tate and that for suffrage became the fourth. The
suffragists tried to get the Federation of Labor to withdraw their
amendment, which had no chance of being adopted, but were unsuccessful
and it did fail at the general election.

1917. On January 11 Representative John A. Riggs of Hot Springs
introduced a joint resolution for the amendment, signed by himself, C.
B. Andrews of Nevada county, Stephen P. Meador of Clark and Carl W.
Held of Sebastian. Mrs. Ellington, president of the State Suffrage
Association, explained to them that it had entered into an agreement
with all other State associations at the last national suffrage
convention not to go into a referendum campaign without the consent of
the National Board, if they expected financial assistance from that
organization, and the resolution was withdrawn. On February 7
Representative Riggs introduced what was known as the Primary Bill,
which in brief was as follows: "An Act to provide that women may vote
in all primary elections: From and after the passage of this act and
subject to all the provisions of the laws of this State as to age,
residence, citizenship, payment of poll taxes and otherwise regulating
the manner and form of holding the same, but especially exempt from
every disqualification, direct or indirect, on account of sex, every
woman shall have the right to vote at any primary election held under
the laws of this State."

This form of suffrage is unique and deserves some explanation. William
Hodges, Associate Justice of the Court of Civil Appeals, Texarkana,
Texas, suggested the idea to Senator O. S. Lattimore of Fort Worth,
who formulated the bill of which the Arkansas bill is substantially a
copy. The Texas Legislature defeated it. Mr. Riggs wired for a copy of
the bill, had a similar one drawn and submitted it to U. S. Senator
Kirby and a number of prominent lawyers, all of whom were unanimous in
the belief that it was constitutional. Justice Hodges said, "I have
felt deep interest in the suffrage question for several years and the
idea of permitting women to participate in Primary elections occurred
to me casually as I was thinking of how to meet the stubborn
opposition offered in the Texas Legislature to the submission of an
amendment to the constitution."[8] Mr. Riggs said his eagerness to
pass a suffrage bill was to do justice to the women of Arkansas and to
keep a promise to his mother that if he ever was elected to the
Legislature he would in