dolph J.
Sabath, James McAndrews, Frank H. Buchanan, Thomas Gallagher, Clyde H.
Tavenner, Claudius U. Stone, Henry T. Rainey, Martin D. Foster,
William Elza Williams (a member of the Judiciary Committee); Kans.,
Joseph Taggart (also a member), Dudley Doolittle, Guy T. Helvering,
John R. Connelly, Jouett Shouse, William A. Ayres; Mont., John M.
Evans, Tom Stout; Utah, James H. Mays; Wash., C. C. Dill.

Judge Raker acted as chairman and the remarkably strong presentation
called out many questions from the anti-suffrage members of the
Judiciary Committee.

[106] Senator Borah told them that the plank the National Suffrage
Board had submitted, endorsing a Federal Amendment, was absolutely
impossible but one could be obtained declaring for woman suffrage by
State action. They accepted it, which was a wise thing to do, as had
the Republican platform not favored woman suffrage _per se_ the
Democratic platform, adopted the following week, would not have done
so.

CHAPTER XVII.

NATIONAL AMERICAN CONVENTION OF 1917.

The Forty-ninth National Suffrage Convention, which met in Poli's
Theater at Washington Dec. 12-15, 1917, was held under the most
difficult conditions that ever had been faced in the long history of
these annual gatherings. Always heretofore they had been comfortable,
happy times, when the delegates came from far and wide to exchange
greetings, report progress and plan the future work for a cause to
which many of them were giving their entire time and effort. Now great
changes had taken place, as the Call for the convention indicated.

Since last we met the all-engulfing World War has drawn our own
country into its maelstrom and ominous clouds rest over the
earth, obscuring the vision and oppressing the souls of mankind,
yet out of the confusion and chaos of strife there has developed
a stronger promise of the triumph of democracy than the world has
ever known. Every allied nation has announced that it is fighting
for this and our own President has declared that "we are fighting
for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to
have a voice in their own government." New Russia has answered
the call; Great Britain has pledged full suffrage for women and
the measure has already passed the House of Commons by the
enormous majority of seven to one. Canada, too, has responded
with five newly enfranchised provinces; France is w