The Democratic Banner (Mount Vernon), February 13, 1912

ANTI-SUFFRAGE FIGHT STARTED

Columbus Women to Oppose Votes For Fair Sex

Say Ballot is Not Desirable - Will Tell Constitutional Convention Delegates That Only Small Minority of Women Throughout State Desire Privilege And That They Exercise Full Share of Responsibility For Public Welfare In Homes

            Columbus, O., Feb. 12. - Local women, many prominent in social and club life of the capital city, met at the home of Mrs. Herman Hubbard and organized to fight the movement which has for its motive the promotion of equal suffrage propaganda throughout the state, and, specifically, to influence constitutional delegates either to adopt a suffrage proposal in Ohio’s now organic law or to submit the question to the people. They have already drafted an anti-woman’s suffrage petition, which soon will be submitted to the constitutional convention.

            The petition reads: “We, the undersigned women, citizens of Ohio and residents of Franklin county, hereby respectfully protest and remonstrate against any modification of the constitution of our state that seeks to impose upon women the duties and responsibilities involved in the suffrage. We believe that women can and do exercise their full share of influence and responsibility for the public welfare without the ballot. We are confident that only a small minority of the women of the state desire the franchise and we respectfully submit that to impose the responsibilities of the franchise upon an unwilling electorate is unfair to the individual and dangerous to the state. We therefore respectfully object to any and all measures having that end in view.”

 The Democratic Banner, published in Mt. Vernon from 1838-1935, was founded by Chauncey Bassett and Joel Robb. Between its founding and its sale to Lecky Harper in 1853, the paper had nine different editors. Under Harper, the paper had a Peace Democrat political bent and became equivalent with criticism of other papers and immigration defense. Following their father’s death, Harper’s sons Frank and William took over editorship, bringing larger national, local, and court case news coverage to the paper. Finally, Stephen J. Dorgan, leasing editor from 1917 until the paper was sold in 1935 to the Republican News, gave the paper a conservative bent but remained progressive. He focused on local news and also included political cartoons.

 This article, taking place in Columbus not Mt. Vernon, is found within The Democratic Banner due to the subject matter. Not only was suffrage a topic important to all parties, but the Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1912 had begun a month earlier in Columbus, covering proposed amendments from suffrage to education which would affect the entire state. Mrs. Herman Hubbard, or A.P. Hubbard, was the president of the Ohio Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage which formed in May 1902. Mrs. Hubbard traveled Ohio and to other states, including Massachusetts and New York, in order to influence delegates and work against the granting of female suffrage. Mrs. Hubbard, along with her organization, wrote this petition in order to protest the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association working to influence the convention to adopt an amendment granting women’s suffrage to Ohio’s organic law. As organic law serves as the basis of government within a state, this would be the Constitution within Ohio. On September 3, 1912, the delegates to the constitutional convention voted down the amendment calling for female suffrage.