Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-10-14
SUFFRAG|STS
IN NEW JERSEY
Miss Anne Martin Tells How the
Nevada Women Won
the Ballot

How the women of Nevada turned
the machinery of suffrage propaganda
into an instrument for educating the
women into their newly acquired civic
duties Immediately after the fran.
chise was granted to them last No
vember vas told yesterday by Miss
Anne Martin of Reno, president of the
Nevada Women's Civic League. saws
the Philadelphia Press.
Miss Martin is here to aid in the
Votes-for-women campaign in New
Jersey, and, incidentally, to disprove
the statement that the women of the
west are not interested in universal
suffrage in the United States and do
not care whether their eastern sisters
get the ballot.
Miss Martin as president OF the
Nevada Equal Franchise Society led
the fight for the franchise there last
year and when the organization met
to celebrate its victory it was decided
to disband but to use the oreani.
cation to educate the women to n
knowledge of their new responsibility.
The Civic League" said Miss Mar
tin. yesterday at the headquarters OF
the Equal Franchise Society. meets
a general demand of the newly en-
franchised m for information
about the use of the ballot. Regard
less of their previous attitude toward
woman suffrage Nevada women are
entering upon their civic duties Sc
riously. have registered in large num-
bers for the municipal elections and
are preparing themselves to exercise
their political rights not only for the
benefit of the community and the
state, but TO aid the cause of women
everywhere. The Civic League was
founded therefore in response to a
widespread demand for information,
advice, lectures and literature on the
part of Nevada's women voters"
Miss Martin said that the action of
the Nevada women was the kind of
thing the men of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey could expect when they
~enfranchised the women of their
states. She said the women had made
a vigorous fight there against the
open gambling and the lax divorce
laws which had given the state a bad
name and that the criticism of the
women because the last Legislature
hD1 NOT HnrrnnfnI thrgn nuSlg rx-a oh
surd because ii was a man-elected
body.
Though we were not able to defeat
the gambling and divorce laws" she
said, the influence of the women was
strong enough to get provision for a
kindergarten system. very important
there because of the scattered popula-
ton. denature capital punishment and
pass teachers and mothers pension
bills"
The women of Nevada have not
voted in Il statewide election. In
the local elections Miss Martin said
more women have registered and vot-
ed proportionately than men. Dis
cussing the fairness and judgment of
the voters. Miss Martin said
they had defeated a drastic and severe
saloon law which was ~palpably I'M
just in its proposed method of en-
forcement and from this story has
gone forth from Reno that the women
had voted in favor OF the saloon. She
said the women had only been fair.
Miss Martin in trying to reach the
widely scattered 10000 voters in Ne.
vada often had to travel 100 miles to
reach twenty votes, but she said every
voter heard the message. and the
problem in the East with its large
cities is how 10 reach tue voter. il
il her opinion hat if the voters arc
reached suffrage is a ]forcgonc con
Clusion.
Miss VT: II will speI'i al Ninth and
Chestnut streets next Monday noon
She came here under the auspices of
an organization of Western women
formed to help the campaign In the
east. SHE will speak in Philadelphia
under the auspices of the Equal Fran
chise Society, apd will hav" charge OF
the Comdcn district in New Jersey.
Aftnr the New Jersey election Miss
martin will go TO Massachusetts and
help In the campaign there.