Men's League for Woman Suffrage with addresses by
seven or eight Senators and Representatives, all staunch supporters of
the "cause," but all were prevented from coming by one reason or
another except Representatives J. W. Bryan of Washington and Victor
Murdock of Kansas. They made up for all failures, however, by their
strong arguments. James Lees Laidlaw of New York, president of the
league, gave a dignified, earnest address and the Hon. Gifford Pinchot
made a logical and unanswerable demand for the enfranchisement of
women because of the nation's great need for their votes.

An excellent report was presented at this time by Miss Alice Paul,
chairman of the Congressional Committee. From the founding of the
National Association in 1869 prominent representatives had appeared
before committees of every Congress and during many winters Miss Susan
B. Anthony had remained in Washington until she obtained a report from
these committees, but after she ceased to do this, although the
hearings were still granted, nobody made it an especial business to
see that the committees made reports and so none was made and action
by Congress seemed very remote. In 1910, when the movement entered a
new era, the association appointed a special Congressional Committee
to look after this matter. By the time of the convention of 1911 the
two great victories in Washington and California had been gained and
the prospect of a Federal Amendment began to grow brighter. A large
committee was appointed consisting chiefly of the wives of Senators
and Representatives with Mrs. William Kent (Calif.) chairman. No
busier women could have been selected and beyond making excellent
arrangements for the hearings, the committee was not active. In 1912,
when Kansas, Oregon and Arizona enfranchised women, the whole country
awoke to the fact that the turning point had been reached and
universal woman suffrage through an amendment to the Federal
Constitution was inevitable.

At this time Miss Paul and Miss Burns returned from England, where
they had been studying and doing social welfare work and had been
caught in the maelstrom of the "militant" suffrage movement, then at
its height. Both had taken part in demonstrations before the House of
Commons and been sent to prison and they came back to the United
States filled with zeal to inaugurate a campaign of "militancy" here.
The idea was coldly received by the suffrage leaders and they modified
it to the extent o