Evening star., 1918-02-28
UNEASY
ON W0MAN'S VOTE
How the Ballots Will Be Cast
Tuesday Puzzles Candidates
for Congress.

How would you like to be a candidate
for Congress, with eight or nine thou
sand independent votes lying loose in
your district and no way of finding out
where they were going to land?
This is the uncomfortable situation
in which the candidates in four dis
tricts of New York city find themselves.
with the election to be held Tuesday
and $1,000 women registered to vote
but not aligned to any party.
An interesting story of the situation
in these four districts, where women
of the Empire state will exercise the
right of suffrage for the first time, was
told today by Miss Mary G. Hay. chair
man of the woman suffrage party OF
New York city, who is in Washington
to confer with leaders OF the National
American Woman Suffrage Association
Although the election next week Is
relatively unimportant, Miss Hay ex-
planned. the element Of doubt is cast
over it because of the fact that the
women of the city have not had an
| ing the politicians unable to tell how
| their votes will go.
| Miss Hay said this situation resulted
in the holding of some of the most
| tory of American politics in those four
/ districts last week
Arranged by Suffragists.
The meetings were called public fo-
runs and were arranged by the suffrage
party" said Miss Hay. 'All the rival
candidates in each district were in
| vited to sit on the same platform, to
| tell where they stood on the questions
of the day. and none of them could af-
| ford to refuse.
Fully two-thirds of the audiences
were women-the kind who make
homes. They listened attentively, and
whenever a candidate would not make
| himself clear they would ask questions.
1t was a significant fact that in each
of the four districts this outstanding
question was asked of all the candi-
| dates by the women:
| " Where do you stand on supporting
| the government in the present crisisg"
The meetings were SO successful. Miss
Hay said, they probably will be made
| permanent by the women OF the state.
| The woman's vote will play an i'm
portant part in the election Tuesday.
according to Miss Hay, because the
| women of the state have not had time
, to take part in a party enrolment. This
| situation will not be repeated in the
| fall elections. however, for there will
/ be a party enrolment in May, giving
| the politicians a chance to form some
| idea of where the feminine votes will
go.
Tells How Women Won.
Miss Hay told of how the women OF
| the four districts in New York city
overcame almost insurmountsble. OBJ
ciaI election and be the first women in
the state to vote.
"The woman suffrage law did not be-
come effective until January J." said
put through the legislature to provide
for special registration for the wom-
en-. The men will vote on their regis
tration of last fall. The special reso-
| week ago. and only Friday evening and
Saturday were set for the registration.
Now. men are always given a week in
which to register. and ] think II was re-
able to get out and enroll in that brief
period. We were further handicapped by
| the fact that the Jewish Sabbath extends
from sundown Friday to sundown Satur.
day. which practically left only Saturday
| evening for the Hebrew women of those
districts to register
Miss Hay predicted that 80 per cent of
| the women who registered win vote. In
replying to those who have been critical
of the number of women who registered.
Miss Hay cited the situation in the city
whether a new constitution should be writ
ten for the state. In that year. the suf-
fragist said, 667.609 men registered and
only 103,401 voted.
Not a Fair Test.
Miss Hay said she believed. considering
the rush in which women had to prepare
for this special election, it was remark
able that $1,000 were able to register.
This is not fair test of what the women
of New York propose to do with the ball
lot. When I recall that the bill permit
ting them to register for this election did
not pass until Monday a week ago. 1 con-
feSs was surprised that we got out as
many as $1,000. The fall elections for
sovernor' sta state esS OFFICERS e;s and members OF
Miss Hay expressed the belief that
women as they obtain the vote will
align themselves with some political
party on national issues, but will re.
main independents in municipal cleo
tions.
.In the municipal elections" said the
New York leader, ''it will not be SO
much a question with the women of
whether candidate is democrat or re-
publican as it will be a question of
what he is going to do for the city.
Women will be more interested in pure
milk for their babies and in clean
streets for their children"
The women who will vote In. Dew
York city Tuesday will be the h6use-
keepers and the mothers, said Miss Nay.
when asked what types of women
seemed to turn out for registration.
Taken as a whole. said Miss Hay, the
coming election will be little more than
an interesting spectacle of woman's
first vote in New York, vacancies are
only for unfinished terms and will have
to be voted for again in the fall.
Miss Hay has been chairman of the
New York city suffrage organization
for four years, having guided it through
the fight which resulted in victory for
the cause a few months ago.
Send Railing Canteens to Italians.