his address to Congress. When a delegation of women from NAWSA tried to meet with him to address this incident and register their protest, Wilson claimed to be ill. A few days later, Wilson reneged his vow to support suffrage and said he would not impose his private views on Congress. NAWSA felt they could no longer tolerate the radical tactics employed and advocated by the Congressional Union, and they wanted to officially sever their ties. Paul and Burns did not want to start a completely separate organization that could potentially rival NAWSA and hinder progress in the movement, so they tried on numerous occasions to initiate negotiations with NAWSA leaders. Despite their efforts, the Congressional Union officially split from NAWSA on February 12, 1914. Many predicted that this split would do irreparable harm to women's campaign for suffrage; the cynics did not discourage Paul and Burns, and they began planning their campaign against the Democrats in the summer of 1914. In addition to confronting the Democratic Party, Burns and Paul had to address displeased members within their own organization; some women were complaining that the Congressional Union was elitist, authoritarian, and undemocratic. Paul believed centralized authority was critical to accomplishing their goals and operating effectively, so they did not make any drastic changes; to appease their members they solicited suggestions and stated "We would be most grateful for any constructive plan which you can lay before us." While trying to address both internal and external attacks, the Congressional Union worked to keep the Anthony amendment afloat in 1914. The Anthony amendment, or Mondell Resolution, was a federal amendment for woman's suffrage and what would ultimately become the nineteenth amendment. Since their split from NAWSA, Ruth Hanna McCormick had become the chairwoman of NAWSA's Congressional Committee. Without consulting the NAWSA Board, she had endorsed the alternative Shafroth-Palmer amendment on their behalf. This posed a huge threat to the work of Burns and Paul because the Shafroth amendment, if passed, would make suffrage a states' rights only issue. While Burns, Paul, and other women from both the Congressional Union and NAWSA met to address this issue, NAWSA ultimately remained in support of the Shafroth amendment, and the Congressional Union continued its campaign for federal suffrage. Burns was the first woman to speak before the Congressional delegates in 1914, when the Anthony amendment finally made it out of committee and into the