The Suffragist, vol. 1, no. 4, undated, p. 29

Boxes

Hearing on House Woman Suffrage Committee

a x ;

ANE ADDAMS AND OTHER PROMINENT SUFFRAGISTS ON THEIR WAY TO THE HEARING BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE

December 6, 1913

BRILLIANT argument for a standing A committee on Woman Suffrage in the House of Representatives was made last week before the House Rules Committee.

A resolution authorizing the creation of a Woman Suffrage Committee in the House has been before the Rules Committee, where it has been under consideration for many months. An informal hearing on the resolution was granted by the Rules Committee last August to the National Council of Women Voters. The only result of these proceedings was the promise of a formal and more extended hearing on the same question during the first week of December. This promise was fulfilled on December 3d, 4th, and 5th.

On Wednesday, December 3d, the National Woman Suffrage Association presented a compact case for the resolution, Dr. Anna Howard Shaw presiding. The antisuffragists, introduced by Mrs. Arthur Dodge, spent Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning opposing the formation of the committee and denouncing the principle of equal suffrage. On Friday afternoon the Suffragists made a brief but adequate rebuttal under the direction of Mrs. Catherine Waugh McCulloch.

The majority caucus room of the House office building, where the hearings were held, was crowded during the three days of the proceedings, especially on the opening day, when every available chair in the building was brought to the great room, and many people were still left standing.

Members of the Rules Committee Who Heard the Arguments There was a large attendance of members of the Rules Committee. Mr. Henry of Texas

THE SUFFRAG IST

chairman (Democrat), was present, as were also Mr. Pou of North Carolina (Democrat), Mr. Carrett of Tennessee (Democrat), Mr. Hardwick of Georgia (Democrat), Dr. Foster of Iinois (Democrat), Mr. Campbell of Kansas (Republican), Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania (Republican), and Mr. Lenroot of Wisconsin (Republican). Mr. Merritt of New York (Republican), Mr. Conry of New York (Democrat), and Mr. Cantrill of Kentucky (Democrat) were absent.

At the opening of the hearing Mr. Kelly moved that all meetings of the Rules Committee to consider the pending resolution, including executive meetings, be made open sessions. Mr. Lenroot amended the resolution by moving the omission of the words “including executive meetings.' The motion, thus robbed of its value, was passed. Dr. Shaw, arising, introduced Mrs. Helen H. Gardner, who said in part:

TFor many years we have been sent before the Judiciary Committee once a year, if we so desired, to present our arguments for Woman Suffrage. We appear before it, year after year, one day for two hours, and that is the end of it. That committee is a very busy one. The President has notified it that it is to be still busier this session. He has even gone to the length of giving its chairman notice that the heavy weight of this session is to fall upon the Judiciary. But the Woman Suffrage question is pressing for immediate solution.

“You will remember that there is a Committee on Indian Affairs; but Indians did not always have a special committee. They used to be a mere incident, as we are. When the Indians got a committee of their own, they began to get schools, lands, and the general status of human beings."

Jane Addams Speaks The speech of Miss Jane Addams was interrupted by a fire of questions from Congressman Hardwick of Georgia. Miss Addams began by reminding the committee that she had appeared before them last August when they granted a hearing to the National Council of Women Voters, and that at that time Congressman Hardwick had said that the question of altering the electorate was not a suitable subject for discussion in the United States Congress.

“I did not at that time," said Miss Addams, “have the opportunity to answer this statement, and will use the present occasion to show ten instances where Congress has taken the question of suffrage for men into its own hands."

Miss Addams referred first to the Fifteenth Amendment, which she admitted was not a happy instance to quote to a gentleman from Georgia. Other instances were the granting of the vote to Indians when their reservations were broken up; to former Confederate soldiers when they took the oath of allegiance; to the foreigners who fought in the Civil War, and to the men who were released and restored to citizenship after serving terms in Federal penitentiaries. Her sixth instance was the act of Congress providing for the direct election of Senators.

“My seventh point," said Miss Addams, “is the restoring of the ballot to men who have been disfranchised for desertion from the Army." Miss Addams cited the further instances of naturalized citizens, the disfranchisement of the wives of naturalized men in States where women have the ballot, and finally the case of Susan B. Anthony, who was