El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-16
Women, a Power In Politics
In Six states Where Sui ilI-,
Granted over 100000 Women
May Vote.
n ur-.H.-Fe i HaaEZim-


W The interest of women IN
w political matters is largely
credited to the movement for woman
suffrage Yet there have been occas-
ions upon when a considerable amount
of political work mas been done by
women in localities in when enJhuSl
asm for equal rights had not YET
broken out In a number OF ms IdIiCC7
women have given active service 40
ward securing better local poliIlcaii
conditions or in aiding some national
political issue when they were not YET
willing to assume the responsibility OF
voting even if it had been open TO
them.
Aided Republicans In 1896.
As far back as 1896. when they were
told that theTeR was danger or the
purchasing power of money being les
sened by free silver. thousands OF
American women who would nave
scOrnd the idea of seeking the vote
FOR themselves. were induced TO tnrO"
their influence into the Republlcan
campaign They did it in a vigorous
but thoroughly feminine way clubs
were formed to aid the Republican
vote. Enormous quantities Of HteTa-
ture was read and distributed In
number Of larger cities, the WomenS
Republican clubs went so far as TO
have literature printed in several
languages for the benefit OF the I'M
migrant voter.
IN new i OIhr committees u " OllLc4A
visited immigrant districts and read
the literature aloud TO voters and
4 their families They distributed Nc
kinley's pictures and emphasized their
I lesson in 2 practical manner by say
ing IF Mckinley is elected president,
you will always be able to get 10 aD-
pies or potatoes for five cents, but II
! Bryan is elected you viii only get
I seven 1t is claimed that this sort OF
/ work by the women helped to turn
the tide in many doubtful localities
To the women, as well as TO the men,
Z it brought a recognition Of power
before unrealized and from that time
on woman's political influence
throughout the country has been
counted well worthy Of consideration
Influence Felt for Years.
In New York city. where there is as
yet no opportunity for the woman
voter. the political influence Of women
has been actively felt for years Mrs
Josephine Shaw Lowell was one OF the
I founders of the WOmen's Municipal
league which has been doing effective
work for nearly Il years Mrs Lowell
! became interested in the necessity Of
securing certain reforms which could
be brought about by the election OF
7 men who were known to favor them
: Consequently her work has been car
ried on with true political under
standing. If a candidate desired the
{ influence of the league. he could Sc
cure it only by pledgiug his support
to the reform in which the organiza-
tiOn was most interested The CIVIC
Reform association is another OF the
older organizations in New HOrk,
I which. through the influence Of us
women members, not only has secured
, the election Of many desirable candl-
! dates but the defeat Of undesirables-
Get Votes over Telephone.
In conservative old Philadelphia the
women have taken an active interest
in politics for almost 20 years and
their influence has been felt almost
a
gang" public official was quoted IN
the Civic club as saying. These men
refOrmers don't give Us no trouble
worth mentioning and its easy enough
to quiet them down But when the
women come around city hall asking
, questions 1t makes US feel as though
the game was all up
In the municipal campaign OF 1898
the women first took active part in
aiding the City party They had or
{ carnations in every ward and dis
( tributed literature and campaign but
I tons with liberal hands To their
I training in that campaign they par
TALLY attribute their success last year
( in securing the election of Rudolph
Blanken burg who popularity IS re-
garded as the ''wOmen's mayor One
| of the methods of work initiated dur
: ing this campaign was the telephone
/ chain in which every woman was
pledged to call up everyone she knew
! and deliver a vote for Blakenburs
/ message"
Civic Club In Philadelphia.
The Civic club of Philadelphia was
organized L years ago under the
: leadership Of Mrs owen Wister Miss
I COrnelia rockingham, Mrs Cornelius
Stevenson and a number of other
well known women It has had
strong political influence from the be-
ginning even though its membership
I at first consisted Of conservative
women who would strenuOusly have
I opposed any movement for political
quality. Among the earlier efforts Of
( the Civic club was the placing e1
women upon the local school board Of
each ward in the city, as well as
I upon the Central Board Of Education
( From these efforts developed the waI d
( organizations which recently have be
come so powerful politically
Chicago League Is Active.
In Chicago, the women first achieved
political influence by the organization
/ Of the Municipal Order league which
/ had for its first direct object the re-
/ election Of the aldermen who had sup
ported the million dollar license bill
Mrs. James Frake. the president of
I the Illinois Federation of WOmen's
/ clubs, was one of the foremost or
ganizers of this league which has had
great political influence for years. The
| Political Equality lea que. which now
| IS working for equal suffrage in that
/ state, is an OffshOOt OF this first
! league, which was called into exist
ence only with the idea of securing
/ the indirect influence" of women in
I the election of better political leaders
I in the municipality of Chicago. The
l Chicago women also have had strong
/ WOmen's organizations representing
| the different political parties. even be-
| fore Miss Jane Adams entered the
I arena and called forth much criticism
/ upon her devoted head by endeavorinS
I to pledge the feminine influence Of
] the nation in support OF Col ROOse-
velTs party
Direct Political Powers.
But. while the Indirect work OF
| women has had no small political in
/ 1luence in many localities. the time has
/ arrived when they are direct pOliti-
I cal power to be reckOned with by each
political party There We're six states
l in which the women voted in the last
| presidential election and these included
| almost a million and a half women
| over d years old who were entitled TO
the ballot. A larger proportion Of
Z them registered and voted than out OF
I the same number OF men in any part
/ of the country. Since then the fran
/ chise has been given in three addi-
| tiOnal states, thereby adding materially
| to the political power OF women in the
next election
| OF the women voters in the six
! states represented in the last presideu-
tial election, about twO-thirds are Of
] native parentage and about third Of