was introduced and passed
the Senate but failed in the House by ten votes.

During all this time Mrs. Anna R. Simmons of Faulkton was president of
the State W. C. T. U. and Mrs. Pickler and she did excellent team
work, enlisting the aid of many other splendid women. A complete list
of them it is unfortunately impossible to secure but many mentioned in
Volume IV of the History of Woman Suffrage continued their services.
The years 1907-8 were spent in propaganda work and raising funds and
when the Legislature convened in January, 1909, the suffrage and W. C.
T. U. lobby was on hand to ask once more for the submission of the
question to the voters. Two resolutions for partial suffrage were
introduced in the Senate in addition to the one for the amendment. One
would confer the vote on property-owning women only and the other
would permit women to vote on the liquor question, the State being
under local option. Whether they were presented by friends or were a
"half loaf" offered by enemies is not known at this late date. They
were probably the former, because a vote on the liquor question by
women was the last thing the principal opponents wanted and such an
amendment if adopted would have speedily put South Dakota in the "dry"
column for all time. The resolution to send to the voters an amendment
for full suffrage passed both Houses and was signed by Governor Robert
S. Vessey. His favorable attitude was a great help to the women, as it
had been in former years when he was in the State Senate.

From 1909 the W. C. T. U. continued its suffrage work under its
franchise department and the State Suffrage Association was a separate
organization. In June, 1909, a suffrage convention was held at
Aberdeen and Mrs. Lydia B. Johnson of Fort Pierre was elected
president of the State Political Equality League, a new constitution
adopted, officers chosen and an invitation extended to all women's
organizations to send delegates to a convention at Sioux Falls in the
autumn, when plans for the coming campaign would be perfected. This
convention met November 6 and from that time until the election in
November, 1910, an active campaign was conducted. The amendment was
defeated, receiving 35,290 ayes, 57,709 noes, but the workers felt
that gains had been made and were more determined than ever not to
cease their efforts.

After the election of 1910 Mrs. Johnson called a State convention at
Huron and Mrs. John L. Pyle of that city was elect