Republican, Joseph
Lazarus, in the House. On Jan. 6, 1920, the first day of the session,
it was passed by a vote of 30 ayes, 8 noes in the Senate and 72 ayes,
25 noes in the House. The affirmative vote by parties was as follows:
In the two Houses 39 Democrats out of a possible 65, and 63
Republicans out of a possible 73. That any measure should pass on the
first day of the session was unprecedented in Kentucky legislative
history. Democrats were in control of the two Legislatures--1914 and
1916--which defeated the full suffrage measures. Democrats were in
control of the Legislature in 1918 which undoubtedly would have passed
a resolution for a State amendment, a Presidential suffrage bill, or
would have ratified the Federal Amendment had Congress acted in time.
The leaders of both parties by this time had seen a great light!
The delegates who had gathered in Frankfort for the State convention
were entertained at a buffet luncheon by the local suffrage
organization, went in a body to the State House and had the
gratification of seeing the Federal Amendment ratified. A
glorification meeting was held that night at Lexington, twenty-five
miles away, at which Governor Morrow told why the new women voters
should enter the Republican party and Judge C. S. Nunn and Senator
Harriss, leader of the Senate, told why they should enter the
Democratic party. The latter were introduced by former Senator Combs,
who had sponsored the suffrage cause among the Democrats in the last
two Legislatures. The convention closed with an address by Mrs.
Emmeline Pankhurst of England the following night, and on the next day
the officers and members of the association went to Frankfort again to
see the Governor sign the ratification.
As it was not certain that the amendment would be completely ratified
before the general election in November the Legislature decided to
pass a bill giving to women the right to vote for presidential
electors. On March 11 it passed the House and on the 15th the Senate
by almost the same vote given on the Federal Amendment. Only three
Senators voted against it--Thomas J. Gardner of Bardwell, Hayes Carter
of Elizabethtown and C. W. Burton of Crittenden. On the 16th bills
were passed making necessary changes in the election laws to insure
the voting of the women in the primaries and at the regular elections.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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