endment were
introduced in December, 1915, by five members--Representatives
Mondell, Raker, Taylor, Keating of Colorado and Hayden of Arizona.
They were referred to a sub-committee which on Feb. 9, 1916, reported
one of them to the main committee "without recommendation." On the
15th it sent the resolution back to the sub-committee to hold until
the next December by a vote of 9, all Democrats, to 7, three Democrats
and four Republicans. As this was done when many were absent the
Congressional Committee undertook to have the Judiciary take up the
resolution again when the full committee could be present. It finally
agreed to do so on March 14. Twenty of the twenty-one members were
present, nine opponents and eleven friends, Hunter H. Moss of West
Virginia among the latter coming from a sick bed. A motion was made to
reconsider the action of February 15, which Chairman Webb ruled out of
order. A debate of an hour and a half followed and to relieve the
parliamentary tangle unanimous consent was given to act on the
amendment resolution March 28 at 10:30 a.m. Four members of the
National Association's Congressional Committee were on hand at that
time but the Judiciary went at once into executive session, which
barred them out. Instead of presenting the amendment resolution for
consideration, which was the chairman's duty when there was a special
order of business, he permitted a motion to postpone all
constitutional amendments indefinitely! Ten of the members present
were pledged to vote for a favorable report but Representative
Leonidas C. Dyer of Missouri defaulted and voted with the nine
opponents and no further action in 1916 was possible.

* * * * *

With the whole country now aroused to the importance of the votes of
women in the election of a President the suffrage leaders saw the
opportune time for pushing a measure which they had long advocated,
namely, the granting to women by State Legislatures of the right to
vote for Presidential electors. That of Illinois had been persuaded
to do this in 1913; they had exercised it in 1916 and its
constitutionality had been established by the acceptance of the
State's vote in the Electoral College. As soon as the Legislatures of
the various States met in 1917 they received from the headquarters of
the National American Association in New York the opinion of Chief
Justice Walter Clark of North Carolina that the Federal Constitution
empowered Leg