WOMEN PACK HOUSE COMMITTEE GALLERY TO OPPOSE NO-SMOKING LAW
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On July 27, 1921, the House District of Columbia Committee hearing "drew a packed gallery of women opponents" of proposed legislation to prohibit smoking by "female persons" in public.
Representative Johnson of Mississippi, sponsor of the bill, argued that "smoking was injurious to the morals and health of women and caused a bad effect upon their children."
In opposition, Miss Alice Robertson of Oklahoma said she had witnessed women smoking at public functions "in a charming way."
In an unusual move, the chairman of the committee asked for a vote from the gallery. The women were 24 against the measure with only 1 in support.
SOURCE
"Women Fight No-Smoking Bill And Vote, 24 to 1, Against It," The New York Tribune, July 28 1921, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
