The San Francisco call., 1898-02-22
WOMEN VAR
 IS RENEWED Mrs. Baldwin Issues a Circular Asking for
 Help. Aid Wanted for Suffrage Tn South Dakota and
 Washington. Some Local Workers Opposed to Helping the National
 Association.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
 onS Rroadway Feb. 21.

Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
 sos Broadway, Feb. 21.
 Mrs. Isabel A. Baldwin, president or the Alameda County Political Equality Society, has issued a little circular ask ing for money for the National Suf- frage Association, and there is a re- newal of the division of opinion among the suffragists of this county regard ing the value of the National Associa- tion to California.
 Mrs Baldwin's appeal says:
 Oakland, Feb g, 1898.
 Dear Friend: The National Suffrage Association has sent us an earnest appeal for assistance to enable them to carry on their work during the coming year. Every year the National Organization Commit tee undertakes a vast amount Of work. Besides the large amount done at the home office, it sends organizers and work CTS in every direction to arouse interest ln new and unplowed fields, and to encour- age and stimulate others. Each year greater demands are made upon the Ma tional Association. In many States and Territories, where the women are just awakening to the importance of the movement little bands of workers are calling for help, and the National Com mittee finds itself continually crippled by the small amount of money 1t is obliged to work with We must aid them, other wise little work can. be done. Washington and South Dakota have each an amend ment pending to be voted upon in NO vember. They have suffered more there than any other section, probably, from the hard times and have little to work with and are looking to the National As SOCiatiOn for aid.
 Now, will you kindly give us a little help? No matter how small the sum. it will be gratefully received. and the money will be called for gladly by a member of the society. Very sincerely,
 ISABEL A. BALDWIN, President Alameda County Political
 Equality Society.
 This has opened up the question that resulted in a secession from the cOun- ty society over a year agU.
 Mrs. Baldwin and the board of off, cers believe that the national society is worthy of encouragement and de- serves help from California. Her cir cular states the rest.
 Mrs. Borland, who was an officer un- der the old board, is of the opinion that the Eastern suffragists who came out here in 1896 lost the cause to Califor- nia, and. on the whole, fared very we'll financially and socially while they were here.
 Tt is a peculiar fact" said Mrs Borland this afternoon, that in the southern part of the State where the Eastern suffragists were not wanted and where they did not go, suffrage carried. In Alameda and San Francis co counties, where the ladies from the East were lionized, suffrage was a flat failure. From this we argue that if the Eastern people had come out here in tending to help us, instead of dictate and show us by inference that they thought we did not know the tempera- ment of cur own people, they could be of help to us. We believe that Cali fornia women are the only women in the world that will ever convert Cali fornia men to woman suffrage and we do not feel that we are under any debt of gratitude to the National Associa- ti0n. As near as I can learn, it was the Eastern suffra gists who on a former oc- casion defeated suffrage in Washing ton and South Dakota, and we do not see why we should give money to help them. Neither can We see that these two States have had any harder times than California.
 Tt is our opinion that if the next campaign fer suffrage is left to the women of this State they will make far better job of it than those clever ladies that were out here in the fall of '96'