The Story of the Woman's PartyGillmore, Inez Haynes
History
The Story of the Woman's Party
Gillmore, Inez Haynes
National Woman's Party; Paul, Alice, 1885-1977; Women -- Suffrage -- United States
Whereas at the present time one-fifth of the Senate, one-seventh of
the House, and one-sixth of the electoral vote comes from equal
Suffrage States; and
Whereas, as a result of this political strength in Congress, due to
the fact that four million women of the United States are now
enfranchised, there is great hope of the passage in the near future
of the Federal Suffrage Amendment; therefore be it
Resolved, That the National Council of Women Voters concentrate its
efforts upon the support of this Federal Amendment.
The Rules Committee of the House of Representatives on August 14 then
gave the Council a hearing on the question of creating a Suffrage
Committee in the House.
The Convention ended in a mass-meeting at the Belasco Theatre, which, in
spite of the midsummer heat of Washington, was crowded to the doors. The
platform was filled with Congressmen from Suffrage States. The women
speakers iterated and reiterated the demand of the women voters of the
West for immediate action by Congress, and the Congressmen supported
them.
In addition to these—processions, pilgrimages, petitions, deputations,
and hearings, hundreds of public meetings organized by the Washington
Headquarters—were held everywhere. A constant series of deputations from
their own constituencies besieged the members of the Senate. All this
was making its inevitable impression on Congress. Those days of the
Sixty-third Congressional Session were crowded ones. The President had
told the Suffragists that so much time must be given to the tariff and
the currency that there would be none left for Women Suffrage. Yet more
time was devoted to the Woman Suffrage question than ever before. On
September 18, Senator Wesley L. Jones of Washington delivered a speech
in the Senate, in which he urged that the Suffrage Resolution should be
passed. In the House, a number of Representatives formerly opposed to
the resolution now declared that they would support it when it came
before them.
* * * * *
In the meantime, the tariff and currency had finally been disposed of. A
new Congress was to convene on December 1. Ever since his inauguration,
Suffrage agitation of a strong, dignified, and convincing character had
been brought to the President’s attention. Suffragists hoped, therefore,
that the President would feel that he could recommend the Suffrage
Amendment to this new Congress. They decided, however, to present the
matter to him in a forcible way. A fourth deputation of seventy-three
women from his own State of New Jersey came to Washington in the middle
of November.
This delegation arrived on Saturday afternoon, November 15. Until Monday
morning, they tried in every possible way to arrange for an appointment
with the President at the White House. Representative McCoy of New
Jersey endeavored to assist them in this matter. Their efforts and his
efforts were fruitless.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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