not define
the following words intelligently: constitution, amendment, franchise,
suffrage, majority, plurality. It is probable they would succeed
even less well at an attempt to give an account of the Declaration
of Independence, the Revolution, Taxation without Representation, the
will of the majority, popular government. Such men might make a fairly
intelligent choice of men for local offices because their minds are
trained to deal with persons and concrete things. They could decide
between Mr. Wilson and Mr. Hughes with some discrimination, but would
have slight if any knowledge of the platforms upon which either stood.
A referendum in many of our states, means to defer woman suffrage
until the most ignorant, most narrow-minded, most un-American, are
ready for it. The removal of the question to the higher court of the
Congress and the Legislatures of the several states means that it will
be established when the intelligent, Americanized, progressive people
of the country are ready for it.

CHAPTER II.

STATE CONSTITUTIONAL OBSTRUCTIONS[A]

[Footnote A: Table of difficulties in each state is to be found in the
Appendix.]

MARY SUMNER BOYD

At its last session the Arkansas Legislature passed a Woman Suffrage
bill by a generous majority; in Kentucky a bill passed both houses
and one house in five other states. One of these was Arkansas where a
constitutional provision that only three amendments can be submitted
to the people at once rendered of no avail the passage of the
Legislature. In the five other states the enormous Constitutional
majorities required in a legislative vote on amendments defeated the
measure.

This is the story of a typical year and these are two of the
difficulties which beset the gaining of suffrage "state by state."
Year after year labor is thrown away and money wasted because actual
minorities in legislatures can defeat constitutional amendments; or
because once past the legislature, constitutional technicalities can
keep them away from the polls; or because, safely past these hazards,
a minority vote of the people can defeat a bill that has successfully
reached the polls.

Theoretically an amendment to a state constitution must have the
approval of the Legislature, ratified by the approval of the people.
This ratification is what differentiates it from a statutory law. This
is the actual requirement, however, in but two of the male suffrage
states, South Dakota and Missouri