The Washington herald., 1921-04-11
MISS HELEN BOSWELL
AGAINST woMEN's PARTY

ITS the poor male voter whose
disabilities should be removed in
this day Of enfranchised women" :"
says Miss Helen Varick Boswell,
leader Of, the Republican women of
New York, seen yesterday at the
New willard.
Before the granting of the bal
Tot, women were given many ad-
vantages by law in the United
States" Miss Boswell points out. i.
Now they enjoy the double advan-
tage of the ballot and all the priv
ileges and immunities which under
the law they previously enjoyed.
Miss Boswell, who is chairman OF
the New York County Republican
Committee and Vice President OF
the Women's National Republican
Club recently founded In New York.
came to the Capital to see the Re-
publican members of Congress
elected from her State assume their
duties today.
II helped elect them" she said,
and i want to see them take their
seats in Congress tomorrow"
Miss Boswell is dyed in the
wool Republican - straight" she
says-not exactly a stand -patter, :"
but willing to- admit any progress
sive ideas which will improve the
Grand Old Party.
All this talk of having a sep
arate woman's party is pure bosb, E"
Miss Boswell said. at never will
work. Women cannot accomplish
anything outside the regular par
ties. We have the vote now and
we must not continue the sex war.
Look at Alice Paul" Miss Bos-
well continued, she's getting out
because she Is astute enough to see
that the National woman's Party
has served its purpose. There are
others. of course. who want to stay
In. That Is natural. Anyone who
mas enjoyed some power hates to
give II up" m
BELIEVES WOMEN NEED
MORE SCHOOLING.
Women are not ready for all the
onices yet, in the opinion of Miss
Boswell. 1t will be a long time be-
fore they are schooled in politics to
the same degree of knowledge and
resourcefulness as men. They can
not hope to secure a large share of
the offices yet, but will receive their
proper share in time, she believes.
I do not think that a woman
should be given an office simply be-
cause she Is a woman and now has
vote" said Miss Boswell. of
hces should be given only to those
who are fitted to discharge the az
companying duties.
women must begin at the bot
tom and learn all the rules of the
game, serving first as election OIL
GERS in their own assemblies or pre-
cincts, Just as the men do"
The women OF New York have
now had the vote three years. and
the tendency has been more strong
ly toward the Republican party
each year. Miss Boswell says. They
are now preparing for a Republjran
gubernatorial victory this fall.
New York Republican women are
demonstrating the value Of personal
contact in securing votes, Miss Bos-
we'll says.
1t Is the careful house house
canvass that counts" she declared.
1t has been said that women will
vote as their husbands do. I don't
agree with this theory at all.
WOMEN MAY IMPROVE
GOVERNMENT HoUsEKEEPING.
As a matter of fact. we find that
the average housewife has moro
time to devote to the study of poIi-
tics than has her husband who is
in business. We interview these
women. tell them of the issues and
the candidates, get them interested.
and before long they have signed
up. Quite often they are able to
convince their husbands to their
way of thinking"
Miss Boswell was one of the two
women delegates to the Republican
National Convention from the State
of New York. During the recent
campaign she spoke on the plat
form with Vice President Coolidge,
in Massachusetts and Maine. Dur
ing her stay here she has been re-
ceived by Vice President and Mrs.
Coolidge.
81: notice the difference up in
Maine, where women had only re-
Gently received the ballot" Miss
Boswell said. I'm New York,
where they had already been voting
three years the average woman was
familiar with her rights under the
law, but in Maine it was quite diff
ferent, for we, had to instruct them
in the most minute details"
Women will exercise a salutary
influence in politics. 1t is already
beginning to, show. Miss Boswell
asserts.
After ALL" she observed, poll
tics is very much like Housekeeping,
and IL the women of the United
States are able to show the men
how to keep house better than they
have been doing. it will not be long
before they may be able to extend
their Housekeeping reforms to our
foreign relations.
Notice that the women who are
being selected now for public office
are women Of the highest caliber.
Look at women like Mabel Board
man and Annette Adams--those wo-
men were not appointed to the high
offices that one has held. and the
other still holds, in recognition of
any party debt. Their appointment
came as a recognition of the value
of their knowledge and experience