In 1912 the legislature of Kansas submitted an amendment for woman suffrage. Those of Oregon and Arizona refused, but under the Initiative and Referendum Law the women secured enough signatures of voters to compel the submission. The amendment was adopted by the three States in November 1912. In Arizona every county gave a majority with a favorable vote of about two to one. In Oregon there was a majority of 4,161 in a vote of 128,369; in Kansas 16,079 in a vote of 334,473.
A Territorial legislature has power to confer the suffrage without a referendum to the elec tors, and Alaska gave it in full to women by unanimous vote as soon as its first legislature met in the spring of 1913.
The enfranchisement of women in Nevada and Montana at the November elections of 1914 made all of the Western States white on the suffrage map except New Mexico. The amendments were submitted by almost unan imous votes of the legislatures. Victory at the polls, however, was by no means so easy, as in no States did the opposition ever put forth stronger effort and in none were the physical hardships of campaigning so great, owing to the high mountains, vast distances and scattered population, the voters having to be reached on far away ranches and in isolated mining camps. Montana cast 52 per cent of the whole vote in favor and Nevada 60 per cent.
When in 1914 the number of equal suffrage States had reached 11 and favorable public sentiment was rapidly increasing, the opposition concentrated its full force on every State where an amendment to its constitution was submitted and no further successes were re corded until there came the great victory in New York in 1917. Although the first move ment for woman suffrage in the world had be gun in this State in 1848 and never had ceased, and although it had been the first ever to have presented to its legislature a petition to sub mit an amendment to the voters, this request had been annually refused by every one be ginning with that of 18.4. The women at last became so strongly organized that by 1915 it could not longer be withheld, but it was de feated in November by 95,000. The women went directly to the legislatures of 1916 and 1917 and demanded its resubmission, which was granted in both, by votes not far from unanimous.
The suffragists then built the largest State organization of women ever known, ap proximately half a million in New York City and an equal number in the rest of the State. Although they were immersed in the vast work of the European War they made a record cam paign, one feature of which was the securing of a petition for the vote by 1.015,000 women in the State over 21 years of age. On 7 Nov. 1917, the amendment received 675,389 affirma tive votes, later increased to 703,129 by those of the soldiers, who voted two to one in favor; 600,776 negative votes were cast; carried by 102.353.
The success in this influential State gave great prestige to the movement. Three more important victories quickly followed when, on 5 Nov. 1918. the electors of Michigan, South Dakota and Oklahoma enfranchised women. In Michigan the amendment received 229,790 ayes; 195,284 noes, a favorable majority of 34,506; in South Dakota it was adopted by 49, 213 :Ives to 28.g5 noes, a majority of 20,328. Oklahoma made the unparalleled record of carrying an amendment with the handicap of a constitutional requirement that it must receive not only a majority of the votes cast on it but a majority of the highest number cast at the election. On the amendment were cast 107, mes: 81,4X1 noes, a favorable majority of 25.5.N. The highest number of votes cast at the election was 194,435 for governor; the amendment receised apparently a majority of 9.791 of the total, but this is probably an under ' .timate It was one of the most remarkable vietorics ever achieved for woman suffrage. b.irh of these campaigns required a vast arnotint of money and work by the Primary Suffrage.-- As the constitution of Arkansas is ditlirat to amend, its legislature to,bc n•l%antace of the authority it had under the Primary Fleeti“n Law and in 1917 granted to women the same vote as possessed by mill a? all primaries. including those for Presidential electors This was the first State suffrage granted in the South and as there is practically hut one parts the primary is really the elreti..n In 1918 the Texas legislature gave this same pri mary franchise to women.