Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/685

 VIRGINIA 669 LEGISLATIVE ACTION. For improved conditions for women in industry, child labor laws and all welfare legislation before the General Assembly in the past ten years individual members of the league have labored assiduously. The league as an organiza- tion, however, has confined itself to work for suffrage, knowing that the vote gained "all things else would be added." 1900. When the constitutional convention met to draft the present State constitution, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and a small group of Virginia and other southern women appeared before it and Mrs. Catt urged it to embody woman suffrage in the new constitution but this was not done. 1912. The first resolution proposing an amendment to the State constitution enfranchising women was introduced in the House by Hill Montague of Richmond and the hearing granted by the committee created statewide interest. The speakers were Mrs. Valentine, Mrs. Lewis, Miss Johnston, Mrs. Bosher, Miss Randolph, Clayton Torrence and Howard T. Colvin of the State Federation of Labor, later Assistant U. S. Commissioner of Labor. The vote in the House was 12 ayes, 84 noes. 1914. The resolution for a State amendment was again in- troduced in the House and a hearing granted by the Committee on Privileges and Elections. Mrs. Valentine presided and intro- duced the following speakers : Mrs. Desha Breckinridge of Ken- tucky ; Mrs. Kate Waller Barrett of Alexandria, State regent of the D. A. R. ; Mrs. Putney, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Barksdale of Richmond, Miss Mason, Miss Lillie Barbour, State factory in- spector, and Mr. Colvin. The vote was 13 ayes, 74 noes. 1916. The resolution for a State amendment had its first public hearing before a joint committee of the Houste and Senate. The speakers were Mrs. Valentine, Mrs. J. H. Whitner of Roa- noke, a vice-president of the State League ; Miss Eudora Ramsey and Miss Adele Clark of Richmond; the Rev. John J. Wicker, r of Leigh Street Baptist Church, Richmond, and E. F. Sheffey of Lynchburg. The I louse vote, 40 ayes, 51 noes, marked the third defeat but an ii,< D suffrage sentiment. [8. The Legislative Committee consisted of Mrs. Valen- tine, Miss Wellford, Mr k L. Jobson, Miss Clark, Miss