Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/529

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HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

OHIO 513 re-adopted by a large, enthusiastic audience. Women followed party speakers, taking their audiences before and after the politi- cal meeting. State conventions of all sorts were appealed to and many gave endorsement, those of the Republicans and the Demo- crats refusing. Groups of workers would visit a county, separate and canvass all the towns and then keep up their courage by returning to the county seat at night and comparing notes. Street meetings and noon meetings for working people were held. Everything which had been tried out in any campaign was done. From the beginning of 1913 to the election in November, 1914, there was constant work done for the amendment. The total number of votes cast on it was 853,685; against, 518,295; for ^90 ; lost by 182,905 votes. There were gains in every county but only 14 were carried, where there had been 24 in 1912. That the liquor interests and the anti-suffragists worked together was clearly established. The Saturday preceding the election the president of the State Suffrage association saw in her own city of Warren a man distributing literature from door to door and accompanied by a witness she followed him and picked up several packages in different parts of the city. They contained two leaflets, one giving information on how to vote on the Home Rule or "wet" amendment, the other giving instructions how to vote against the suffrage amendment. The latter had a facsimile ballot marked against it and was signed by five women. Tin- Liberal Advocate of Oct. 21, 1914, (official organ of the liquor interests), published at Columbus, had a picture and a write-up of Mrs. A. J. George of Brookline, a speaker from the achusctts Anti-Suffrage Association, with a headline saying that she would be present at a luncheon of anti-suffragists on the i in that city and also speak elsewhere in the State.

ter the defeats of 1912 and 1914 the suffragists abandoned

the idea of carrying an anuMulnicnt. The revised constitution provided for "home rule" for cities, which allowed them to adopt nstead of going to the Legislature. Suffra- gists believed that these charters could provide for woman in municipal affairs. In iojh I'-'i^t Cleveland decided to frame a charter and they saw a chance to make a test. This campaign was the work of ihe Woman Suffrage Party of Greater