Every day this little group went to the White House and sat, waiting. They made a picturesque detail in the exceedingly picturesque war flood surging through the White House, wearing bands printed with the words, munition workers on their arm and their identification badges. They knitted all the time. At first, one of the secretaries explained to them, “You are very foolish. You may have to wait for weeks. Even Lord Reading had to come back four times before he saw the President!”
Later, an under-secretary said: “You are becoming a nuisance. Other people have more consideration than to keep coming back; but you persist and persist.”
“Even Lord Reading had to come back four times before he saw the President,” quoted one of the munition girls.
They waited two weeks, but in the end they had to go back to work. They wrote a letter to the Senate, however, which was read there.
May 10 approached. I resume Miss Younger’s narrative:
When the proper time arrived next day, Senator Andreus Aristides Jones arose in his place. The galleries were packed. Our forces were all present except the three missing votes. There was Senator Smith of Michigan, who had come from California; Senator Smith of Arizona, who had left a sick relative to be present for the vote; and there were others who had come from far and wide. Senator Jones in the hush of a great moment, rose and announced that he would not call up the Amendment that day.
Our opponents looked at him and, grinning, taunted: “Haven’t you got the votes?” “We want to vote today.” “We’re ready now.”
Finally the women filed out of the galleries and went home, and the Senate resumed its usual business.
Later, however, Senator Jones announced that on June 27 he would take up the Suffrage Resolution.
Miss Younger says: