publican leaders to give
an early call but made the stereotyped excuses. Nevertheless the press
generally expressed the opinion that he would yield. On the contrary
he returned home and on July 12 issued an official proclamation in
which he made the assertion that "the Federal Constitution in its
present form threatened the foundation of free popular government; the
16th Amendment, providing for a federal income tax, was lobbied
through Congress and State Legislatures by federal agents and the 18th
Amendment for Federal prohibition was forced through by paid agents of
irresponsible organizations with unlimited funds." To what he called
the proposal to "force through the 19th Amendment for woman suffrage
in the same manner," he said: "I will never be a party to any
proceeding which proposes to change the organic law of the State
without the consent of the people." "The National Constitution," he
said, "threatens free popular government alike as it stands and as it
is interpreted by the Supreme Court. Its decision leaves the people at
the mercy of any group of men who may lobby a proposal for a change in
it through Congress and then through the Legislatures."

Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, national president, issued an open letter to
the Governor in the course of which she said:

In order that this generation of your fellowmen and posterity
also may not misunderstand your position, the National American
Woman Suffrage Association urges you to supplement your
proclamation with answers to the following questions: Do you
challenge the fact which has stood unchallenged for 131 years
that the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of this land and
supersedes all State constitutions whenever the two are in
conflict? Do you know that on Jan. 10, 1791, Vermont ratified
that Constitution, although she had one of her own, and by so
doing accepted the precedence of the Federal Constitution and by
that act was admitted into the Union? If you do know these facts
of common knowledge why did you throw over your refusal to call a
special session the camouflage of a dissertation about the
alleged conflict between the Vermont and Federal Constitutions
which has nothing whatever to do with the calling of a special
session of your Legislature?... Do you not know that when a
Legislature acts upon a Federal constitutional amendment it draws
its authority f