an
Suffrage Party announced that they would retire from all suffrage
activity and devote themselves to Red Cross work. Robert Ewing, member
of the Democratic National Committee, owner of the New Orleans _Daily
States_ and Shreveport _Times_, and a political power, offered his
support if the Woman Suffrage Party would unite with the State
association and leave the Federal Amendment question entirely out of
the campaign. They finally agreed to this and a joint committee was
formed of the president and three capable women in each organization.
Headquarters were opened in New Orleans; the parish committees which
were organized in 1915 were found to be ready for active work. A
petition to be signed was sent to each with a strong official letter
from the Campaign Committee. A bitter three-cornered Senatorial fight
was under way and the women were asked to delay action until after the
September primaries, which they consented to do.

All was ready for beginning a whirlwind campaign on October 1, when
suddenly just before that date the influenza epidemic broke out and no
assembling of people was allowed. To add to the difficulties, instead
of the usual dry, clear weather of this season there came a deluge of
rains that lasted for six weeks and the condition of the roads made it
wholly impossible to do any work in the outlying districts. Thus there
was practically no campaign in the way of making personal appeals to
the voters, but in New Orleans and other cities thousands received
urgent letters from Miss Gordon and other leaders. Notwithstanding
these adverse conditions, the majority against the amendment was only
3,600, nearly all of it in New Orleans, where it was the result of
direct orders from Mayor Martin Behrman, through the ward "bosses" of
a perfectly controlled "machine." From parish after parish in the
State came reports of precincts not even being opened on account of
the epidemic and the weather. There is no doubt that others which
reported an adverse majority were really carried for the amendment. At
a public meeting of protest immediately after Miss Gordon made an
address recalling the glorious history of the Democratic party and
comparing it with this election which had repudiated its highest
principles.

In 1920 the State Suffrage Association stood alone in again having a
resolution introduced for amending the State constitution, all the
other suffrage societies concentrating on the ratification of the
Fede