The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-05
MISSOURI WOMEN SAY
THEY'LL WIN BALLOT
Have Their Petition Almost Ready
and VIII Not stop Until
Victorious.

Sc 7i
COLUMBIA, Mo-, March 5.-Within
few days, according to Mrs. Walter
McNab Miller, president OF the Mis-
souri, Equal Suffrage association, the
$4,000 signatures necessary on petit
tions for q vote on an equal suffrage |
amendment to the constitution, will |
have been secured. Nearly half OF
that number had been secured on Jan.
Luary 90 after several weeks of work
throughout the state. Mrs. Miller to-
day explained the Missouri reason"
for woman suffrage, the desire Of the
women to participate in and share the
labors OF government, and not the
mere seeking OF more influence and
power. She said Missouri will be the
next suffrage state. 81
I'VE are not entering the work as
fad or for gain" said Mrs. Miller
Every worker from the state presi-
dent to ward captain is a voluntary
officer. The members of the organi-
zation are students Of social life. They
ing some women with too much leisure
while others have none. We cannot
spend our time in bridge and parties,
or gossip. Yet modern improvements
have nghtened our hoursework and
other duties We must have some
thing to do. On the other hand, we
see women who never know a mo-
ment's rest. We believe that much or
all of this is due to social conditions,
which we propose to help correct We
want to help to make sweat shops i'm
POSSIBLE and child labor unknown.
Every argument raised against
equal suffrage has been raised against
every step which has been made in
woman's progress. We expect to
show by all our conduct in attempting
to secure the ballot that we can use
1 it wisely when we get it. The number
of college women in our association Is
an example of the type OF women in
the movement"
The organization OF woman suf-
frage party is being made all over the
state in anticipation Of the submits
sion Of the initiative. The party will
be non-political and non-dues paying.
There will be county and township
4 chairmen, ward and precinct captains.
In some places this organization has
been perfected already and is secur-
Ing signatures to the initiative petit
tions by house to house canvass
Elsewhere they are planning "whirl-
wind" campaigns for one day in
which they will concentrate their ef-
forts.
When the petition has been accept
ed by the secretary of state and off,
cially submitted to the people, the real
work will begin. Most of the planning
is being directed toward the big cam
paign because the women are sure
,. that they can get enough signatures
to have the initiative submitted. They
I say that they are having little trou
sign does not mean that the person is
. In favor of .woman's suffrage but is IL
: favor of having it brought to vote.
National speakers will be brough
to Missouri. Many Missouri and Kan
sas speakers will come across the Dor
:. ders to help their sister state. Eek
:, hibit booths will be placed in ever.
= county fair. There will be many auto
mobile campaigns.
:" Organizations of all kinds will b
asked to indorse the movement. TIL
: progressive and socialist parties, tn
Federation of Labor and the Farmer
y Educational Alliance have done 80 a
ready. The w. C. T. U. has long ha
a suffrage department.
There are three organizations in S
Louis alone, the Business Women
League. st. Louis Equal Suffrag
League and the Junior Suffrae
League. Kansas City has four simils
leagues.
A college women's league is bein