Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/597

SOUTH CAROLINA 581 weaken the laws safeguarding women and children. The Legis- lative Committee reported that before the Legislature convened its members had been completely canvassed as to their views on woman suffrage ; these were classified and only a few were tagged impossible. A "suffrage school" was held in Columbia in De- cember under the auspices of the National Association with one hundred pupils. During the year woman suffrage had been en- dorsed by the State Federation of Labor, Federation of Women's Clubs and Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In May, 1918, Mrs. Cathcart was appointed by U. S. Senator Tillman as associate 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 Demo- cratic 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 resolu- tion 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 spokes- man for the opposing faction, U. S. Senator Christie Benet of Columbia, they were dubbed as paid progagandists. This the women denied through the press and called on him to prove his accusation, which was never done. The State suffrage convention 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, 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. cart and adopted. Mrs. Lynch, whose resignation .is made honorary president, and at the meeting of the executive committee in Columbia in July Mrs. Salley was ele president. During the year work was immensely strengthened bv the contribution of the National Association of 10,000 pieces of literature and of Miss Lola Trax, who in five months organized