Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/653

 TEXAS 637 his legislative duties. Four days later Mrs. Mahoney arrived in Austin with a heavy suit case, opened it and unfolded before the Judge's astonished gaze a petition containing the names, not alone of the required 5,000 but of 10,000 of his townswomen! Mrs. Cunningham and her committee again asked the Governor to submit Primary suffrage for women to the Legislature but he delayed. So great pressure was brought to bear on him that he finally consented if they should present a petition to him signed by a majority of the members of both House and Senate. After many hours of labor they were able to comply with this condition and to furnish additional data to prove that the bill would pass both Houses with large majorities. The Governor did not submit it but he did submit the Primary Election bill, and the Primary Suffrage bill was immediately introduced by C. B. Metcalfe of San Angelo as an amendment to it. It passed the House March 16 by a vote of 84 to 34 and the Senate March 21 by 17 to 4, and was signed by Governor Hobby on March 26 in the presence of Mr. Metcalfe, Captain Sackett, who also labored untiringly in its behalf, Mrs. Cunningham, Mrs. Doom, Mrs. Elizabeth Speer and Mrs. McCallum, members of the Legislative Committee. The handsome fountain pen was purchased for the occasion by Mr. Metcalfe and after the signing presented by him to Mrs. Cunning- ham. Judge A. S. Lattimore drafted the bill in 1917 and Judge Ocie Speer of Fort Worth the one carried in igiS. 1 This law gave women the right to vote at all primary elections and in all nominating conventions and nominations are equivalent to an election, as there is practically but one party. As Texas has two U. S. Senators and 18 Representatives it gave the women votes for more members of Congress than those of any other State possessed, and consequently for more presidential electors. 2 The remaining days in March, all of April and a part of May
 * by tin- suffragists to the Liberty Loan. The annual

ention was held in Austin May 29-31. In order to omren- 1 See Primary uffrage in Arkansas cli at this time, claimed that it was due to votes of women and brought suit in the 79th District Court at Corpus Christi to tent the leRality of the Primary Law. Judge V. M. Taylor ruled that it was unconstitutional. In another case an injunction was sought to restrain the tax collector of McLennan county from issuing poll tax receipts to wnmrn. The Appellate and Supreme Courts upheld the constitutionality of the law.
 * Judge F. G. Chamblis* of the 36th District Court, who was defeated for reelection