gress was also left at home by his
constituents (male) and made a
place for the bravest politician in
the state. Hon. Wm. D. Upshaw,
who has the honor of being the
first representative from Georgia to
vote for the federal amendment
which is to enfranchise the women
of the United States of America.
Senator Hoke Smith does not like
federal amendments since one was
ratified which forces him to go before the common people and ask
them to vote for him the next time
he wants to go back to "dear Wash-
ington." He has instructed his
men, in the present Georgia legislature, to vote against the ratification of the Susan B. Anthony
amendment. Several of the men
who voted against it stated that
fact on the floor of house and senate. He does not want "the electorate of Georgia enlarged" for
then he will have to "hustle" to
persuade the women to vote for
him. But he wanted to use the
non-ratification of the S. B. Anthony amendment as one of the
main reasons for his reelection, as
an indorsement of his action in
the 65th and 66th congress in voting against the amendment, to enfranchise the women of this state.
He is striving to put off the evil
day (to himself) when he must
reckon with the women of Georgia.
On October 3rd, 1918 he declared in
his speech explaining his vote,
"The best women in my state do
not want to vote." His sister and
two daughters are ardent suffragists. Comment is unnecessary.
Hoke Smith understands the women of Georgia will not vote for him
and a lot of men will do the same
way if their word is as good as
their bond. Bishop Candler and
Wm. Sam Adams of Savannah also wrote letters to the legislators,
so they said, begging them not to
ratify.
The covert and open insults to the
women, indulged in without protest
by the chair, and others opposed to
equal rights for women in Georgia,
will never be forgotten by the anxious women who crowded the galleries to see what men, elected to
make laws to protect women and
children, would do with the one thing
which is to give to the women the
right and the power to elect decent
men and women to the legislature of
Georgia.
"The best laid plans of mice and
men aft gang aglee," and now come
to the front Messrs. McClatchey and
Moore with the comforting statement
that Senator Parker and Representa-
tive Jackson, from the county of
Jones, will have to do all their work
over again if they still want to obey
their "bosses," the bishop and the
senator, and insist on placing Georgia
in the list of states that are afraid
of their women. All honor to Hon.
Tom Swift, of Elbert, who introduced the first bill in the house to
ratify the Susan B. Anthony amendment, but not "for the purpose of
billing it," as Jackson and Parker
declared when they introduced their
bills for the purpose of killing. They
were so ignorant and so inefficient
that their constituents should leave
them at home.
Women who are always thankful
for small favors are rejoicing that
Georgia will have another chance to
prove that she will keep up with
states where women are on a plane
of equality with men.
Respectfully,
MRS. MAPY L. McLENDON,
President of the Georgia Woman's
Suffrage Association.
