Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/199

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HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

IOWA 185 long, full days for the war and far into the night for suffrage. Yhen the State convention met at Cedar Rapids in September, 1918, the women were still immersed in war work. Meanwhile the Lower House of Congress had voted to submit the Federal Yoman Suffrage Amendment and for some months the efforts of the association had been centered on this amendment. It had secured pledges from all the Iowa representatives in Congress to vote for it except Harry E. Hull, who voted against it. In June a "suffrage school" had been held in Penn College, Oska- loosa, for the express purpose of educating women in the need of this amendment and the necessity of educating State legislators to the point where it would be ratified as soon as it was submitted. Miss Lawther was again re-elected but resigned the next June and Mrs. James E. Devitt, the vice-president, filled the office. In 1919 the association was in the thick of the struggle to obtain from the Legislature Primary and Presidential suffrage. The former was defeated; the latter passed both houses in April. The Federal Amendment was ratified by the Legislature July 2. The work of the Equal Suffrage Association seemed finished. The half century of agitation, education and evolution was com- pleted. The 48th and last annual convention was held Oct. 2, 1919, in Boone, which had been its hostess many times, and the association was happily dissolved by unanimous vote. The State tie of Women Voters was at once organized with Miss Flora Dunlap, chairman, and the old workers faced the new task of making political suffrage for women the privilege and blessing they always had believed it would prove to be. TIVE ACTION. A resolution to submit to the voters a woman suffrage amendment to the State constitution was hired in every General Assembly beginning with 1870. In the early years petitions were sent, the number of signatures rising from 8,000 in 1884 to 100,000 in 1900, but after that v were almost entirely given up, as they had no effect. The resolution was introduced according to custom in the Legis- f 1902. Bng to custom, not always so care- fully observed, the Senate passed the resolution by 28 to 16, this

the Senate's year for this courtesy, and the House accepted

the report recommending indefinite postponement. YOU Yl