Volume 14 , Issue 15

100 Years Ago Today - April 9, 1912

The Bisbee Daily Review, dated Tuesday morning, 9 April 1912, in Bisbee, Arizona had this headline in the news, "Votes For Women But Power To Legislate Not Included In Measure passed By House." With Suffrage is combined liability for military duty making Arizona Women the real Militant Suffragette. Lynch pays his respects to worshippers of the constitution who fail to show the progressive spirit in their acts. Graham scores points against the bill.

It was a vote of twenty-one to fourteen, the house the morning of 8 April 1912, approved an amendment to the constitution giving women votes, the only limitation on their rights political being a denial to serve as members of the legislature. The bill went to the senate in which a similar bill has been under consideration since the first day of the session, but no action had been taken although several weeks had elapsed. Under the measure passed by the house, women were liable for military and police duty and may be drawn as jurors. It was known Governor Hunt favored the bill as passed.

While the Arizona house was voting on the suffrage question, senate was hearing arguments from several suffragettes of state fame. In addition to the women who appeared, Eugene Brady O'Neil was heard. During the course of his remarks he took occasion to call attention to the fact that the referendum provision had been written into the constitution by a sovereign people for the sole purpose of the protection of their rights and that the legislature had no right to deny the use of the same as had been done by the passage of the six mile liquor law and other measures. O'Neil construed the constitution to mean that the people should have a right to express their opinion on all measures and important beyond all description was the question of granting equal suffrage to women, which, he urged should be approved and submitted. He did not believe that approval by the legislature meant approval of the Question of equal suffrage, but approval of the right of the people to exercise their rights under the referendum clause of the constitution.

Rep. Graham of Cochise, in the house led the opposition forces, taking the stand that the relief demanded could be secured through the initiative feature of constitution better than by legislative enactment, for when a law was initiated just exactly what women suffrage advocates desired would be known. Barker of Pinal, Saxon of Santa Cruz and Kelton of Cochise also spoke against the bill, but Graham on several occasions made strong points for the opposition. He opposed that feature which denied to a woman the right to sit as legislators, declaring that if the ballot were to be given them, they should have the right to make the laws, as well as to vote.

Lynch made an effective speech favoring the bill and in part said, "There are those who have vociferously heralded a broad throughout the state that they are the original simon pure progressives of Arizona and that all others are poor and weak imitations; that they are the official and duly constituted defenders of our constitutional faith, and that all others are its traducers and defamers; that they alone, of all citizens of this commonwealth are competent to interpret the provisions of the constitution, in that they are the originators and inventors of every tenet and doctrine in it contained, and that all others are weak and lowly followers. Yet, I find that these self-constituted arbiters and masters of our civil destiny, when face to face with a duty laid upon them by provisions of that very constitution which they profess to worship, are unable to stand the test and seek by a technical construction to evade the responsibilities that constitution imposes upon them."

While Mr. Lynch denied in the preface of his remarks that he had in mind any member of the house, his auditors could not lose sight of the fact that Bradner opposed the bill and to remember the speakership contest in which Governor Hunt made effort to prove that Lynch lacked progressive ideas and the spirit of the constitution and urged the election of Bradner as speaker. Lynch's remarks followed a speech by Babbitt, who held that in voting for the submission of the suffrage measure, the spirit of the constitution was being carried out.

The suffragettes did not hold the limelight all day. Blighton had a second inning and while no report had been made it was certain that the investigation committee would, the next day, report that it had failed to find any person who had located the use of money in connection with the passage of the six mile liquor law. Blighton, who said the socialists had such information, will not be denied the use of the press privileges, for he had ow changed his vocation and is "Legislative agent" of the socialist party at the capital., and does not desire to go on the floor of either house, but only to appear before committees when public hearings are had.

The final vote on the suffrage bill was for passage: Babbitt, Ball, Buchanen, Cocke, Crofoot, Duncan, Hall, Irvine, Jacobs, Jacobson, Johnson, Jones, Kane, Kerr, Lewis, Linney, Lynch, Moore of Yavapai, Moore of Pima, Murphy, Whipple. While Duncan voted for the passage, he stated that he was opposed to its passage and was confused in his vote. Against passage: Barker, Brooks, Claig, Curry, Drennan, Ellis Gonzales, Graham, Kelton, Maddox, Mattox, Saxon, Wren, Bradner.

The state, by a vote of sixteen to twelve passed the recall amendment, after having asked its return from the house in order to make further corrections in the phraseology. The amendment was then sent to the house for concurrence. It was believed it would go to the governor by Wednesday, 10 April 1912.

Other new bills introduced that day included one by Wood of Maricopa, regulating the business of public accounting; Brooks, for a proposed state flag, a copper colored star taking the place of a setting sun, but including an elaborate sunrise of yellow and red with a base of navy blue. Wood of Maricopa had an anti-blacklist law; Cuniff a semi-monthly pay day; Worsley, a compulsory compensation for workmen and Pace a bill for the maintenance of illegitimate children.

The Woodrow Wilson, resolution was recommended for passage after being materially trimmed by the committee, its present form not being endorsement of the candidate, but a simple invitation to address the house should he visit the state. The San Diego exposition commission bill also passed the house.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---