Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/111

 meeting of the Republican opponents telegraphed to the Speaker of the House in Mississippi: "Stand firm against ratification. Delaware Legislature still firm for State's rights and will not ratify." A hasty call was made for a meeting of all the Republican members of the Senate and House favorable to ratification. This was addressed by the Governor, by United States Senator Ball, and by Congressman Layton, father of "Dan" Layton, who had always heretofore favored woman suffrage. By this time, however, the whole question had narrowed to his personal fight against Governor Townsend and at this conference he publicly announced that he would oppose ratification.

The Governor did everything possible to make it easy for the leaders of the southern part of the State to bring over its representatives to the amendment. In a noble speech he offered to withdraw his candidacy for delegate to the National Democratic convention if the Sussex county members would vote for it. John E. McNabb, the Democratic floor leader, boldly repudiated the telegrams from President Wilson, his Cabinet, Homer Cummings, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and other party leaders. He said that not twenty-five persons in his district favored ratification and in two days a petition from five hundred was handed to him by Mrs. F. E. Bach and Mrs. Pennewell of Wilmington. Alexander P. Corbitt, Speaker of the House, was indirectly connected with the Pennsylvania railroad and to him was due a large share of the responsibility of its defeat. Prominent among the lobbyists were Henry B. Thompson of Wilmington, husband of the president of the Anti-Suffrage Association; Major Edmund Mitchell, former Republican State chairman; George Gray, former Federal Judge; George A. Elliott, Mifflin Wilson, George W. Sparks and Henry P. Scott of Wilmington, chairman of the State Republican Ways and Means Committee. His argument, widely circulated, was as follows: "If the Legislature will refuse to ratify the proposed amendment and thus prevent the hysterical rout of the politicians of the country to make shreds and patches of our sacred Constitution, the State of Delaware will receive in the near future the greatest possible glory."

Governor Townsend went to New York and laid the danger