ARIZONA.[5]
Since this chapter is to commence with the year 1900, this will be
where Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt and Miss Mary Garrett Hay, chairman and
member of the Organization Committee of the National American Woman
Suffrage Association left off in the spring of 1899 after they had
spent a month laboring with the Territorial Legislature. They
succeeded in getting a bill through the Lower House by a vote of two
to one but by the deciding vote of Morris Goldwater of Prescott,
president of the Council or Upper House, it was sent to a committee
and prevented from coming to a vote. The hand of the "boss" of the
saloon-keepers was clearly recognized in the game that was played.
Undaunted Mrs. Catt and Miss Hay came back in 1900 and organized the
first full-fledged suffrage association in the Territory, with Mrs.
Pauline O'Neill, wife of that staunch suffrage friend, the gallant
Rough Rider, William O'Neill, as its president; Mrs. Lida P. Robinson,
corresponding secretary; Mrs. Frances W. Munds, recording secretary,
Mrs. Porter of Phoenix, treasurer. All were inexperienced and the
society did not flourish and although 1900 was election year no
pre-election pledges were obtained. A Territorial Legislature can
extend suffrage to women without referring the question to the voters.
A bill for this purpose was introduced in 1901 through a committee of
women headed by Mrs. Robinson but it received little support and after
creating the usual amount of excitement failed to pass either House.
During the following year suffrage work seemed to lapse and the
organization would have died a natural death but for the will of Mrs.
Robinson, who called a convention to meet in Phoenix in the spring of
1902, where she was elected president with Mrs. Munds corresponding
and recording secretary and Mrs. Ada Irving treasurer. Under Mrs.
Robinson's guidance a list was made of all who had previously
expressed an interest and they were notified that something was doing
in the suffrage line. Dr. Frances Woods of Kansas was sent by the
National Association and made a tour of the Territory which was
remarkable for the haste in which it was made and the results
obtained. She organized clubs in every county and set the women to
work obtaining pre-election pledges, with the result that when the
Legislature convened in the spring of 1903 it lacked only a few votes
of having a majority in both Houses pledged to suffrage. Mrs.
Robinson, Dr. Woods and Mrs. Munds constituted themselves a committee
to work with the members and succeeded in getting a woman suffrage
bill through the Legislature by a two-thirds vote. The rejoicing was
short, for the Governor, Alexander O. Brodie, an appointee of
President Roosevelt, vetoed the bill. Representatives Kean St.
Charles, a newspaper man, and Morrison, a labor leader, were most
active in its behalf, while the scheme that finally sent it down to
defeat was concocted, it was said, by Joseph H. Kibbey, a lawyer of
Phoenix. He was the leader of the Republican minority in the Council
and traded its solid Republican vote for one needed vote on another
bill, with the understanding that the Governor would veto the suffrage
bill.
Governor Brodie afterwards resigned and Mr. Kibbey, the arch-enemy of
woman suffrage, was appointed in his place. Mrs. Robinson continued
propaganda through a little paper which she published and distributed
herself throughout the Territory. This well-edited paper kept alive
the favorable sentiment and through it the leading men and women
suffragists in Arizona were in touch with each other. In the spring of
1905 Mrs. Mary C. C. Bradford of Denver was sent by the National
Association and spent several weeks working with the Legislature but
received practically no cooperation from the local women, as it was
conceded that the situation was hopeless while Kibbey was Governor.
Mrs. Robinson moved from the Territory and the organization was
without a head. It languished for about three years and its enemies
sang cheerful requiems for the dead. The Legislature that met in 1907
had a peaceful time as far as women were concerned for no suffrage
bill was introduced.
In January, 1909, Miss Laura Clay of Kentucky, an officer of the
National Association, came to Arizona at her own expense. The last
Territorial Legislature was then in session and Miss Clay labored long
and faithfully with it but the resident women were apathetic and gave
her little assistance. The bill that she had introduced failed in both
Houses, the members availing themselves of the excuse that Arizona
women did not want suffrage or they would make some organized effort
to get it. Miss Clay had the right kind of spirit and gathering a
faithful few together they worked out a plan whereby the first really
efficient suffrage organization was effected. This plan was the same
as the political parties in the Territory used, namely, a State
chairman with a chairman in each county and a chairman for each local
club. A convention was called in Phoenix under Miss Clay's direction
and Mrs. Munds was made Territorial chairman. During the year
statehood for Arizona began to loom up and vigorous work was done for
that event. The National Association sent the very woman needed, Miss
Laura Gregg of Kansas. She made an extensive tour of the Territory and
by the time Congress had passed the Enabling Act in June, 1910, it was
thoroughly organized with suffrage clubs in every county and in all of
the larger towns and cities, with a membership of about 3,000 men and
women.
Strenuous effort was made to have a majority of the members of the
Constitutional Convention pledged to vote for a suffrage plank but it
succeeded with only about a third of them. It met in October, 1910,
with eleven Republican and thirty-three Democratic members. Through
the demands of organized labor backed by a heavy labor vote a very
progressive constitution was written. Miss Gregg and Mrs. Munds
struggled with the delegates during its entire session to have a full,
partial or conditional woman suffrage clause incorporated but to no
avail. Members who proudly proclaimed themselves the only original
"progressives" were far too timid to put anything so "radical" as
woman suffrage in the constitution for fear that the voters would not
accept it, and yet those same men wrote into it the initiative and
referendum, recall of judges and many other far more radical measures
and it was adopted by an overwhelming majority. It was plain that a
measure was deemed radical or not according to the voting power behind
it. The Republicans were in a minority and only two voted for the
suffrage clause, although there were enough Democratic pledges to have
carried it with the solid Republican support. The Republicans were for
a "safe and sane" constitution, something like the one adopted at the
same time by New Mexico, under which women never could get suffrage by
State process. One Democrat who offered "to do and die for it" in the
convention was Senator Fred Colter of Apache County.
Not at all discouraged by the defeat the women, now aroused and
interested, began as soon as the constitution was accepted by the
voters and statehood was effected to get ready for the first State
election, as now it was necessary to have an amendment submitted by
the Legislature and accepted by the electors. Headquarters were
established in the house of Mrs. Munds at Prescott and a constant
stream of literature and correspondence went out in an effort to elect
suffragists to the first State Legislature. The men, however, were so
pleased with the members of the Constitutional Convention that a
little thing like their voting against woman suffrage did not matter
and every one who was a candidate for anything was elected, some to
the Legislature and others to the various State offices. George W. P.
Hunt, who was president of the convention and had vigorously opposed
the suffrage plank, was elected the first Governor of the State. He
did recommend in his message to the Legislature that it submit a woman
suffrage amendment to the voters. Senator John Hughes, son of former
Governor and Mrs. L. C. Hughes, who had done so much to obtain woman
suffrage in early territorial days, prepared and introduced such a
measure but it failed in both Houses. The Legislature was 90 per cent.
Democratic.
It was then determined to use the initiative and collect the requisite
number of names on a petition that would compel the Legislature to
submit the question. Women in every county volunteered to get these
signatures, fifty or sixty altogether, and did the drudgery of
canvassing until the required number of signatures were obtained.
After a year's continuous educational work, in September, 1912, the
National Association was notified that Arizona was ready for the final
contest and asked to send Miss Gregg. She came and again campaigned
the State and through her efforts every labor organization pledged its
support. Mrs. Alice Park of Palo Alto, California, came at her own
expense and took charge of the distribution of literature. Mrs. Munds
went to Phoenix and opened headquarters in the Adams Hotel and ten
weeks were spent in a most strenuous campaign. The National
Association contributed Miss Gregg's salary and expenses, nearly
$1,000, and $200 in cash. The rest of the campaign fund was raised in
Arizona with the exception of voluntary contributions from suffrage
organizations in other States. Dr. Shaw came and spoke for a week in
the principal cities, making a tremendous impression. The press with
one or two exceptions was favorable and gave generous space. The press
work was in charge of Miss Sally Jacobs and Mrs. Maybelle Craig of
Phoenix. State Senator H. A. Davis did splendid campaign work and
loyal men and women too numerous to mention gave freely of their time
and money.
On November 5 the amendment received 13,442 ayes, 6,202 noes, a
majority of more than two to one. Every county was carried. The vote
was small, as most Mexicans were disfranchised by an educational
requirement.
The campaign was conducted without parades or demonstrations of any
kind and the saloon-keepers, not realizing the strength of the
suffragists, paid no attention to them until the closing days, then
suddenly woke up and put forth strong efforts to defeat them but they
were too well organized. The campaign closed with no deficit on the
books. Later a League of Women Voters was formed and Mrs. M. T. Phelps
of Phoenix was elected chairman.
The first State Legislature completely revised the civil and criminal
codes of Arizona and without any demand on the part of the women
incorporated some excellent laws for women and children. Since then
others have been added, partly through the efforts of women
legislators.
RATIFICATION. Women have taken so active a part and have been so
generally accepted in the political life of the State that it caused
scarcely a ripple of excitement when a special session of the
Legislature was called by Governor Thomas E. Campbell for the purpose
of ratifying the Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment. It convened at noon
Feb. 12, 1920, and adjourned at 9:30 p. m. of the same day. The
resolution for ratification was introduced jointly by the four women
members and passed both Houses without a dissenting vote. Protests
from Mrs. Mabel G. Millard and Mrs. Frances Williams of the Iowa and
Virginia Associations Opposed to Woman Suffrage were listened to in
the Senate with good-natured amusement.
In the second Legislature of the new State, the first after women were
enfranchised, Mrs. Frances W. Munds of Prescott served as Senator and
Mrs. Rachel Berry of St. Johns as Representative. The third had in the
Lower House Mrs. Rosa McKay of Globe, Mrs. Theodora Marsh of Nogales
and Mrs. Pauline O'Neill of Phoenix. The fourth had Mrs. McKay and
Mrs. H. H. Westover of Yuma.
About ten times as many women as men are teachers in the public
schools.
FOOTNOTES:
[5] The History is indebted for this chapter to Mrs. Frances W. Munds,
president of the State Woman Suffrage Association until women were
enfranchised and then elected State Senator.