The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-20
By MYRTLE MILES

Woman, lovely woman. has become big entity in the presidential campaign. Never before has she been so vitally con- cerned, or indeed been by the outside world considered as a factor at all in the final outcome of a political race. Now she has her particular niche in the na- tional campaign headquarters, and be- sides the regularly appointed leaders of the several parties there is the assistant corps for each. composed of several bril- liant and important leaders of the woman movement. The deference shown to the feminine "body politic' just now comes as a result of the spread of the equal franchise area. There are many thou sands of regular, dyed in the wool legal women voters and as such they have be- come force to be reckoned with.
 In the campaign waged by the national body of suffragists she finds the non-par- tisan influence prevalent, but on the con trary, corps of suffragists is to be found in New York cooperating with each of the big parties national commit tees. Republican Chairman Iilles' chief woman campaign general is Miss Helen
 
 noted for her skill as an organizer and a suffragist who during the campaign for equal franchise has stumped the middle west with the secretary of her bureau. Miss Mary Wood, as her chief assistant,
 The bull moose party has three women national committeemen-Mis Frances A. Kellor of New York, Miss Jane Addams of Illinois, and Mrs. Isabel w. Blancy, who was a California delegate to the National Progressive convention. Miss kellor has charge of the women's bureau at national campaign headquarters.
 At the national democratic headquar- ters is Mrs. J. Borden Hartman, one of the most prominent and wealthy mem- bers of that influential family. Mrs. Har- riman is president of the Womans Ma tional Wilson and Marshall league. The Alabama woman chairman, Mrs. Thomas M. owen of Montgomery, appointed a short time ago, is one or the best known. most prominent and most progressive women in the state.
 Mrs. Hartman of the womans demo- cratic committee was at one time presi- dent of the exclusive Colony clup of New | h. national campaign she has several times left her summer home, Uplands. at Mount Kisco, N. Y., to make number of speeches, one of which was delivered in the early autumn from the pavilion at Union Square. Mrs. Hartman. when asked this fall to define her position upon suffrage in the present campaign this fall, made this statement:
 There is many a slip 'twixt ballot box and enacted legislation. It is a long and winding trail that leads from where the honest vote is cast to where the efficacy of that vote is determined by practical application. However rightly anv inteli- gently we may vote, we cannot now nor will we ever accomplish practical good for the people until we cease to use the franchise in part only-that is, the elec- ton to office of men whom we believe will bring about legislation amelioratins existing conditions is but a step. We must not only elect men 10 office, but we must give those men laws by which they can better conditions.
 My vote is of no va,ue as long as 1t Is tmpotent to ultimately produce the de- sired result. If l do not believe that a child years old should stand in a crowd ed factory room threading bobbns all day and flirting with tuberculosis and death, l shall vote to keep that child out of the factory. But the executive for whom I vote cannot assist me If an un- sympathetic legislature will not make laws prohibiting child labor. My vote, therefore, is of little value If l do not vote for and support every candidate intimate ly or remotely related to the process of law making and law administration who is in sympathy with me.
 ''I have, for these reasons, taken the po- siion in the present campaign that the end in view is more important than the means employed. l believe that more good will result from women's co-opera- tion with practical men in politics than by their antagonism of these men-an- tagonism engendered by the mere desire of the franchise. I believe that a system by which the women cooperate with the men is a solution of the suffrage prob lem. The intelligent cooperation of big, broad minded. far seeing, sympathetic women will do more to demonstrate to broad minded and far seeing men women 3 capacity to assist in a government of human beings than any other thing that women may do.
 T sincerely trust that the women who have interested themselves in the cam paign will select candidate in whom they have personal confidence and will work for that candidate with a firm be- lief that good must come. I wish them at lease forget that 1t is not a question of whether man shall permit woman to vote. but the bigger question to every