had been
submitted. At this conference the new Governor, J. B. A. Robertson,
gave as a reason for not calling a special session to ratify, the
great expense and the fear of untimely legislation but he consented to
call one if these could be avoided. In September Miss Larch-Miller,
assisted by Miss Marjorie Shuler, sent by the National Association,
asked the legislators to sign a pledge that they would attend a
special session, serve without pay, consider no other legislation and
vote for ratification. Pledges were signed by a majority of both
Houses and presented to the Governor who made no answer. Several weeks
later he addressed the State Federation of Women's Clubs and again
offered the same excuses.

In January, 1920, the Democratic Central Committee called county
conventions of women to select delegates to a State convention of
women to be held prior to the regular State convention. Many of these
county conventions passed a resolution requesting the Governor to call
a special session and it was also adopted at the State convention of
about 1,500 women. A number of the regular county conventions of men
and women passed it. Miss Larch-Miller attended the convention of her
county, although she had been confined to her room for several days
with influenza. She spoke strongly for the resolution and was opposed
by the Attorney General, S. P. Freeling, one of the ablest orators in
the State, but her enthusiasm and eloquence carried the day and it was
adopted. The exertion proved too much for her frail body and the next
night pneumonia developed and she gave her young life as the supreme
sacrifice for the cause she loved.

The Democratic State convention met at Muskogee February 5 and Senator
Robert L. Owen's candidacy for President of the United States had
developed to such an extent that he was its dominating figure. He
insisted on a special session to ratify the amendment. Governor
Robertson stated to the convention that because of its interest in
Senator Owen's candidacy he would call the session and he did so for
February 23. President Wilson sent the following telegram on the 25th
to the Speaker of the House: "May I not take the liberty of expressing
my earnest hope that Oklahoma will join the other suffrage States in
ratifying the Federal Suffrage Amendment, thus demonstrating anew its
sense of justice and retaining its place as a leader in democracy?"

Mrs. Rufus M. Gibbs and Mrs. Mabel G. Millard, presidents of