Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/619

 TENNESSEE 603 cal times. The vote in the House was 59 ayes, 25 noes, on Jan. 19, 1917, Lee's birthday, an anniversary celebrated through- out the South, and it was fittingly referred to by some of the members as an appropriate occasion for Southern men to give justice to women. Following its passage the Hon. William Jennings Bryan, who was in Nashville, was invited to address the Legislature and spoke strongly in favor of it. Mrs. Bryan accompanied him and at a luncheon given in her honor at the Hermitage Hotel, attended by members of the Legislature and over two hundred guests, she made an eloquent plea for suffrage and Mr. Bryan spoke again. While this bill was pending in the Senate the newspapers throughout the State were giving much more publicity to woman suffrage than they had ever done before. Many of the county papers favored it and published matter sent them. The Labor ll'orld gave continuous support. Some of the best suffragists were newspaper women and they gave freely of their time and talents. The excellent service of Mrs. W. A. Overall is recalled ; though not a "professional" her clear, logical articles impressed impartial readers. Of the large daily papers the Knoxville Sen- tinel and the Commercial Appeal and News Scimitar of Memphis were favorable. The Jackson Daily Sun and the Nashville Ban- tier were opposed. The Chattanooga News was an ardent advo- cate, while the Chattanooga Times, under the control of the New York Times, was strongly opposed. The Nashville Tcnnes- seean was regarded as the official organ of the suffragists. Its owner, former U. S. Senator Luke Lea, while in the Senate in
 * had been one of three southern Senators to vote for the

I'Yderal Amendment. Throughout the campaign he was ready at all times to help in every way possible, ignoring his personal political interests. This was true of U. S. Senator McKcllar and Governor Rye. Yhen the first canvass of the Senate was made the sentiment was about as follows: For the bill I i ; unalterably opposed, 7; uncertain, 15. The cla- n "uncertain" was most appro- priate, for fifteen more uncertain men were never encountered When assured that the measure could safely be brought to vote it would be discovered that changes had occurred over night