The History of Woman Suffrage Volume VI Part 54

In May, 1918, Mrs. Cathcart was appointed by U. S. Senator Tillman as a.s.sociate committeewoman on the Democratic National Committee. When the State Democratic convention was held in Columbia that month the committeewoman and the committee decided that this was the opportunity for the Democratic party to substantiate its pledge. Senator Neils Christensen was asked to introduce a resolution requesting the party to permit women to vote in the Democratic Primaries in August, provided the 36th State had ratified the Federal Amendment. The resolution was debated in committee and rejected by a vote of 18 to 14. The convention adopted the unfavorable report by a vote of 249 to 58. The women were not only rejected but through the spokesman for the opposing faction, U. S. Senator Christie Benet of Columbia, they were dubbed as paid propagandists. This the women denied through the press and called on him to prove his accusation, which was never done. The State suffrage convention was held in October and Mrs. Lynch and Mrs.

Cathcart were re-elected. At this convention the league declared itself in favor of the Federal Suffrage Amendment as a war measure.

The State convention of 1919 was held in Columbia in January, Mrs.

Julian B. Salley of Aiken presiding. Resolutions on the death of Dr.

Anna Howard Shaw, also resolutions endorsing the Treaty of Peace and the League of Nations were read by Mrs. Cathcart and adopted. Mrs.

Lynch, whose resignation was accepted, was made honorary president, and at the meeting of the executive committee in Columbia in July Mrs.

Salley was elected president. During the year work was immensely strengthened by the contribution of the National a.s.sociation of 10,000 pieces of literature and of Miss Lola Trax, who in five months organized forty counties for the pet.i.tion work for ratification. The National's expenditures were over $1,700.

The State convention of 1920 met in Columbia in January at the Jefferson Hotel and was welcomed by Governor Robert A. Cooper, who said he was convinced that women would soon vote. U. S. Senator Pollock of Cheraw made a rousing speech in favor of the Federal Amendment. Mrs. Salley reviewed the year's work, telling of the distribution of 10,000 copies of Senator Pollock's speech in Congress; of the new course of citizenship in the State University and of the growth of the organization. The legislative report of the past five years was read by the chairman, Mrs. Cathcart. Mrs. Munsell, chairman of the American Citizenship Committee, reported a ten-day course of citizenship at Winthrop Summer School; a summer cla.s.s at the University of South Carolina; one at c.o.ker College, Hartsville, conducted by Mrs. J. L. c.o.ker, and a course at Converse College, Spartanburg. Mrs. Cathcart, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, read the following: "The State Equal Suffrage League tenders appreciation and thanks to the members of the General a.s.sembly of South Carolina, who have fostered the cause ... among them Joseph E.

McCullough, Greenville; A. E. Horton, Spartanburg; James A. Hoyt, Speaker of the House; Senators J. L. Sherard, Anderson; Neils Christensen, Beaufort; Allan Johnston, Newberry; Legrande Walker, Georgetown; T. C. Duncan, Union, and Representative Shelor, Oconee. We commend William P. Pollock who spoke and voted in the U. S. Senate for the Federal Suffrage Amendment, for his loyalty to his convictions and his belief in true democracy." At the afternoon session Miss Marjorie Shuler, who had been sent by the National a.s.sociation for press and publicity work for one month, was one of the princ.i.p.al speakers.

Delegates were elected for the meeting to be called to merge the Equal Suffrage League into the League of Women Voters. This meeting was held June 20 at Craven Hall, Columbia, the league was formed and Mrs.

Munsell was elected chairman.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION. In 1902 Mrs. Virginia D. Young, then president of the suffrage a.s.sociation, brought personal influence to bear on the Governor, Senators and Representatives for a hearing on woman suffrage. On January 28 Senator Aldrich and Representative Izler introduced simultaneously two bills, one asking for Presidential suffrage for taxpaying women; the other for suffrage in Munic.i.p.al elections. A hearing was held before a joint session January 31, with the galleries crowded, where, in Mrs. Young's own words, "I was received with the usual chivalric attention and asked if I would ascend to the Speaker's chair. 'By no means. I wish to speak from the floor,' I answered. This privilege was accorded me and for the first time a woman spoke in the House of Representatives."

1914. From 1902 there is no record of action on the part of the General a.s.sembly to grant suffrage to women until Jan. 23, 1914, when a bill was introduced in the House by Mr. McMillan and referred to the Judiciary Committee, by which it was unfavorably reported the next day and rejected without a record vote, after little if any discussion. It had been introduced in the Senate by Mr. Carlisle on the 15th and referred to the Judiciary Committee, which reported it without recommendation February 25, and the next day it was laid on the table without discussion or a record vote.

1915. Early in the session a resolution was introduced asking for the submission of a woman suffrage amendment to the State const.i.tution. In connection an invitation was extended by Speaker James A. Hoyt of Columbia to Mrs. Valentine, president of the Virginia Suffrage League, to address the House and she spoke most convincingly. It was said that if a vote had been taken that night the resolution would have been adopted. It was referred to the Judiciary Committee, which granted a hearing. The speakers were the Rev. Kirkman G. Finlay, Professor Lewis Parke Chamberlayne, Mrs. Coleman, Mrs. Lynch, Miss Eudora Ramsey, Dr.

Gannt and Mrs. Valentine. The resolution was reported out of the committee unfavorably, with a minority report, and it was thought best not to push for a vote.

1916. The resolution for an amendment was introduced in the House by Judge McCullough of Greenville and received a vote of 51 ayes; 61 noes.

1917. The amendment resolution was introduced by Senator J. L. Sherard and Representative A. E. Horton. After an exciting debate lasting for three days the Senate bill came to a vote, receiving 25 ayes; 19 noes.

In the House the bill was reported and placed early on the calendar for the next year.

1918. Mr. Horton, House leader, was requested by the league to withdraw the resolution and state that as President Wilson had declared himself in favor of the Federal Suffrage Amendment and had requested members of Congress to vote for its submission the league would concentrate on this amendment. After the vote in favor by the U.

S. House of Representatives letters and telegrams were sent by leagues and individuals all over the State requesting the Senators to vote for it. Both voted against it but with the election of William P. Pollock the suffragists were encouraged. The amendment was submitted to the Legislatures June 4, 1919.

RATIFICATION. On January 14, 1920, Senator Neils Christensen introduced a joint resolution to ratify the proposed Federal Suffrage Amendment, which was referred to the Judiciary Committee. On the 23rd it was reported unfavorably; on motion of Senator Christensen the report was laid on the table; on the 28th the resolution went to a vote and received 32 noes, four ayes--Christensen, Duncan, Shelor and Walker. In the House on January 21 Representatives Bradford and Hart introduced a concurrent resolution to reject the proposed amendment; on the 22nd a motion to refer it to the Judiciary Committee was defeated by a vote of 85 to 26. The debate on the resolution to reject extended into the afternoon and the vote resulted in 93 ayes, 20 noes.

Even members who were opposed to ratification made strong speeches for justice and denounced this unprecedented action of voting for a measure before it had been referred to a committee or placed on the calendar.

FOOTNOTES:

[162] The History is indebted for this chapter to Mrs. W. C. Cathcart, member of the State Board of Public Welfare and chairman of the Legislative Committee of the State Equal Suffrage League for six years.

CHAPTER XL.

SOUTH DAKOTA.[163]

Here beginneth the last chapter of the history of woman suffrage in South Dakota. At the time this is written (1920) women have the same rights, privileges and duties politically as men except that they do not serve on juries but the law will undoubtedly be amended to permit them to do so if there is any demand for it. For many years the suffrage work was conducted by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, its officers acting for the suffrage societies and its legislative committees doing the lobbying. The activities of the two organizations are so interwoven until 1909 that the history of the W. C. T. U. is practically the history of woman suffrage. The suffrage a.s.sociation was inactive after the last defeat in 1898 until 1901. In that year a State Political Equality a.s.sociation was organized with Mrs. Alice M.

A. Pickler of Faulkton president and Mrs. Philena Everett Johnson of Highmore vice-president. She was the mother of Royal C. Johnson, now in Congress.

A State amendment for full suffrage was not again submitted until 1909 and in the interim there was a lull in active work although local clubs were formed as the nucleus of a larger organization. The suffrage lobby, usually the same as the W. C. T. U. lobby, appeared at each session of the Legislature. When a suffrage resolution was introduced it either died in committee or was reported out unfavorably and failed to pa.s.s. Always when the question was brought before either House there was a spirited debate and the suffragists then continued their campaign through literature and other means.

In October, 1902, Mrs. Pickler called a conference at Watertown which decided to take advantage of the initiative and referendum, that the State had adopted in 1897. Not realizing that it did not apply to const.i.tutional amendments, the suffragists in 1903 at great expense and effort secured the signatures of the requisite number of voters to a pet.i.tion asking that a const.i.tutional amendment be submitted to the voters. Secretary of State O. C. Berg was criticized for refusing to receive it for transmission to the Legislature but he could not legally do so, as the initiative applied only to Laws. He was not opposed to woman suffrage and in later years his wife worked for it and his son conducted a newspaper which gave it able support.

Still under the leadership of Mrs. Pickler, the years 1904 and 1905 pa.s.sed with the usual routine work and in 1906 another pet.i.tion was begun which had nothing to do with the initiative and referendum but was merely a pet.i.tion of women as citizens to the Legislature asking that the question be submitted to a vote at the next general election.

This work was carried on all summer by a house to house canva.s.s throughout the State and later at the State Fair, with the result that when it convened the women were able to stage a spectacular event by having pages carry up the aisle of the Lower House a list of names thirty-six yards in length. The resolution was introduced and pa.s.sed the Senate but failed in the House by ten votes.

During all this time Mrs. Anna R. Simmons of Faulkton was president of the State W. C. T. U. and Mrs. Pickler and she did excellent team work, enlisting the aid of many other splendid women. A complete list of them it is unfortunately impossible to secure but many mentioned in Volume IV of the History of Woman Suffrage continued their services.

The years 1907-8 were spent in propaganda work and raising funds and when the Legislature convened in January, 1909, the suffrage and W. C.

T. U. lobby was on hand to ask once more for the submission of the question to the voters. Two resolutions for partial suffrage were introduced in the Senate in addition to the one for the amendment. One would confer the vote on property-owning women only and the other would permit women to vote on the liquor question, the State being under local option. Whether they were presented by friends or were a "half loaf" offered by enemies is not known at this late date. They were probably the former, because a vote on the liquor question by women was the last thing the princ.i.p.al opponents wanted and such an amendment if adopted would have speedily put South Dakota in the "dry"

column for all time. The resolution to send to the voters an amendment for full suffrage pa.s.sed both Houses and was signed by Governor Robert S. Vessey. His favorable att.i.tude was a great help to the women, as it had been in former years when he was in the State Senate.

From 1909 the W. C. T. U. continued its suffrage work under its franchise department and the State Suffrage a.s.sociation was a separate organization. In June, 1909, a suffrage convention was held at Aberdeen and Mrs. Lydia B. Johnson of Fort Pierre was elected president of the State Political Equality League, a new const.i.tution adopted, officers chosen and an invitation extended to all women's organizations to send delegates to a convention at Sioux Falls in the autumn, when plans for the coming campaign would be perfected. This convention met November 6 and from that time until the election in November, 1910, an active campaign was conducted. The amendment was defeated, receiving 35,290 ayes, 57,709 noes, but the workers felt that gains had been made and were more determined than ever not to cease their efforts.

After the election of 1910 Mrs. Johnson called a State convention at Huron and Mrs. John L. Pyle of that city was elected president and continued to serve until the Federal Suffrage Amendment was adopted in 1920. The question was not again brought to the attention of the Legislature until 1913. During the summer of 1911 Mrs. Pyle called a conference at Huron. It seemed advisable to change the method of procedure and the name of the organization, which became the Universal Franchise League. An incident of this conference--amusing now but very serious then--was the earnest discussion of the newly introduced slogan, "Votes for Women," brought over from England. Several precious hours were spent considering whether this was dignified and whether women would not be considered "unladylike" if they adopted it. There was much protest also over being called "suffragettes" when they were really "suffragists," the former being the English for "militants." At this meeting the State was divided into four districts for campaign purposes. Mrs. May Billinghurst of Pierre was chairman for the northeast; Miss Susie Bird of Belle Fourche for the northwest; Mrs.

Edith M. Fitch of Hurley for the southeast and the Rev. Katherine Powell of Custer for the southwest, to organize branch leagues in their districts.

Their stories of trying to organize, especially in the western, thinly populated sections of the State would make an interesting volume. Miss Bird, with a horse and buggy, drove hundreds of miles, sometimes forty from one house to the next. There were almost no railroad facilities after leaving the Black Hills district but armed with suffrage literature she drove her trusty steed from place to place, spreading the gospel of suffrage at school houses, private homes or wherever the opportunity presented and organizing little groups.

In July, 1912, Mrs. Pyle called a convention at Huron, where the decision was made to ask the Legislature of 1913 to submit a full suffrage amendment. Officers were re-elected, Mrs. Nina Pettigrew of Belle Fourche took charge of the northwest district in place of Miss Bird, who had resigned, and the president was directed to select her Legislative Committee. It consisted of the Rev. Katherine Powell, Mrs.

Billinghurst, Mrs. Ruth B. Hipple of Pierre, Miss Bird for the State Franchise League and Mrs. Simmons of Faulkton; the State president, Mrs. Ruby Jackson of Ipswich, and Miss Rose Bower of Rapid City for the W. C. T. U.

In January, 1913, Mrs. Pyle and her lieutenants met at Pierre, the capital, prepared for action. The hard work, the deep devotion to the cause of the men and women of preceding years had begun to bear fruit and instead of finding a lone member here and there in favor of woman suffrage, now there were many. Hitherto it had been solely a woman's campaign, aided by only a few loyal men who dared brave the ridicule of their brothers. The years of education had begun to change public opinion and the president felt that the time for women to be b.u.t.tonholing unwilling men in the lobbies in an apologetic manner was past. She called a conference of leading men from both Houses to meet with the Legislative Committee in the office of Attorney General Royal C. Johnson. This call met with a hearty response and plans were made which proved so effective that the amendment resolution was the first measure to pa.s.s the Legislature, almost before the opponents knew the suffragists were on the ground. The poll had been so quietly and carefully taken that the committee knew its exact strength in both Houses almost before the resolution was on the calendar. Governor Frank M. Byrne gave his valuable a.s.sistance, as he had done when a member of the Senate in preceding years. Mrs. Byrne also was an excellent ally.

The members of the Legislature always referred to this legislative work as "the campaign of Committee Room 2," as this room beside the elevator in the House side of the Capitol had been placed at the disposal of the suffragists. Their committee quietly stayed there while members were summoned one by one, interviewed and pledged if possible. Unsuspecting members, supposing they were summoned by some State official, would come and then would consider it such a good joke that they would say nothing and wait for their neighbor to get caught, so that nearly the entire membership was interviewed before the men began to compare notes.

Among many amusing incidents was the following: The suffrage question could always be depended upon to fill the galleries and call forth floods of oratory. When it was up for discussion at this time Senator James Mather of Brown county rose and announced in no uncertain terms that he was unalterably opposed; he did not believe in woman suffrage; it would afford him great satisfaction, indeed he craved the opportunity, to be recorded as voting against it. The roll-call started alphabetically and it went Aye-Aye-Aye down to M. When the name Mather was called the Senator, looking decidedly embarra.s.sed, asked to be excused from voting. Protests came from all sides. Senator Norbeck (afterwards Governor) in stentorian tones demanded that since the Senator had craved the opportunity to record his opinion he should do it now. Senator Mather meekly cast the only dissenting vote and never was returned to the Legislature. In the Lower House the vote was 70 ayes, 30 noes.

The campaign of 1914 received most important and highly valued a.s.sistance from Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, president of the National American Suffrage a.s.sociation; Miss Jane Addams, its vice-president; Mrs. Catharine Waugh McCulloch, Mrs. Ella S. Stewart and Mrs. Florence Bennett Peterson, all of Chicago, and from many others. One of the best educational forces was the _South Dakota Messenger_, a weekly paper controlled and edited by the State organization. It had a wide circulation and was able to reach into the farthest corners of the State. Other papers clipped freely from its editorial and news columns. On November 3 the amendment received 39,605 ayes and 51,519 noes, lost by nearly 12,000. For the fifth time the men of South Dakota had denied their women the right of representation in the government.

The suffrage leaders were not in the least daunted or discouraged and a convention was very soon called at Huron to decide whether or not resubmission should be asked of the Legislature the next year and the unanimous decision was that it should be. The district plan was abandoned and county organization adopted. A "budget" was prepared and each county a.s.sessed according to its population, which plan was generally successful.

In January, 1915, the Legislative Committee, this time composed of Mrs. Pyle, Mrs. Etta Estey Boyce of Sioux Falls and Mrs. Paul Rewman of Deadwood, a.s.sisted by a number of Pierre suffragists for the Universal Franchise League and Dr. Mary Noyes Farr of Pierre and Miss Rose Bower for the W. C. T. U., once more climbed the steps of the Capitol to ask for another referendum. Once more the request was granted--in the Senate by 29 to 15, in the House by 57 to 40--during the first two weeks of the session. A reception was given by the committee and Pierre suffragists to the members of the Legislature, the State officers and the ladies of their families in the ballroom of the St. George Hotel, said to have been a social event second only to the inaugural ball. Later in the session a bill to give women a vote for presidential electors, county and munic.i.p.al officers, which could be granted by the Legislature itself, received 59 ayes and 40 noes in the House; 18 ayes and 24 noes in the Senate.

During the summer of 1916 for the first time the women "antis" deemed it necessary to do active work. They established headquarters at the capital with a manager in charge and made an open campaign. To answer their old stock argument, "Women do not want the vote," a state-wide plan of pet.i.tions by the women of each county was adopted and every one where the work was well done showed a good majority in favor. On November 7 when the first election returns came from those counties that usually indicate the result of the whole State, the a.s.sociated Press sent the news broadcast that South Dakota had been carried for woman suffrage by a large majority, but again it was the same old story, princ.i.p.ally the foreigners, especially the Germans, had once more denied to American women the privilege which they, themselves, had acquired so easily. The returns showed 53,432 in the affirmative; 58,350 in the negative, an opposing majority of less than 5,000.

Each campaign had shown a growth in favorable sentiment and there seemed every reason to believe that another one would be successful.

The National a.s.sociation agreed with the State in this opinion and were ready to cooperate, so it seemed best to ask the session of 1917 to give one more opportunity. The Legislature was well trained by this time and willingly pa.s.sed the resolution, the Senate by 31 ayes, 12 noes; the House by 66 ayes, 27 noes. After it had adjourned and before definite plans for a campaign were completed the country was plunged into the World War and misgivings arose in the minds of the executive board as to the wisdom of an undertaking which would make demands on the time of the women. After much prayerful deliberation the unanimous decision was reached that since this war was being fought for the establishment of world democracy and this question was undoubtedly one of democracy, there must be no turning back, but that the campaign must be managed in such a way as to require the services of as few women as possible. No further effort was made to organize county leagues but a committee of three was elected in each county to look after its interests except in those already well organized. Not much was done this year beyond laying a foundation for the necessary work of the next year.

In January, 1918, Governor Peter Norbeck called a special session of the Legislature to consider important State affairs, one being to change the clause in the const.i.tution relating to citizenship. Its framers, to render settlement of a new, undeveloped country attractive, made the requirement such that a foreigner might become a qualified elector after having merely declared his intention of becoming a citizen, without having sworn allegiance to the United States. Thousands of aliens had taken out their first papers, filed on government land, proved up and established their homes, failed to complete their naturalization and yet were fully qualified to vote.

This had long been considered a menace to the government and suffragists knew that it was princ.i.p.ally to this cla.s.s of voters that they owed their many defeats. The war developed great disloyalty among this cla.s.s and the Governor announced that the situation was intolerable and the requirements for citizenship must be changed. In order to do this it was necessary to amend the section of the const.i.tution which stated the qualifications of a voter and which was the same section that it was sought to amend for woman suffrage by striking out the word "male." It was finally decided that the only way was to have the two matters submitted as one amendment. The word "male" was stricken out and full naturalization and a five years'

residence were required before the privilege of voting should be granted and this was subst.i.tuted for the original suffrage amendment.

In the course of a report made to the national executive board Mrs.

McMahon, one of its organizers, said:

There was a conference in the headquarters at Huron and Mrs. Pyle faced the situation and took up the burden. The National Suffrage a.s.sociation had sent two field workers--Miss Mary Elizabeth Pidgeon and Mrs. Albert McMahon. To the latter was given charge of the organization department and together the two women set to work with the State officers to district the State and organize in each county a campaign committee. Eventually there was an organizer for every six districts, each comprising from twelve to fourteen huge counties. Each worker as she came into the State had to be carefully instructed in everything that touched upon the const.i.tutional provisions for voting, the status of the alien, the reason for putting the citizenship clause into the suffrage amendment, the effect its pa.s.sage would have upon the aliens, etc., because these questions were constantly met. Much new literature had to be prepared and all the posters changed to fit new conditions.

What won the State? Persistent, intensive, quiet work. We had few meetings of our own but we used those of every one else, from women's aid societies to Rotary clubs, political rallies and Fourth of July celebrations. We did not plan parades, but wherever patriotic sentiment expressed itself through a parade we were in it. We circularized the voters in groups again and again--lawyers, business men, farmers, etc., with literature adapted to each group. We circulated a pet.i.tion and 95 per cent.

of the women to whom it was presented signed it. We sent every organizer we could command into delinquent counties, having the cooperation of the local women. In the evening street meetings were held. The workers left literature in every home and posters placarded on every wall s.p.a.ce. They left suffrage stories with the newspapers and the spoken word in the ear of all who would listen and they left the morale of the local workers at high water mark. The signed pet.i.tions were printed and mailed to the voters in each county with our final circularization.

Ninety-eight per cent. of the newspapers were favorable and in spite of paper shortage and the demand for war publicity they never failed the women. In addition to news stories, editorials, etc., they universally used the plate material which the National a.s.sociation furnished. As much as any other one thing perhaps, this plate material helped to win the campaign. All political parties endorsed the amendment, Republicans and Democrats making it a part of their platforms.