Charlevoix county herald., 1919-03-07
WOMEN OF MICHIGAN
10 BE Al POLLS IN
FORCE ON APRIL !
Reports Compiled At Lansing Tell OF
Heavy Registration Throughout
State.

Lansing, Mich.-Reports that within
the last few days have come flooding
in upon officials here tell OF political
activity among the women OF the state
on scale that not even the most
astute Of republican and democratic
party leaders were able to foresee.
Only a smattering of women was ex,
pected by these observers to avail
themselves OF the opportunity to reg.
lister and vote at the election in April,
but Of late tales of heavy feminine
registration, substantiated by anthem
tic figures, have come in from every
section of the state. The fair folk OF
Grand Rapids are credited with set
ting tht 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 registration
clerks Is declared to be in progress
in Detroit, where a few days ago
more than 10000 women had register
ed.
The unexpected outpouring of wo-
men, both in Detroit and Grand Rap
ids is attributed by Fred G. Dewey,
chairman of the g. o. p. in Wayne
county, to their desire to take
whack at the proposed beer and wine
amendment when il comes up on
April Z. The women are so keen in
this ambition he declared, that the
defeat of this measure, fathered by the
vets, is almost certain.
In Grand Rapids feminine repre-
sentatives of women's clubs and civic
organizations made house-to-house
canvass to encourage the women Of
the city to register and vote. The
canvassers in the Kent district in ad
dition to telling women where and
when they could register, left behind
them pamphlets condemning the beer
apd wine amendment and instructirg
women to vote no.
But while the cities are leading in
point of numbers registered, reports
from the smaller cities and towns. am
from the rural districts, indicate that
just as large a percentage OF women
are registering there as in the metro
polls. On February 81, two-thirds of
the eligible women of Monroe-the
rum-runners port of entry-had reg
istered. In Bergland township in
Ontonagon county, at the other end
Of the state, 81 per cent OF the women
had registered on February 81. The
ercentage at Beulah, in Benzie
county, was rs; at Port Austin rs per
cent of the women have registered; in
Columbia township, Tuscola county.
so per cent of the women had regis
tered on February IA; at Ceresco, in
Calhoun county, 81 per cent have reg
isttred; in Coldwater, so per cent have
registered already; at Manistee, 1900
have registered. These reports, chosen
at random from among many others
of similar portent have, convinced the
political pilots of the various parties
that the woman in politics is factor
that must be counted in-and counted
in by the tens of thousands.
1--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 a moral issue, SUCH
as the beer and wine amendment,
must be decided. The beer and wine
amendment will be defeated by a good
round majority"