CHAPTER ONE
I knew it would be difficult, but I never dreamed it would be impossible,” Elizabeth Miles Bates said, staring at the letter she’d been reading.
Her mother-in-law looked up from her knitting. “Are you talking about passing the amendment, dear?”
“Yes, I am. I’ll never understand those people who are so dead set against allowing women to vote.”
“What does Miss Paul’s letter say? And I’m sure she doesn’t say it’s impossible.”
Alice Paul was the leader of the National Woman’s Party, the more radical of the two organizations that had been working for Woman Suffrage. Their demonstrations outside the White House had gotten many of their volunteers jailed. Elizabeth and her mother-in-law were among them.
“You’re right, she doesn’t say it’s impossible,” Elizabeth admitted, “but it is going to be nearly impossible. I thought that since thirty-five states have already approved the amendment, we could easily get the one more state that we need to make it the law of the land, but Miss Paul makes it clear that there is only one state left that might actually approve the amendment, and that state is Tennessee.”
Mother Bates frowned. They both knew that almost every other Southern state had already rejected the amendment, and Tennessee was likely to join them. “Why is she so sure it comes down to Tennessee?”
“Since eight states have already rejected it, that leaves just five states that could approve it. We know North Carolina and Florida will never approve it, and the governors of Vermont and Connecticut have refused to call a special session of their legislatures even to vote on it. That means Tennessee is the only possible state left.”
“If only we hadn’t lost in Delaware,” Mother Bates said sadly.
“That was such a disappointment. We were so sure . . .”
“Then we must be sure we will win in Tennessee. Is that what Miss Paul advises?”
Elizabeth looked down at the letter she still held. “Not exactly, but she is calling on all her volunteers to help in whatever way they can.”
Mother Bates stopped her knitting needles and stared at Elizabeth. “Did she ask you to go to Tennessee?”
“Yes, she did,” Elizabeth said with a sigh.
“That’s a great honor. She knows how effective you’ve been in convincing legislators to vote for the amendment.”
Elizabeth and Mother Bates had traveled to several other states to help lobby for the amendment. “Not in the South, though,” Elizabeth reminded her.
“Then Tennessee will be the exception.”
Elizabeth looked at the letter again. Miss Paul was quite eloquent in her praise of Elizabeth’s ability to convince reluctant officials to support Woman Suffrage. If only she knew that Elizabeth’s skills came from being raised by a con man to become a con artist herself. She could lie without blinking and charm even the most unappealing gentleman. When she had married Gideon Bates, she had thought her days of conning marks was over, but she had found her skills could come in handy in getting justice for people who could never get it any other way. She had used those skills several times to help her friends.
It had been almost a year since she’d run a con, though, unless she counted lobbying politicians for Woman Suffrage, which she probably should.
“I don’t know what Gideon will say,” Elizabeth murmured.
“What I’ll say about what?” Gideon asked as he came into the parlor.
“Darling, I didn’t hear you come home,” Elizabeth said, jumping up to give him his welcome-home kiss. Mother Bates tactfully averted her eyes. “How was your day?”
“Boring as usual.” Gideon was an estate attorney, so he rarely did anything exciting. “And don’t change the subject. What is it you think I’ll have something to say about and is that a letter you’re holding?”
“It’s from Alice Paul,” his mother said helpfully.
Elizabeth sent her an exasperated look, which she ignored.
“Ah, I see. Where does Miss Paul want to send you now?” he asked, taking a seat on the sofa and pulling Elizabeth down beside him.
“Tennessee,” Elizabeth said.
“In the summer? It gets awfully hot down there in the summer.”
“It gets awfully hot in New York in the summer,” Elizabeth countered.
Gideon shrugged. “I’m just warning you. Why does she need you in Tennessee?”
“Because it’s our only hope.” Elizabeth and Mother Bates took turns explaining the situation and how dire it now appeared.
“Does Miss Paul really believe Tennessee will approve the amendment?” he asked when they finished.
“We don’t know, but I think we can all agree that they must,” his mother said.
“I hope they know that,” Gideon said with a grin.
“They will when we tell them,” his mother said.
“We?” Gideon echoed.
“You can’t think I’d let Elizabeth go to Tennessee by herself when I could help, too.”
Elizabeth gave her a grateful smile.
Gideon frowned. “You need to know what you’re getting into.”
“We’ve done this before,” Elizabeth reminded him.
“Yes, but not when it was down to the wire like this. Some of the other fights have been hard, but the Antis will bring out all their dirty tricks for this one,” Gideon said, using the nickname for those who were anti–Woman Suffrage. “Politics can be an ugly business, and when so much is at stake, it gets even uglier.”
His mother smiled a little. “Surely, you don’t think those Southern gentlemen will do anything unpleasant.”
“Oh no,” Gideon said. “They’ll be smiling very sweetly as they stab you in the back.”
“But we have to go,” Elizabeth said. “After all we’ve done for the Cause, we can’t sit by now and just watch. What if we lose in Tennessee? I’d never forgive myself for not doing my part.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go,” Gideon said.
“And I’m very happy to see that you also aren’t telling her she can’t go,” Mother Bates said with some satisfaction.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Gideon replied with a smirk.
Elizabeth knew her father had warned him that forbidding her to do something only guaranteed that she would do it. “Then we’ll go.”
“And I’m going with you, too,” Gideon said.
“Do you think we need your protection?” Elizabeth said in surprise.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’m sure the Suffs can use some male help. Those legislators can be difficult to track down, and they go places that ladies can’t go. As a member of the Men’s Ratification Committee, I feel it’s my duty to volunteer.”
“What about your law firm?” Elizabeth said. “We don’t even know how long it will take.”
“Mr. Devoss will insist that I go when I tell him I’m needed to protect my mother.”
“Gideon,” Mother Bates scolded, but Elizabeth noticed her cheeks were pink. Mr. Devoss was very devoted to her mother-in-law.
“Do we know Mr. Devoss’s stand on Woman Suffrage?” Elizabeth asked.
“I believe Mother convinced him to support it,” Gideon said.
His mother glared at him, but he ignored her.
“Then he will certainly let you go to Tennessee,” Elizabeth said. “It shouldn’t take very long, should it? Surely only a few days. It will be a special session of the legislature and they’ll only be considering the amendment.”
“Do we know when it will be held?” Gideon asked.
“Not yet. Miss Paul isn’t even certain the governor will call it. He’s afraid if he shows he supports Woman Suffrage, he won’t win his primary on . . .” Elizabeth glanced at Miss Paul’s letter to verify the date. “. . . on August fifth, so it will be after that.”
“Tennessee in August,” Mother Bates said with a mock shudder.
“Another reason the legislators won’t want to linger,” Gideon said. “But won’t they need people there ahead of time to get the legislators to pledge their votes?”
“According to Miss Paul, the Tennessee chapter of the Woman’s Party is sending their members out across the state to find the men at their homes and get their pledges.”
“So they’ll know how many votes they have even before the session starts,” Mother Bates added.
“What if they don’t have enough?” Gideon asked.
“Then they’ll start trying to convince those who wouldn’t pledge or who seemed undecided to vote to approve,” Mother Bates said.
“And keep those who did pledge to vote for it from changing their minds,” Elizabeth said.
“No easy task, I’m sure,” Gideon said. “Don’t forget that very powerful forces are determined to stop the amendment from becoming law.”
“How could we forget?” Elizabeth said. “The railroads and the whiskey men and the textile manufacturers. They’re all afraid that if women get the vote, they’ll want to end things like corruption and child labor.”
“The whiskey men can’t still be worried that women would insist on Prohibition since we already have it,” Gideon argued.
Elizabeth smiled wisely. “It seems they’re worried women will insist that the laws are enforced.”
“Ah, I see,” Gideon said. “But Tennessee was already dry for years before Prohibition.”
“I hope you aren’t too surprised to learn that law wasn’t really enforced, either,” his mother said.
“I can see I should have gone with you on these trips sooner,” Gideon said. “I’m hopelessly naïve.”
“Not hopelessly,” Elizabeth said, patting his arm. “We’ll make sure you’re properly educated by the time we go to Tennessee. We have a few weeks, if the governor isn’t going to call the session until after his primary.”
“Maybe he’ll schedule it for later in the year, when it will be cooler,” Mother Bates said hopefully.
“Oh no, we want it as soon as possible so women have time to register to vote in the November elections,” Elizabeth said. “Just think, they’ll get to vote for a new president this year.”
“But only if we can convince enough of those Tennessee gentlemen to support the amendment,” Mother Bates said.
“I have every confidence that the two of you will succeed and all the women in America will be able to vote in the November election,” Gideon said.
Elizabeth decided she needed to kiss her husband again, and this time Mother Bates didn’t even look away.
Is there something good in the gossip column today?” Anna Vanderslice asked as she breezed into the Bateses’ library to find Elizabeth studying the newspaper.
Elizabeth looked up and smiled at her friend. “I’m sure there is, but I haven’t gotten to the gossip column yet. I’m looking for some news about Tennessee.”
Anna plopped down on the chair opposite Elizabeth’s. “You don’t think a New York newspaper will have news about Tennessee, do you?”
“Not usually, but the Tennessee primary election was two days ago, and the governor won his contest, so I’m hoping he’ll call the legislature into special session pretty soon.”
“That’s right. I almost forgot. Are you still planning to go?” Anna asked, pulling off the gloves ladies were required to wear even in summer to protect their hands. Then she started fanning herself with them. “I asked your maid to get us something cool to drink. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. It’s very warm today, although Gideon keeps warning me it will be much hotter in Nashville.”
“You’ll be too busy to even notice,” Anna predicted. “I should go with you.”
“I would love that,” Elizabeth said, “but who would look after your mother?”
Anna sighed. “I know. I can’t leave her. She’s lost interest in just about everything. She won’t even see her friends when they call. It’s gotten even worse since my classes ended and I’m home all the time now. She is content to let me wait on her hand and foot. I don’t know what I’ll do with her when I go back to school in the fall.” Anna was attending college, studying to be a teacher.
“Does she still . . . ?” Elizabeth started but caught herself.
“Does she still talk about David all the time?” Anna finished for her. “Oh yes. Sometimes I can hardly bear it.”
David was Anna’s brother who had died in the flu epidemic almost two years earlier. He had also been Gideon’s best friend. “I’m so sorry,” Elizabeth said.
“Yes, well, let’s not dwell on that,” Anna said with forced cheerfulness. “Did you find out anything about Tennessee?”
“Not a word, not even in the front section.”
“Why would it be in the front section with the real news?” Anna asked with mock amazement. She was as involved in the Cause as Elizabeth was, having been imprisoned with her and Mother Bates as well. “Everyone knows that news about Woman Suffrage belongs in the women’s pages.”
“I thought maybe because it involved the governor and politics, they might put it in the front, but no, nothing.”
“I’m sure Miss Paul will let you know as soon as she hears. And you can go on short notice since you don’t have to . . .”
Elizabeth looked up in surprise when Anna stopped in the middle of her sentence. “Since I don’t have to what?”
“Nothing,” Anna said sheepishly, not quite meeting her eye.
That was when she realized what Anna had been about to say and why she hadn’t said it. “Since I don’t have children to worry about,” she finished for her friend.
“I’m so sorry,” Anna said quickly, obviously ashamed to have brought up the sensitive subject. Elizabeth and Gideon had been married well over a year with no hint of a baby, a lack Elizabeth mourned, albeit quietly.
“That’s all right,” Elizabeth said with a false smile. “I don’t have children yet, so I should take advantage of that freedom. I just hope we have enough time to make our travel arrangements. The Woman’s Party is low on funds, so I don’t think Miss Paul will be wasting money on long-distance telephone calls or telegrams.”
“Low on funds?” Anna scoffed, taking Elizabeth’s hint to change the subject. “Won’t Mrs. Belmont help them out?” The wealthy Mrs. Belmont was the main benefactor for the Party.
“I don’t know, but Miss Paul also asked me for a donation when she wrote to invite me to go to Tennessee.”
“She’s always asking for donations,” Anna reminded her.
“This one sounded a little desperate, though. I know she’ll want to go to Tennessee herself so she can direct the volunteers.”
“Yes, this is much too important to leave it to anyone else.”
“Which is why I sent her some money,” Elizabeth said.
“I’ll send some, too, although it won’t be much. Mother still refuses to understand that we need to economize since we don’t have David to support us anymore.”
“That’s kind of you. I do wish you could go with us.”
Anna smiled mischievously. “Yes, we could have a wonderful time with those legislators. Do you think we could run a con to get them to support the amendment?”
Elizabeth gave her a disapproving glare. “I should never have let you kill me.” As part of a con, Anna had once pretended to murder Elizabeth, which had ironically saved Elizabeth’s life.
“But you did let me kill you, so it’s too late now. Do you have an idea for a con?”
“Absolutely not. I can’t even think of anything that might work.”
Anna did not look convinced. “Just in case you do, and you need help, send for me. Freddie would be happy to come, too, I’m sure.” Frederica Quincy was Anna’s dearest friend—and perhaps more, but Elizabeth didn’t like to pry.
“Isn’t she back home with her family for the summer?”
“Yes, but she’d leave in a moment to help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Elizabeth lied. She had no intention of involving Anna and Freddie in any more cons. Besides, a con wouldn’t work in this case, would it?
Would it?
The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. A few moments later, the maid brought in a telegram.
“Is it from Miss Paul?” Anna asked, leaning over to see it better.
“It’s addressed to me, at least.” Elizabeth tore open the envelope. “Good heavens.”
“What does she say?” Anna asked, snatching the paper from Elizabeth’s unresisting fingers. “Yes, good heavens. You have to be in Tennessee by Monday.”
“And today is Saturday. That doesn’t give us much time.”
“How can they get the legislature together so quickly?” Anna asked, handing the telegram back to Elizabeth.
“Telegrams and trains, I suppose. Modern conveniences have made the world a smaller place. Besides, they’re all in the same state, so it’s not like they need to take a sleeper halfway across the country to get there like we do.”
“Is Tennessee halfway across? I would have thought it’s closer.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have to tell Gideon and Mother Bates at once, but they’re both out. This doesn’t give us much time at all. Luckily, I already got a train schedule.”
“Surely, there is a sleeper to Nashville,” Anna said. “This is New York, after all.”
“Yes, and we should leave tonight. I just hope the Nashville Suffs have got everything organized already.”
“Maybe they have already gotten enough pledges to pass the amendment, and it will all be over in just a few days.”
“After more than seventy years of working for it, that would be a little anticlimactic, wouldn’t it?” Elizabeth asked with a grin.
“I’m sure everyone in the Woman’s Party would settle for that. We don’t need excitement. We just need the vote. Elizabeth, women can change the world if we get the chance.”
“I hope you’re right, my dear friend.” But Elizabeth wasn’t as idealistic as Anna. Changing the world was a lofty goal. She knew too much about greed from her previous experience as a con artist to believe it was possible.
The train to Nashville had been hot and crowded, and they’d hardly gotten any sleep in the stuffy compartment. Gideon’s mother had also slept poorly in her compartment next door. Opening the windows offered little relief because of the smoke and cinders blowing in. But they had finally reached their destination. Gideon was looking forward to a cool bath and a nap.
Union Station was swarming with people arriving in trains up and down the tracks as legislators returned to the Tennessee capital and those who wished to influence them arrived in force. To make matters even worse, groups of women were greeting each traveler who stepped off a train and trying pin a rose on them. The Antis had red roses and the Suffs had yellow ones. Woe to anyone who refused both, and even accepting one put a person in the crosshairs of the opposing group. Gideon and his ladies quickly pinned on yellow roses to indicate they supported Woman Suffrage and proceeded to ignore the entreaties of the Antis determined to change their minds.
With much difficulty, Gideon found a porter who loaded their bags onto his cart. “Are you going to the Hermitage Hotel like everybody else, sir?” the porter asked, nodding at the yellow rose on his lapel.
“Indeed, we are.”
“I’ll have your bags sent over, then. Don’t you worry. They’ll be waiting for you when you get there.”
Gideon smiled. He hadn’t expected such good service here. He tipped the porter generously and then directed his women folk to follow the crowd up the steps.
“This is quite impressive,” his mother observed when they reached the glass-ceilinged main hall. On one side of the hall was a bas-relief of a gigantic locomotive that appeared to be bursting right through the wall. On another side was a huge clock guarded by two figures representing Time and Progress. Progress held a railroad wheel to his chest. Nothing subtle about that message. Around the room, two dozen female figures with angel’s wings were draped over the arched doorways. Each of them held something representing a resource or product of the state. Gideon noticed one of them held a flask of Tennessee whiskey. Would they alter that now that nationwide Prohibition was in force? Somehow, he doubted it.
“Yes, it is impressive,” Elizabeth agreed. “Southerners have great civic pride.”
“Have you been here before?” his mother asked her.
Elizabeth’s life as a con artist had taken her to many different places, so it was a logical question. “Not to Nashville, no.”
“My goodness, it is rather warm here,” his mother observed.
“I tried to warn you,” Gideon reminded them, “although it’s even hotter than I expected. I think you could cut the air with a knife.”
“I suppose you get used to it,” Elizabeth said. “Lots of people do live here all the time, after all.”
His mother pulled a fan out of her purse and waved it in front of her face. “Nobody could get used to this.”
They made their way out to the street where cabs were lined up to serve the crowd. After a long wait, they took one to the hotel. As soon as they left the chaos of Union Station, the crowds disappeared.
“The city is awfully quiet,” his mother said as the cab made its way through the nearly deserted streets. “I thought it would be bustling with all the lawmakers returning.”
“I guess the Capitol might be, but it’s Sunday, ma’am,” the driver reminded them. “Everything is closed and everybody’s in church.”
Elizabeth caught Gideon’s eye. “Not everybody, I’m guessing.”
“Oh no, I’m sure Mrs. Catt is hard at work,” his mother said, naming the president of the more conservative suffrage organization. “And Miss Paul is probably on her way here, if she isn’t here already. I’m sure all the Suffs will be busy, as well as the Antis.”
“Are you ladies for or against this woman suffering business?” the driver asked.
Elizabeth and his mother exchanged a glance but somehow managed to keep a straight face, which was more than Gideon could do.
“We’re in favor of women having the vote,” Elizabeth said.
The driver shook his head in wonder. “I don’t know why you’d want to mess around in politics. It’s a nasty business.”
“We’re hoping to make it a bit less nasty,” his mother said.
“Good luck to you, then.”
“We’ll need it,” Elizabeth whispered.
Walking into the Hermitage Hotel was like walking into a beehive. The enormous Beaux-Arts lobby with its soaring vaulted ceiling and huge marble pillars was filled with people talking in small groups. The murmur of their conversations combined into a cacophony of sound that was like a living thing. Through the haze of cigar smoke they could see that the crowd was composed of both men and women, unusual for a hotel lobby where businessmen gathered to meet with their peers. Or where businessmen went to speak to their legislators, which was why such conversations were called “lobbying.” Women would walk through the lobby on their way to shop or visit the home of a friend but would never stop to talk business.
Except when women were trying to convince male legislators to support the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. Or to talk them out of supporting it. Elizabeth saw many Suffs in the crowd but recognized some of the Antis from her previous trips, too. Virtually all the women and a lot of the men wore either a yellow rose or a red one, making it easy to tell who was who.
“I’ll get us checked in,” Gideon told Elizabeth and Mother Bates. “Try to find a place to sit down. The front desk seems pretty busy so it might take some time.”
He strode off to join the crowd at the front desk.
“My goodness,” Mother Bates said. “We got here just in time. Do you see anyone you know?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said, waving to the young woman she had just recognized.
Betty Gram waved back and made her way through the crowd as quickly as she could. She was a pretty thing. She could have been an actress with her stylish dress and perfect makeup, and indeed she had been. She’d left a role on Broadway to demonstrate with the Suffragists at the White House and been arrested for her trouble. She and her younger sister, Alice, had been locked up in the same workhouse as Elizabeth and Mother Bates where they had all participated in a hunger strike. Since then, they had worked together in New Jersey for the very close ratification vote there and then in Delaware where disaster struck and they lost.
Elizabeth returned Betty’s hug warmly.
“I’m so glad you were able to come,” Betty said. “Miss Paul told us she’d asked you, but we weren’t expecting you, too, Mrs. Bates.”
“I couldn’t let Elizabeth do this alone. Besides, I wanted to be here when we finally get the vote.”
All three of them smiled at that, although Elizabeth noted Betty’s smile wasn’t as confident as she would have hoped.
“I’ve brought my husband, too,” Elizabeth said.
“That’s wonderful,” Betty said, her eyes sparkling with delight. “We’ve found the legislators like to go off to the Grill Room downstairs where women aren’t allowed.”
“I’m sure Gideon will be glad to join them there,” Mother Bates said.
“Is your sister here, too?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, she’s back at headquarters in Washington City, helping Miss Paul.”
“Isn’t Miss Paul here yet?” Mother Bates asked in alarm. How could they hope to win without her leadership?
“She . . .” Betty began, then glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them and leaned in closer so she could speak more softly. “The Party doesn’t have any money to send her here.”
“But I can wire her train fare,” Elizabeth said, outraged.
“It’s more than that, much more. The Party is in serious debt and the coffers are empty, so Miss Paul can’t come until everything is settled. But don’t worry. She has put Sue White in charge here in Nashville. Do you know her?”
“I don’t think we’ve ever met,” Elizabeth said.
“She’s wonderful, and she’s from Tennessee so she knows everyone and how to get things done here. She rented a storefront just half a block down the street for our headquarters. She said that’s better than a hotel suite, which is what the NAWSA is using, because people can look in the window and see we’re ordinary females, not the hideous monsters they claim are the only ones who support Woman Suffrage.”
“Miss White is clever, too,” Mother Bates said.
“Very clever,” Betty agreed. “She assigned three of us, Anita Pollitzer and Catherine Flanagan and me, to different parts of the state. We tracked down all the legislators in their home districts to get them to pledge to vote for the amendment.”
“How long have you been here?” Elizabeth asked in amazement.
“In Tennessee? Almost three weeks. I motored hundreds of miles around the state and walked even more, it seemed. I got drenched in thunderstorms and roasted in the heat and stranded by flat tires, but I found all my men.”
“Did they all agree to support the amendment?” Mother Bates asked.
“No, some of them are intractable, but I escorted a few of the supporters in on the train this morning. I had Thomas Riddick who was just elected to the House specifically to help with ratification efforts, and Joe Hanover who has pledged to do all he can. I also had the mayor of Memphis who is going to help by talking to the men he knows. We even got Seth Walker to pledge. He’s the Speaker of the House, and he has a lot of influence. He also knows all kinds of parliamentary tricks to make the process go the way we want it to.”
“Good job!” Elizabeth said.
“Oh, I wasn’t the one who got him to pledge. He gave me a lot of hooey about the Tennessee Constitution. There’s a clause that says a sitting legislature can’t vote on a constitutional amendment. The amendment must be announced and then an election held so voters know how the candidates stand on the amendment and they know whom to elect. Then the newly elected legislators vote on the amendment.”
“That’s horrible,” Elizabeth said. “Tennessee wouldn’t be able to vote on the amendment until after the November election.”
“But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that section of the Tennessee Constitution was null and void because it contradicts the U.S. Constitution. Sue White finally convinced Seth Walker it would be legal to hold the vote and he signed the pledge.”
“That is a relief,” Mother Bates said.
“It certainly is. If anyone can bring this home, it’s Seth Walker. With him on our side, we have a good chance.”
“It sounds as if you ladies have already done all the important work,” Mother Bates said. “What can we do now?”
Betty grinned. “Make sure the men who pledged don’t change their minds! You would not believe how many people have descended on this hotel to convince them to vote no.”
“I did notice a lot of Antis here in the lobby,” Elizabeth said, glancing meaningfully around at the sea of red roses.
“Yes, Josephine Pearson and her crew are here in force, but we can deal with them. It’s the men from the railroads and the distilleries and the factory owners who are the real danger.”
“Gideon did mention he thought they might be a factor,” Mother Bates said.
“More than a factor because they have money and lots of it. Rumors are flying about job offers and even outright bribes being used to sway the legislators.”
“That’s scandalous,” Mother Bates said, outraged.
Elizabeth wasn’t surprised, though. She knew all about greed and how almost everyone could be swayed by their own self-interest, no matter how idealistic they thought they were. “I guess the Woman’s Party won’t be offering any bribes,” Elizabeth said with a small smile.
“Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t,” Betty agreed. “Of course, Mrs. Catt could, but she’s even more of a stickler about those things than we are.” Carrie Chapman Catt and the rival National American Woman Suffrage Association she led had received a two-million-dollar bequest from a woman she had hardly known. This allowed the group a financial freedom the Woman’s Party didn’t have.
Elizabeth knew the effectiveness of a well-placed bribe, but she didn’t know any alternatives. “If we can’t bribe them, what can we do?”
“We appeal to their better natures,” Mother Bates said confidently.
“And what if they don’t have one?” Elizabeth countered.
“Then we put pressure on them,” Betty said. “We’ve gotten both of the major presidential candidates, Harding and Cox, to support Woman Suffrage and Tennessee Governor Roberts, too. They’re not exactly ardent, but they’ve publicly committed, so they can’t go back without humiliating themselves.”
“If they aren’t ardent, can we really trust them to put pressure on others?” Elizabeth asked.
“The leaders of both parties are putting pressure on them,” Betty said, “so I think we can at least hope they’ll come through.”
Elizabeth turned to her mother-in-law. “I was really hoping this wouldn’t be impossible.”
“It’s not impossible,” Betty insisted. “Just very difficult. But surely, America won’t let itself be the only civilized country where women aren’t allowed to vote.”
“If you’re hoping to embarrass America into giving women the vote, you’re wasting your time,” Elizabeth said. “We can surely embarrass a few individuals into it, though.”
Gideon had come strolling over, looking like he had accomplished something noteworthy. “I was able to get us a suite. Oh, hello,” he added, seeing Betty.
Elizabeth introduced them.
“I’ve heard your name many times, Miss Gram, and always in admiration,” Gideon said.
“I could say the same about you, Mr. Bates. We’re very glad to have your help.”
“The legislators are fleeing to the Grill Room downstairs where women aren’t allowed,” Elizabeth explained.
“There’s another place they go, too,” Betty said. “It started last night, after the Antis had a reception to show off the museum artifacts they have set up in one of the ballrooms.”
“What kind of artifacts?” Elizabeth asked.
Betty sighed in disgust. “Lots of old documents reminding Southerners of the way the Yankees forced them to free their slaves and give Black men the right to vote. They will never forgive that, it seems, but even worse, they have a copy of the Woman’s Bible on display.”
“A Bible?” Mother Bates echoed. “What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s not really a Bible. It’s a book written years ago by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She points out all the ways the Bible oppresses women. It was a scandal when it was published because Mrs. Stanton actually said the Bible isn’t the inspired word of God, which offended so many people that the NAWSA had to denounce it even though one of their leaders had written it. The saddest part was that Mrs. Stanton listed the names of women she claimed had helped write the book, even though none of them had, and Mrs. Catt was one of them. The sign on the Woman’s Bible upstairs says mrs. catt’s bible.”
“How awful,” Mother Bates said. “I know we’ve had our differences with Mrs. Catt and the NAWSA, but she shouldn’t have to take the blame for something that wasn’t her fault.”
“No, she shouldn’t,” Elizabeth said, “but we’ve all had to endure being lied about and vilified.”
“You’re right, dear,” Mother Bates said sadly.
“Miss Gram, you were saying the men were going someplace besides the Grill Room that women couldn’t go,” Gideon said, obviously wanting to change the subject.
“Oh yes, I got sidetracked. The Antis have a suite on the eighth floor. It’s invitation only, I’m told, and all the legislators are invited. They serve many kinds of liquor there, but whiskey is apparently the most popular choice, because they’re calling it the Jack Daniel’s Suite.”
“Haven’t they heard about Prohibition?” Gideon asked only half seriously.
“They don’t sell it,” Betty said. “They give it away along with lectures on why passing the Susan B. Anthony Amendment would mark the end of civilization in America.”
“I don’t suppose the Suffs can compete with that,” Gideon said.
“Of course not. Most of them in both the Woman’s Party and the NAWSA are prohibitionists,” Mother Bates said. “Even some of the Antis are, so I’m surprised they are allowing this.”
Betty smiled knowingly. “When some of them objected, they were told that in Tennessee, whiskey and legislation go hand in hand.”
“I just can’t believe a man would sell his vote for a glass of whiskey,” Mother Bates said in disgust.
“It sounds like they’re holding out for many glasses of whiskey,” Gideon said with a slight smirk.
“But any pledge made while under the influence cannot be binding,” Elizabeth said. “We just have to get to these men when they’re sober and convince them to do the right thing.”
“Yes, we do. Come to our headquarters when you’ve gotten settled in your rooms, and we’ll give you your assignments,” Betty said and gave them the directions. It really was just down the street.
They took their leave of Betty and made their way through the crowd to the elevators. When the shiny brass doors slid open, Elizabeth’s heart seemed to stop in her chest because there stood her father. For a moment, the whole world seemed to freeze. Beside her Gideon stiffened and Mother Bates actually made a little sound of pleasure because she really did like the Old Man and was probably happy to see him.
But he raised a hand to his face and gave them the universal sign that told other con men that he was working so not to let on they knew him. He was chatting with a man, and he spared them not another glance as the two of them went on their way.
“What is he doing here?” Gideon whispered.
“Not lobbying for Woman Suffrage, I’m sure,” Elizabeth said.