Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/319

MICHIGAN 305 convention reported unanimously in favor and on Jan 8. 1908, granted the suffragists a hearing in Representatives Hall. Ten societies cooperating with the State suffrage association were represented the Grange, two organizations of the Maccabees, Yoman's Christian Temperance Union, State Federation of Labor, Detroit Garment Workers, State Woman's Press Asso- ciation and several women's and farmers' clubs. A petition rep- resenting 225,000 names, 175,000 of individual women of voting age, was presented. The State president, Mrs. Clara B. Arthur, introduced the speakers, Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and Mrs. Catharine Waugh McCulloch, a lawyer of Chicago, who made earnest addresses. The Governor came in to hear them. The women "antis" circulated a leaflet opposing the change. On January 29 the debate took place in the convention on the pro- posed revision, and, although not a voice had been raised in protest, the vote stood 38 ayes, 57 noes. Some members who voted "no" did so because they believed that the whole constitu- tion would be defeated at the polls if it proposed to enfranchise women. The hard work of the association was not, however, barren of results, for a clause was inserted in the new constitu- tion giving taxpaying women the right to vote on any public question relating to the public expenditure of money or the issuing of bonds. [In 1915 the Legislature extended it to the granting of public franchises.] In the spring Mrs. Arthur with Mrs. Maud Wood Park, ni/.er for the National College Suffrage League, formed in the colleges at Albion, Hillsdale, Olivet and Ann Arlx>r and among the collegiate alumnae in Detroit, of which Hr Mary Thompson Stevens was made president. In June the six State delegates to the National Democratic convention petitioned for a woman suffrage plank in the platform. '1 he next task was to try to comply with the re-quest of the National Suffrage Association to secure 100,000 names to a 11 -ide petition to be presented to Congress for a Federal Amendment. Mr- I cm Kichardson Rowe, Grand was chairman of the work, which took up the greater of the year 1909 and went over into 1910. This last year