warned that woman suffrage was a
great evil not to be even mentioned in their clubs. This
anti-suffrage influence reacted upon the rural legislator and gave him
ground for the oft-repeated argument, "The women of my district do not
want the vote, they won't even discuss it in their clubs." There had
long been a strong desire to have woman suffrage endorsed by the State
Federation, the largest organization of women in the State, with
30,000 members, and every year the Equal Suffrage Party had sent to
all the club presidents an earnest letter urging them to give their
members an opportunity to vote on the question and pointing out the
greater achievements of the clubs in States where women had the
franchise. At every annual meeting, however, when a resolution would
be offered from the floor, the president of the federation would
declare it out of order and prevent action on it. In 1917, at its
convention in Augusta, a resolution was offered to send a
congratulatory telegram to the women of New York on their newly
acquired enfranchisement, whereupon a storm of protest arose, the
president ruled it out of order and it was tabled.

In 1919 every club was again circularized and the answers showed that
the women throughout the State wanted favorable action by the State
Federation. At its convention in Columbus in November, 1919, two
resolutions were prepared, one or the other to be presented, as seemed
most expedient at the time. One was a simple endorsement of woman
suffrage; the other, submitted by Mrs. Morgan, asked for an
endorsement of the Federal Amendment and its ratification by the
Legislature. At the last moment, the suffragists decided to take a
bold step and send the latter to the Resolutions Committee, which was
done, and this committee recommended its adoption. The president, Mrs.
James E. Hayes of Montezuma, ruled it out of order. Mrs. Rogers Winter
of Atlanta appealed from the decision of the chair; Mrs. Alonzo
Richardson of Atlanta seconded the appeal and was sustained and the
resolution was brought before the convention. It was carried by a vote
of 85 to 40.[37]

When the report of this action was received in Macon, an indignant
protest went up from the anti-suffragists. Mrs. Bruce Carr Jones,
secretary of the State Federation, sent in her resignation. Mrs.
Walter D. Lamar and Mrs. Thomas Moore went before the women's clubs of
the city and urged that they withdraw from the federation. The Macon
_Telegraph_