Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
In 1920 the State Suffrage Association stood alone in again having a
resolution introduced for amending the State constitution, all the
other suffrage societies concentrating on the ratification of the
Federal Amendment, which had been submitted by Congress on June 4. It
was presented in the Lower House by L. L. Upton, in the Senate by J.
O. Stewart. They were followed immediately by Representative S. O.
Shattuck and Senator Norris C. Williamson with one to ratify the
Federal Amendment. At the close of the session Miss Jean Gordon issued
the following statement:
To the Friends of Woman Suffrage:
Now that the smoke of battle has cleared ... as president of the
State association I feel that an unbiased statement of facts
should be given in order that the history of woman suffrage in
this State may be correctly recorded. Having been at Baton Rouge
from the opening day of the Legislature until its adjournment I
can give all the facts and some of the reasons for one of the
most remarkable controversies ever held in Louisiana.
The proposed amendment to the State constitution having been
defeated in 1918 by the malevolent influences of the influenza
throughout the State and Mayor Behrman in New Orleans, it was
necessary to have another sent to the voters in 1920.
Congress having submitted a Federal Amendment to the Legislatures
it was to be expected that men and women who believe in
centralizing the voting power in Congress would work for its
ratification, but that those who claimed to be ardent suffragists
would work to defeat State submission after they found the
sentiment for ratification amounted to almost nothing in both
Houses seems incredible. The fact remains, however, that while
the actual defeat of the State amendment was due primarily to
personal animosity on the part of Senator Leopold of Plaquemine
parish, when he realized what he had done he said that if it was
possible to have it re-introduced he would vote for it, thus
giving the necessary twenty-eight votes. After all arrangements
for re-consideration had been made, Senator Louque, a faithful
suffragist of many years' standing, provoked because one of his
bills had been defeated, slipped away and it was again deprived
of the one vote needed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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