New-York tribune., 1918-05-26

lost their chance of enrolling because
they. were attending the annual con-
venIlon OF the Massachusetts Woman
suffrage Association in Boston.
Its the first time l ever got ahead
OF those two," laughed Miss Hay.
Complain of Delay
There are many complaints from
women throughout the city of the slow
ness OF the registration clerks and the
crowded conditions of the booths.
:, suffrage leaders, who telephoned to
the city officials, were informed that
.ne law provided only one set of books
Tor each district, and that there was no
way of doubling up the worh
=, Mrs. Robert Oliver, suffrage leader of
the llth Assembly District, had to take
command of the ship of state at Pub
lie School 165. in West 1OSth Street.
as the two regular registration Off
Gals tailed to appear. Mrs. Oliver was
law, and read from it that ten citi
zens could choose and swear in clerks
Tor themselves in such an emergency.
There were seven indignant house
wives, anxious to get home and cook
lunch, standing around waiting to reg
lister. Mrs. Oliver sent these on a
scouting party, and they presently re-
turned with three men, who made up
the ten: Then they picked two volun-
teers who had no hungry husbands, for
clerks. The janitor of the school ad-
mlnistered the oath Of office and Mrs.
Oliver went on down to suffrage head
quarters, satisfied that her own dis
trlct was in perfect working order.
Headquarters Busy
1t was busy day at headquarters
Three suffragists answered the tele-
phone from 8 o'clock in the morning
until nearly 10 at night. Thousands
Of women were unable to find their
registration places, and called up the
only source of information they knew
about.
One was an anti-suffragist, very
plaintive.
II have been to three places al
ready" she said, "and they were all
the wrong ones. It's pretty hard for
an anti to be rushing around like this
Won't you please tell me where I ought
to go. You got me into this"
Mrs. Mabel Russell, executive secre-
tary of the Suffrage party. answered:
"If you hadn't been an anti. but
suffragist, you would know where to
register" she was told.
Mrs. Charles F. Murphy was expected
to enroll (of course nobody asked with
which party at an empty store at 297
First avenue. Late in the afternoon
she had not appeared but the district
captain said she had promised to come
and knew she would not fail.
81 never could make public my po-
litical preference before" said Miss
Hay, "for I wanted the education of
the women citizen under the auspices
of the Woman Suffrage Party to be
ho ri, ),
Ten of the twenty three Assembly
districts in Brooklyn reported total
enrolment of women last night of
39,52s.
In Staten Island neither the Repub-
lican nor Democratic organization had
made any attempt to recruit women
voters.
Miss Hay made tour of inspection
of the registration places in Manhat-
tan, and declared at the end of the trip
that she was indignant at the crowded
conditions of many booths.
Complains of Conditions
ut is very evident that time has
come for radical reforms" she said
"The booths are unsanitary and over
crowded. | went in one that was a
tailor shop, crowded with pressing
tables even before the registration
DOo1U AuO'cu III. w HGu n nuINDcT OIL
district watchers and dozen women
with little children clinging to their
skirts crowded into that tiny space the
condition was pretty bad.
II have no sympathy with those
women who protest against registration
places in barber shops just because
they don't think they are ladylike. In
general registration place is all right
IT it is clean and large enough. With
the great increase in the electorate,
due to woman suffrage it is evident
that none of those in use at present are
going to be large enough
81 cannot say to-day what reforms
believe we should ask for, but shall
study the law and consult with the
election officials, and within week l
expect to be able to offer some sugges-
tions."
"My Sadie, she so smart" said one
mother admiringly to the clerk. "But
me! Ach, it's the hardest thing in life
to sign such name as 2mine., The