Evening star., 1924-04-30
MAJOR PARTIES FAIL
TO CAPTURE WOMEN
Big Organizations Seem to Prove
Unattractive to New
Voters.
MOST STAY INDEPENDENT
Display Firm Sentiment for Secur-
ing Peace.
MOST STAY INDEPENDENT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BUFFALO, n. Y, April S0.-Women
will have more to do and say in the
Republican and Democratic national
conventions this year than at any
other presidential nominating conven-
ttons that have ever been held.
Although the National League of
Woman Voters, in annual session
here, is a non-partisan body, a cam
vass of the delegates shows that
many have affiliated with the two
major parties. and that several will
be active in the drafting of platform
planks and the balloting of the state
delegations.
Talking with various members of
the league here. one gets the impress
sion that the women of the country
have not yet gone into organization
activity with the same intensity as
their brother voters. nor have they
been able TO accept the present form
OF party organizations as particularly
attractive.
Most of the women are tempted to
remain independent of party affilia-
tion and the task of the party leaders
Is to reform their own organiza tion
methods so as to draw TO their side
more and more woman voters. In the
convention here may be seen the lead
ers i'll political work in America
among women.
Have Serious Manner.
They go about their INVENTION with
serious manner and they apply them
selves earnestly to the program Of
principles. They took no acti1n on
extreme proposals. They did not 90
on record for peace att aay-Pric" or
total disarmament, or even birth con-
troll. They did not fail, however. to
support the world court, and 1t was
significant that whenever the league
Of nations was mentioned the out
bursts of applause were overwhelming
President Colidge may consider that
the country has finally rejected the
league of nations. but judging by the
women have not disposed of 1t finally
at all
There was a definite undercurren
of thought on the question or m
tcrnational corporation. Peace sun
remains in the minds OF the women
as something not to be neglected, eN-
CIT in the hour of emergency. Ehe!
think about il long before the emer-
gency arises. Both the Democratic
and Republican national conventions M
could do little better than If they
adopted in its entirety the set OF
humanitarian principles proclaimed
rv the National League of women
Voters The social justice planks
into PARTY conventions, are made &c
order for the major conventions TINS
year The recommendation for leg
islation arc not in violation OF the
tradition of either the Democratic OF
the he brcGn PARTY.
incidentally, there is no mistakine
the sentiment of the women on the
prohibition question. The sentiment
of the delegates is dry" and they
want the two parties to stay dry
though no platform plank TO tnat
effect will probably be asked for pS
the women assem- bled here.
The men will fight that out. But
the wetness or dryness of any candi
date named will be a subject OF muen
discussion by the women, and the
great body of independent voters
will be Influenced to no small extern
bv the manner in which the candl-
dates and the parties handle the
prohibition question
There are indications that women
will take an active part IN the cam
DaiEn following the national conVen,
tions. But they will pay no casua
attention to party platforms. Ihey
are still in the "Show-me ATTITUDE
toward the major parties with an oc'
raSional thought about the posSlblil'
tics OF "A third party, though the
advocates of the latter were IN
minority here. The mention or Sena'
tor La Follettes name at one oil the
mass meetings was greeted with pro-
longed applause. Ihe Dig parties
have not yet captured the imagina-
tfon of the newly enfranchised voters
Copyright, 1924l