The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-25
The WOmGn Citizen
CONDUCTED sv IEFFERsoM COUNT

CONDUCTED Nv JEFFERSON CO
With the election of officers Friday
morning, May 10, at Gadsden the Ala
bama League of Women Voters closed
their fourth annual convention and del
egates left for home with the satisfae-
ton of knowing that one of the most
worthwhile meetings had been held and
plans for the coming year will take
the league a long way toward the goal
that the members have set themselves
that of getting out 75 per cent of the
vote at the elections.
The following officers were elected :
Mrs. Brenton K. Fisk, president ;
Mrs. 9. r. Bricken, first vice president ;
Miss TIA Stocks, SECOND vice president ;
Mrs. M. Y. Fritts, third vice presi-
dent; Mrs. A. ). Bowron, secretary ;
Miss Annie Joe Coates, treasurer; Mrs.
r. f. Johnson, publicity secretary.
Among the speakers were Dean Lee
Bidgood of the University of Alabama ;
Miss Virginia Handley, director of child
welfare of Alabama, and Mrs. Minnie
Fisher Cunningham of New Waverly,
Texas.
The convention voted to conduct cit
izenship schools in the counties that
will give instruction in voting to league
members and any others interested to
publish bulletin for the state that will
give much needed information as to
candidates and to have regular cam
paigns to get voters to register and
pay polltax.
The Jefferson county delegates at
tending the convention were Miss Mol
lie Dowd, Mrs. Scion Jacobs, Mrs. r.
e. L. Connolly, Mrs. Gallagher, Mrs
Arnold, Mrs. r. Wegelin, Mrs. Shell
burne, Mrs Charles A. Fiske, Mrs. J.
H. Wideman, Mrs. J. NJ. Hankins, Mrs.
Ingram, Mrs. II. A. Jones, Mrs. Bren-
ton X. Fisk and Mrs. Neil r. Wallace.
Report OF Natinoal Convention
Mrs. Brenton Fisk gave the follow
ing report of the convention at Buffalo
The significance of the fifth annual
convention of the National League of
Women Voters which was held at Buff
falo April "a to 20, may be well summed
up in the two notices which opened
and closed the printed program. The
first was "the best guarantee against
revolution is progress" and the other
was where there is no vision the peo-
pie perish. The vision was there-a
glorious and inspiring glimpse of the
high ymountain-top Of clean and unself-
ish politics which is our goal, and the
progress was all there, record Of four
years of steady growth in political
efficiency on the part of the women
voters.
In the words OF, our great president,
Maud Wood Park, whose splendid serv-
ice of four years came to a triumphant
end in Buffalo: 1T is precisely on mid
die ground that the pathway of steady
progress is to be found. -. n The
League Of Women Voters from the be-
ginning has stood for step by step
progress. 1t has chosen to be mid
dle-Of-the-road organization in which
persons of widely differing, political
views might work out together a pro-
gram of definite advance on which they
could agree. 1t has been willing to
go ahead slowly in order to go ahead
steadily. 1t has not sought to lead a
few women a long way quickly, but
rather to lead many women a little
way at time. It. has held to the be-
lief that no problem of democracy is
really solved until it is solved for the
average citizen"
To me, the personificati0n of the
strength and virtue of the League of
Women Voters, the full flower of the
woman movement, is in Mrs. Carrie
Chapman Gait. We twice had the in
SEPARATION of hearing her at Buffalo,
and< each time it was like renewing
the youth Of our ideals. Tall, white
haired, majestic and beautiful, her
great golden voice was in itself a vi
brating call to service, and her words
were words Of wisdom, courage and
sound common sense.
Z What might be called the spiritual
high water mark of the convention was
reached when she spoke at the peace
mass meeting on Sunday afternoon, and
her defense of the Lague of Nations,
which a previous speaker (Representa-
tive Hamilton Fish of New York; had
had the poor judgment to attack, was
quite sublime. Governor Albert Richie
Of Maryland said that it was the most
powerful speech he had ever heard. Her
final ringing appeal to women to bring
about "a warless world" brought the
huge audience to its feet in wave
of enthusiasm.
A second time Mrs. Gait spoke, and
her recital of the roll of the pioneers,
such as Susan b.. Anthony, Howard
Shaw and Lucy Stone Blackwell, those
early heroines who braved "the thorns
before the crown of bays" and to whom
we owe our present easy enfranchise-
ment, this touching record brought the
tears to many eyes and made up young
er women feel humble and unworthy
Of the benefits we so lightly enjoy.
This great speech was at the BANQUET
in honor of the Twelve Greatest Wom-
en-, at which Miss Katherine Ladding-
ton of Connecticut, treasurer Of the
National league, acted as toastmistress.
Miss Luddington's was one of the out
standing and most winning personali-
ties at the convention, and she appeared
to best advantage in introducing the
twelve greatest, not all Of whom could
e present. Letters of regret were read
Prnna + .ot1fao Hornar nFfnwsn AF.lSn..