New-York tribune., 1918-03-06
Inspectors Startled at In
telligence Displayed by
Sufragists at Polls
Knitting Bags and
Babies Invade Booths
Only / Voter Challenged,
and She Wouldn't
Tell Fer Age

life of New York City yesterday, like
wise the baby carriage, the grand
mother and the woman ward heller
women coming out to vote and scant
half of the registered men, the whole
complexion .of the polling places was
changed.
Men apologized for smoking. Wom-
en- watchers flashed their diamond
rings and lorgnettes over the much:
thumbed lists of voters handed them
TO quel riots, found themselves put
on guard over baby carriages. Even
as the missionary carries his type
writer and the Brlton his cold tub
into the wilderness, so the women, far
from discarding their peculiar teml-
nine prerogatives, as foes of the
Cause so long predicted, carried
their knitting bags and their powder
puffs into the polling places.
ut amt nothin' to vote" said 4
toothless Irishwoman emerging from q
candy store on Eighth Avenue with q
grin which revealed all her dental de-
scare US. | did it just as easy. Go on
in now. Mamie
Women Vote lntelligently
Election inspectors found the new
voters quite as intelligent as the vet
erans Take it from j. Newton Osorlc.
Republican Inspector at 24Ol Elgnth
Avenue, the women voted more eXpe-
ditiouslv than their husbands.
You can't give 'em any arguments,
said he. "They just put down their
marks and away with 'em. They voted
quicker than the men,
This was the district where the ap-
pie pie made its entrance INTO poll
tics, so perhaps Mr.. Osorlo was preJu-
diced. 1t was Mrs. Guida Stoppenkam,
- years DID, who thought of this i'm
provement on the ancient custom
whereby the first voter must present
the election inspectors with cigars.
II haven't any cigars, but III bring
YOU an apple pie she SAID.
This district has been stronghold
Of the cause for years, and was one OF
the few that carried for suffrage in
1915 under the captalncy OF Mrs: Edlth
Valet.
The large numbers of women voting
were the cause of great Joy at suffrage
headouarters last night. Miss Mary
Garrett Hay, boss of the Woman sui
frage party, kept open house last night
to receive the returns from her watch
ers at every polling place. and tig-
ured up the percentages as fast as they
came in.
The 18th Assembly District of Man
haitian was the first to turn in complete
figures. There 1924 women had reg
istered and 1861 voted This was just
over 90 per cent, and held good
throughout the city.
The first thing she did then was to
call up Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait,
president of the National American
ington, and tell her that now the last
argument against woman suffrage had
been killed ana she could go ahead and
get the Federal suffrage amendment
put through the Senate.
Federal suffrage within week."
Miss Hay announced when she emerged
from the phone booth. II usually am
right when I make suffrage predictions,
and I'll stand by this one"
Miss Hay Thanks Men
Miss Hay extended Mrs. Cats COM
pliments to the new women voters for
their splendid record, and then issued
the following formal statement, in ref
orence to the vote:
THE women voters of New York
City who took art in the Congress
sional elections have fully justified the
oestowal upon them of the franchise
by the State of Eew York. They voted
IN large numbers, 90 per cent Of those
vino registered going to the polls and
casting their ballots. They voted in
direct, businesslke way, that won
praise from the men inspectors. They
voted intelligently, taking the trouble
beforehand to possess themselves Of
eniightcning information about the
candidates for Office.
while comparisons are sometimes
inyidious they are often illuminating
Of the men who registered in the four
Congressional districts, only about 26
per cent voted. Contrasted with the
90 per cent standard set up by their
sisters, this is showing that justlfies
the prediction often made by sutfra-
gists during the campaign, that women
VIII make more conscientious voters
than men. | believe that this is true,
although l think that as time passes
women in the East, like the women in
the West, will inspire the Indifferent
men TO take u greater interest in poll
tics and 20 vote IN greater numbers.
"Thc City Suffrage party is much
pleased with .he way the women came
cut to vote and with the treatment
accorded them. We wish to thank the
political parties for appointing women
watchers at the polls and the Boards
Of Elections for the dignified and
cordial way IN which they met the new
eoters. | am sure chat everywhere the
women who 7otcd feel that they have
been welcomed nto politics most cour-
teousiy by their voting brothers. The
leaders and captains of the Woman
Suffrage party did valiant work show
ing the women in the election districts
where to vote and helping them in
many ways Altogether feel that the
9TH Of March. 1918. viii be IL red let
ter day IN the history of the womcn's
vote IN New York State"
Miss Rose Callahan, "A school teacher.
came 20 grips with the law over the
vexed question Of age. When she ap-
pearcd to cast her vote, in roofing
store, at 1856 Second Avenue, she was
challenged by Mario. De PRO, Rcpub-
iican leader Of the i4th Election Dis
tict Of the goth Assembly District,
Manhattan. She had given her age az
"oycr twenty five" and Mr.. Dc PRO
insisted that Shc should state definite
number Of years.
Mrz. John Blair and Miss Clara
Schlinghede, gufrage watchers in the
district, took Miss Cailahan's side. and
Niss SchlinYheidc rushed out to tcle-
phone to the Board of Flcctions. She
returned with the vcrdic, that Miss
Callahan might vote if she sworc 10 her