CATT, Carrie Chapman Speech, Article, and Book File Speech: "Who Won Suffrage?" BS&AU 12646 National American Woman Suffrage Association Carrie Champman Catt; President 171 Madison Avenue, New York NATIONAL PRESS DEPARTMENT Ross Young, Chairman NEWS SERVICE WHO WON SUFFRAGE? By Carrie Chapman Catt In 1890 the women of Wyoming territory won full suffrage. That was the year the National Suffrage Association was organized with the purpose of securing suffrage to women citizens of the United States by national and state legislation. In 1878 the National Suffrage Association drafted the Federal Suffrage Amendment in its present form and presented it to the 45th Congress. For 50 years the National Suffrage Association carried on a congressional campaign in Washington to secure the passage of the amendment. In 1872, 1884, 1886 and 1889 it got the amendment reported from the Senate Committee with a favorable majority. In 1890 without recommendation. In 1893 with a favorable majority. In 1886 without recommendation. In 1913, 1914, and 1916 with a favorable majority. In 1917 unanimously. In the Hour the National secured a favorable majority report from Committee in 1883 and 1890. The amendment was reported out of committee with adverse majorities in 1884, 1886 and 1894. Without recommendation in 1914 and 1916 and 1917. In 1917 the National secured the formation of a House suffrage Committee. In 1918, after Herculean efforts on the part of the National's great Rotary Lobby, variously called the Front Door Lobby and the Visiting Lobby, the amendment was reported favorably from the House Committee. On January 25, 1887, the Senate had voted down the amendment by 34 to 16. WHO ON SUFFRAGE -2- It was March 19, 1914, before it again came to vote in the Senate, By then it had more than doubled the yea vote it could command, the record standing yeas 35, nays 34. In the House it had been voted on first on January 12, 1915; yeas 174, nays 204. We come now to the victory era of the amendment. It was next voted on the House on January 10, 1918; yeas 274, nays 136, and carried. On October 1, 1918, victory was missed in the Senate by two votes, the record standing 62 to 34. On February 10, 1918, victory was again delayed in the Senate by one vote, the record standing 63 to 33. On May 21, 1919, the House, of the 66th Congress, swept the measure to victory by the huge majority of 42 votes; yeas 303, nays 89, 262 necessary to win. On June 4, 1919, the Senate followed suit by a vote of 66 to 30. During all this latter decade of racking effort, the National was not only guiding and directing the congressional campaign; it was backing it up by winning suffrage in so many states, making votes of so many women, that there was notwithstanding their demand for federal action. In 1893, under the National's banner suffrage was won for Colorado women. In 1895, Utah. In 1896, Idaho. In 1910, Washington. In 1911, California. in 1912, Arizona, Kansas and Oregon. In 1913, the territory of Alaska. In 1914, Nebraska and Montana. In 1917, New York. In 1918, Oklahoma, Michigan and South Dakota, Nor was that all. Beginning in 1913, a great campaign for presidential suffrage was inaugurated by the National. That Campaign ended in 1919, with Kentucky squeezing in in 1930 for good measure. In the interim the women of Indiana, Iowa, Main, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas and Arkansas ( the last two have primary suffrage only) had all been empowered to vote for the next president of the United States, making a grand total of 30 states, inclusive of the 15 full suffrage states, where 17,500,00 women could have taken part in the federal elections regardless of ratification of the Federal Suffrage Amendment. Numbers from a convincing language to political parties and seventeen and a half million make a considerable number. That is the record of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Needless to say we feel proud of it. WHO WON SUFFRAGE -3- No summary of efforts in behalf of the amendment would be complete or fair without acknowledgement to the men who have helped it on its way. The President of the United States, Members of Congress, Chairmen of political committees, editors, private citizens, have given a stupendous energy to the suffrage movement whose effect cannot be measured in language. Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.