Miss Mamie Matthews, treasurer of the young
people's society, Mrs. Landis Sanna, Mrs. Margaret Gardner, editor
Trox Bankston of West Point and J. J. Williams of Chatterton, were
sent to Washington to march in the parade on March 3. They carried the
suffrage flag made for the national convention in Atlanta in 1895,
with two handsome yellow banners prepared especially for the parade.
Five bills before the Legislature were supported this year as well as
the Federal Amendment. When Presidential suffrage was given to
Illinois women in 1913, the Atlanta _Constitution_ was so impressed
with the "nearness" of woman suffrage that it created a suffrage
department and offered the editorship to Mrs. McLendon. U. S. Senators
Hoke Smith and Augustus O. Bacon had been obliged to present the
petition of Georgia suffragists asking for the Federal Amendment, but
no beautiful speeches were made by them. Senator Smith had been on
record all his life as being "unalterably opposed to woman suffrage"
and voted against it whenever he had opportunity, adding insult to
injury by declaring, "Our best women do not want it." Senator W. S.
West, who succeeded Senator Bacon, was more amenable to reason, but
Senator Thomas W. Hardwick, who followed after Mr. West's death, has
been an implacable opponent. For the second time the Atlanta
Federation tendered the use of its beautiful Temple of Labor for the
day sessions of the State convention which met July 9, 10. The
Legislature was persuaded by John Y. Smith of Fulton county to permit
an evening session in the House of Representatives. Senator Starke
opposed the use of the Senate Chamber "because Christ did not select
women for his Disciples" but saner counsels prevailed and it was
opened for a session.

During 1914 there were 275 meetings in Atlanta, Rome, Athens, Decatur,
Macon and Bainbridge by the auxiliary societies, with five open air
meetings. On March 1 a mass meeting was held in the Atlanta theater to
which members of the Legislature were especially invited. The speakers
were officers of the National Association, including the
vice-president, Miss Jane Addams. To enlarge the scope of the work
there was organized in February the Woman Suffrage Party Incorporated,
as a branch of the State association, with Mrs. McLendon president.
It secured a charter and prepared for an aggressive state-wide
suffrage campaign. A chairman for each of the twelve congressional
districts was appointed and instruc