OLD NEWS

Brouhaha breaks out over women's rights

Published on the Arkansas Gazette sports page March 2, 1917, in this cartoon by T.E. Powers (1870-1939), a woman complains about her lot while the elf-like characters Joy and Gloom comment in the corners.
Published on the Arkansas Gazette sports page March 2, 1917, in this cartoon by T.E. Powers (1870-1939), a woman complains about her lot while the elf-like characters Joy and Gloom comment in the corners.

Once upon a time in the Arkansas General Assembly, all heck broke loose.

I hear Helpful Reader muttering, "More often than that!" But today we concern ourselves with the great heck over votes for women in the 41st General Assembly, Jan. 8 to March 8, 1917.

That was a passionate gathering, judging from reports by the Arkansas Gazette.

At issue was a bill to grant women the right to vote in political primaries, written by Rep. John Andrew Riggs, D-Garland County. The bill was approved by the House and sent to the state Senate, where it likely would have stalled had two "no" voters not been absent ... and accused of bribery. (Eviction was these gentlemen's destiny, but that's Old News for another day.)

Instead, on Feb. 27, 1917, the Senate added three amendments, OK'd the bill 17-15 and sent it back to the House for concurrence -- which means accepting the bill as amended.

One might imagine that because it had passed the House already with a good margin, there wouldn't be much point in trying to kill it again. And one might be right. And yet on March 2, representatives opposed to suffrage spent the morning loudly cementing their position on the wrong side of history.

Besides Riggs, key voices in the "wild scene" that ensued were those of House Speaker Lee Cazort of Johnson County and Reps. Wilson Cardwell of Washington County, Claude B. Brinton of Craighead County, Jo Johnson of Sebastian County, William Burt Brooks and J.I. Trawick of Pulaski County, Ben E. McFerrin of Newton County, S.A. Moore of Independence County and Dr. Henry B. Hardy of Faulkner County.

Leading opponents were Reps. Josiah Hardage of Clark County, E. Newton Ellis of Randolph County, Usco Alonzo Gentry of Hempstead County, William Jayson Waggoner of Lonoke County and James M. Coker of Marion County.

Here's the first part of what happened, as described in the next day's Gazette.

Suffragists Win Victory in House

Wild Scene Is Enacted

"The house yesterday morning struggled for two hours over the Riggs suffrage bill and the suffragists won. ...

"The trouble started at 10 o'clock, when a bill by Representative John A. Riggs of Garland, to grant women the right to vote in primary elections, came up for concurrence in Senate amendments. Three amendments had been added by the Senate, as follows:

"To strike the words, 'and declaring an emergency,' from the title of the bill.

"To strike out the emergency clause.

"To provide that before a woman be permitted to cast a vote, she should be required to make affidavit that she is of the same political party as that holding the election, and that she would support the nominee.

Bedlam Outdone

"When the clerk read the first amendment the storm broke and continued for two hours. Deliberation was impossible and evidently undesirable by many in the pandemonium that reigned. Occasionally some calmer head would gain recognition for a few seconds, pleading for the exercise of common sense, so that the calendar might be cleared of pending bills, including the appropriation measure. Then the clamor would be resumed with redoubled energy. It was practically impossible for those trained in legislative procedure to understand what was going on.

Opponents Make Losing Fight

"The opponents of suffrage, led by Mr. Hardage of Clark, Mr. Ellis of Randolph, Mr. Gentry of Hempstead, Mr. Waggoner of Lonoke and others exhausted every parliamentary tactic.

"Mr. Riggs and others, speaking in behalf of the bill, asked that the house concur in the Senate amendments because refusal would mean the death of the bill, since it would be practically impossible at this late date to get it through the Senate in its original form.

"The parliamentary wrangle that ensued defied description. There were motions, counter-motions and substitute motions; amendments, substitute amendments, and amendments to the substitutes; motions to adjourn, to recess, to postpone, to table, to indefinitely postpone; appeals from the chair, incessant points of order, motions overruled and sustained and appeals laid on the table; motions to adopt, to reject, to concur and to nonconcur.

Hardage's Motion Fails

"The first test came on the roll call on a motion by Mr. Hardage to nonconcur in the Senate amendment to strike the words, 'and declaring an emergency,' from the title of the bill. This finally failed of adoption, [26] to 64. ...

"The course of the tangled proceedings may be summarized as follows:

"When the first amendment was read Mr. Hardage moved to nonconcur. Mr. Riggs argued for concurrence. Mr. Cardwell and Mr. Brinton charged that the opponents of the bill were starting a filibuster to kill it.

"Mr. Waggoner said that he would never vote for a suffrage bill. Mr. Coker said that suffrage would do the women incalculable harm. Mr. Ellis of Randolph insisted that the demand for suffrage comes from the cities and not from the women in the country. In making an eloquent plea for the position of woman in the home as 'the purest and best workmanship of God,' he said that not one in 10 of those who are so violently advocating suffrage is the mother of four children.

"Mr. Johnson, a pro-suffragist, said the motion to nonconcur came from enemies of the bill, 'Led by that magnificent tactician, the gentleman from Clark.'"

Members Jamb the Aisles

"During Mr. Johnson's speech Mr. Hardage arose to a point of order that he was not speaking to the motion. The speaker overruled the point of order. Mr. Hardage appealed from the decision, but the call was not sustained. The members were wrought up to a high tension of excitement. A gesticulating and shouting throng of frenzied men filled the aisles, and very few were in their seats.

"Speaker Cazort pounded his gavel in vain for order, and above the din it was impossible to recognize any one. ..."

Next week: In Part 2, the Speaker clears the aisles.

ActiveStyle on 02/20/2017

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