hich was passed by the
convention and presented to the Governor. It then returned to power
the very men who would prevent it. The Governor remained obdurate. To
the first petition he had replied that the desire of a few women did
not create an emergency. Then he had argued that suffrage was not an
issue when the Legislature was elected and therefore the legislators
were not authorized by the voters to act upon it. A little later he
gave it as his opinion that persistent appeals do not constitute an
emergency. Finally on April 10, in reply to a letter from Colonel
Ullman, he stated that he was ready to receive proof of the existence
of an emergency. The Connecticut women decided to give him the proof
and the National Suffrage Association offered its cooperation by
sending women from all over the country to Connecticut to join in a
great protest against the blocking of woman suffrage for the whole
nation. May 3-7, 1920, was declared "emergency week" and a Suffrage
Emergency Corps was organized of 46 eminent women from as many States.
They assembled in New York the evening of Sunday, May 2, as dinner
guests of Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, the national president, and
received their "marching orders and field instructions" from her and
Miss Ludington.

The Emergency Corps arrived in Hartford Monday morning and were guests
at a luncheon given in their honor at the Golf Club, whose rooms were
crowded with men and women to meet these doctors, lawyers,
professors, scientists, officials, business women, presidents of
organizations--a remarkable gathering. There were roll call and
speeches and then they separated into four groups and departed by
motors for the four largest cities, where they spoke at mass meetings
in the evening. A carefully planned tour was made of thirty-six towns
with a total of forty-one meetings, at which they were introduced and
assisted by prominent men. Mrs. Catt spoke to a large audience in
Woolsey Hall, New Haven, with Mayor Fitzgerald presiding. The object
of the campaign was to show the sentiment in the State for a special
session of the Legislature and a resolution calling for it was
enthusiastically adopted at each meeting.

The Governor appointed Friday morning at 11:30 for the interview and
the visitors and the officers and staff of the State Suffrage
Association were at the Capitol. Every possible point bearing on the
case was brought out by the speakers and they pleaded with the
Governor to settl