The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-03-07
NO. 30
WOMEN OF MICHIGAN
TO BE AT POLLS IN
FORCE ON APRIL 7
Reports Compiled at Lansing Tell of
Heavy Registration Throughout
State

State
Lansing, Mich, March 5.-Reports
that within the last few weeks have
come flooding in upon officials here
tell of political activity among the
women of the state on a scale that not
even the most astute of republican
and democratic party leaders were
able to foresee. Only smatterirg of
women was expected by these observ-
ers to avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity to register and vote at the cleo
tion in April, but of late tales Of
heavy feminine registration, substan-
tiated by authentic figures, have come
in from every section of the state. The
fair folk of Grand Rapids are credited
with setting the pace.
On February %, according to re-
port from Kent county, $4,000 women
had signed up in the furniture metro
polls. The masculine vote in former
years has averaged only about 10000
in Grand Rapids-meaning that at the
election in April more than twice as
many ballots will be marked and de-
posted in the poll boxes than at any
time in the past.
A similar rush upon the registra-
ton clerks is declared to be in prog
ress in Detroit, where few days ago
more than 10000 women had regis
| tered.
The unexpected outpouring of wom-
en-, both in Detroit and Grand Rapids
is attributed by Fred G. Dewey, chair
man of the G. o. p. in Wayne county,
to their desire to take whack at the
| proposed beer and wine amendment
when it comes upon April 7. The
women are so keen in this ambition he
declared, that the defeat of this meas
ure, fathered by the vets, is almost
| certain
In Grand Rapids feminie representa-
tives of women's clubs and civic or
| ganizations made a house-to-house
canvass to encourage the women of
the city to register and vote. The can
vassers in the Kent district in addi-
tion to telling women where and when
| they could register, left behind them
pamphlets condemning the beer and
wine amendment and instructing the
women to vote "no."
But while the cities are leading in
point of numbers registered, reports
from the smaller cities and towns,
and from the rural districts, indicate
that just as large percentage Of wo-
men are registering there as in the
metropolis. On Feb 21. two-thirds of
the eligible women of Monroe-the
rum-runners port of entry-had reg
istered In Bergland township in On
tonagon county, at the other end of
the state, 62 per cent of the women
had registered on Feb. 21. The per-
centage at Beulah, in Benzie county,
was rs; at Port Austin rs per cent
of the women have registered; in
Columbia township, Tuscola county,
80 per cent of the women had regis
tered on Feb. ID; at Ceresco, in Cal
houn county, 81 per cent have regis
tered; in Coldwater, so per cent have
registered already; at Manistee, 1900
have registered. These reports, chos-
| en- at random from among many 9TH
! ers of similar portent have convinced
the political pilots of the various par
ties that the women in politics is a
factor that must be counted in-and
counted in by the tens of thousands.
"We can't tell just yet what these
new voters will do to party lines" de-
clared Arthur P. Loomis, one of the
most experienced of campaign man.
ayers, "but we haven't any doubt
what they will do when moral issue,
such as the beer and wine amendment,
must be decided. The beer and wine
amendment will be defeated by good
round majority"