Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-02
STRONG MACHINE
OF suFfRAGIsTs
Campaigns in All States
Run with Method of
Male Politicians.

Male Politicians.
When the sufragists, at a mass meet
ing in Washington recently, offered to the
government the services of 100000 wom-
en-, the total number of members of their
national organiza ton. In case OF war;
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait. their presi-
dent, said:
I'VE offer services which we can guar
antee to perform, because the National
American Woman Suffrage Association
has the most efficient countrywide or
ganization of any association of women
! in the United States
Women have been supposed to lack the
mental qualities required to make good
| organizers. Whether this is true or not,
they have within the last decade formed
many organizations throughout the coun-
| try, composed of women brought together
! by all manner Of interests. Mrs. Gait
claims that, Of these, the National Ameri-
can Woman Suffrage Association stands
at the head.
The great political body which the Ma
tional American Woman Suffrage Asso-
citation has become has thorough organ
| ization in the states, the congressional,
city, Assembly district, and election dis
| trict organizations. each working in CO.
/ operation with the others and seeking to
| obtain further cooperation all along the
line from politicians and public officials
Suffrage workers appeal to the President,
/ to Congress. to the Governors. to the dit
ferent states, Legislatures, Assembly dis.
trict leaders and election district captains
and, in addition to all this other mem
bers of the suffrage organization make
their appeals by house toulouse canvass
Proves Women Can Organize.
suffrage publishing company, whose
first president was Mrs. Cyrus w. Field
and whose present president is Miss Es-
Their Ogden, is one of the important aux
liaries of the National American Suffrage
/ Associations work. 1t has proved 50
successful as business proposition that
in January of this year. after two years
of work, it declared a dividend of 3 per-
cent. The publishing company issues fiji
ers, leaflets, books, posters and suffrage
maps. Incidentally, it produces, an al
junct of the propa ganda work. playing
!
en- printed on it, calendars, dinner cards
and postcards. Last year this company
issued 100000 flers.
| The national association has a news ser
vice which it sends to 600 newspapers
| throughout the country. The women in
the different parts Of the country TO when
it goes keep tabs on their own papers to
see whether 1t is used This service goes
into all states where woman suffrage has
not been adopted.
! In Washington, d. c., there is big
publicity service which sends out daily
500 copies of news stories to the CORE
spondents of out-of-town papers.
Eealizing that faith alone is not suffi-
cient to make a good propaganda, the
national association operates an inter-
locking chain of suffrage schools and
sends out a travelling faculty from the
national headquarters in New York city.
! This faculty travels to any part of the
! United States where there seems to be Il
demand for it. The five women members
of the faculty give instruction on these
! four essential points for suffrage workers:
/ How to organize women. how to do press
work. how to canvass voters, how 20 be
ready with quotations from suffrage his
tory and with suffrage arguments.
National. state and city organiza tons
have bureaus of speakers some of whom
are paid while others give their services
free.
New York city, with it's many political
problems and peculiarities, was the first
city in which the suffragsts organized
pnlifir1l re Urn cya
organization is said to be the finest and
most complete in the country. 1t worked
hard during it's first big campaign, when
the question of votes for women was put
to the people of New York state, and it
expects to be ready with excellently or
ganized forces next autumn. when the
question again goes to the people of New
/ York state.
Going Into Politics.
The beginning Of the organization of
the suffragists along the line of political
parties was in 1903. 1t was the idea Of
Mrs. Gait, who is recognized as a woman
of great breadth of vision and of eXcep-
tional executive ability Mrs. Gait is now
president for the second time Of the Ma
tional Suffrage Association. She is also
founder and president of the International
Woman Suffrage Alliance, which is organ
| lied in 26 countries. Mrs Gait was about
to make a round-the-world tour to extent
this international work when, feeling thai
it was essential to have a thorough work
ing organization among the suffragists
of this country, she suggested adopting
| the system which had been found success
full by male politicians. She felt that, if
politicians and voters were to- be ;nfiu-
enced. they must be addressed by women
of their respective districts
This work has been developed in New
York city by another woman of great
executive ability and mastery Of detail.
Miss Mary Garrett Hay, who is affection
ately known among the suffragsts as the
Suffrage Big Boss
In 1909 the work of the suffragists
reached an acute transition stage. They
| hrn1 been Dassing through a period OF agl-