Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
WOMEN'S NEW POWER
IN POLITICAL ARENAS
No Longer Are They Mere Decorations
for Party Pictures, But Are
Active i'm Direction.

She studies her own appearance ane
chooses her clothes carefully--bv nc
means an unimportant detail for womer
who would arrive III public life.
Although Mrs. Hert has. since hel
husbands death. been one of the dfrec-
tors of his business. 1t was not because
of such talent that she was first chosen
| for her post in the national committee
| There is no woman In the party more
widely loved among that inarticulate
rank and file of party workers.
/ She understands them, She has a
genuine appeal for them. She. likes
them and they like her. She has a
one. She has subtlety She has also q
gift rare in men and even rarer in wom-
en-. a good gift for the politician--she Is
able to wait
But the real foundation of her party
success lies in her desire TO be gracious
/ The poorest dressed. most obscure
| little woman from Poseyville. who goes
/ to Washington" they said repeatedly tc
me at Kansas City. can see Mrs. Hert
/ And what does Mrs. Hert say to her?
/ She says:
I'm going to a party tonight and
want you to come right along with
met"
State after State told me how she had
been able to bring discordant ideas to-
/ gether and smooth out personal differ
/ enceS.
| She can do so. does do so, not be-
cause she has the dominating will power
or the specialized talent of such other
well known Republican women as Mrs
Mccormick, Mrs. Willebrandt, Mrs
Scranton. Mrs. Pratt. Miss West. Mrs
| Dean, Mrs. Cunningham. Miss Terhune
| Mrs. Sabin, Mrs. Yost-to mention only
few of the outstanding Republican
women-but because she can soothe, &C.
| commodate and ohlige.
; The woman who is vice chairman of
national committee has the double
aspect of heading up the work of women
in the campaign and acting as the
| channel between them and the man
party leaders
/ Yet in spite of her being the over
whelming choice of the woman workers
! of her party. Mrs. Hert cannot be made
| into a Republican czarina. It lies toe
far from her temperament.
Democratic Vice Chairmen.
| Two women were named vice chair
men of the Democratic national COM
mittee. The first was Mrs. Ross. The
second was Mrs. Florence @. Farley OF
Kansas. Mrs. Farley was Mrs. Blair's
representative in the pre-convention ac-
| tivitieS at Houston and natural heir
both to her policies and to the post Mrs
| Blair's retirement left vacant.
| She Is young for such an important
/ position, but she Is energetic and she
was raised In an atmosphere OF politics
Her mother was a woman banker and a
| suffragfSt. Since she was Is she has
attended every State convention OF
Kansas Democrats and she has wit
messed every national convention since
1916. At Madison Square Garden she
represented her State as national COM
mitteewoman and during the last four
years she has cemented her hold upon
the Democratic women OF the Middle
West.
Mrs. Blair, widely loved and uniyer-
sally admired as the former vice chair
man of the Democratic women, Is sue
cessful writer. She is the sort of woman
who was bound TO be a power whether
or not women ever voted or took hand
| in politics She owes nothing to any
one but herself She is independent
original, forcefui She Is thoroughly
modern, and she proceeds to hide al
this behind an exterior which nearly
completely bellies her temperament.
She has the manners Of young lads
in a Jane Austin novel and the face Il
has a pure clear complexion and 9
dimple when she smiles.
No matter how her soul may be In
turmoil, nothing but a slight fash ol
the eye betrays the fact, or perhaps 4
few words which are always polite, how.
ever pointed they may be. For she ha.
the gift of control.
Such is some of the leadership of or.
ganized women in this stirring Of thu
woman vote. The mass and volume o
that stirring today far outruns the lead
ership In State organization or in ma
tional committee Of either party.
/ For the first time, the somewhat pat
ronizing and casual glance Of the mall
organization politician win have to stol
and give the woman vote" a genuinel,
concentrated and focused look.
For the first time, the woman Leaders
have to deal with mass enthusiasm
which will tax their ability.
Democratic leaders perhaps may ge
swept from their moorinRs. Republic
an leaders. women as well as men, al
ready are lifting strained faces above /;
sea OF letters and kilograms from womel
no one ever heard OF before. crying 4
be thrown a life line in the way o
something to do" In this campaign.
The political season will be market
by an extraordinary amount OF amateur
politics among women. They will, in |
multitude of instances. form organi
cations quite distinct and separate from
those headed by the recognized woman
party politicians.
VIII Wish 10 Take Hand.
The significant fact in the history o
women in politics is this: That Their
viii be many who will wish TO take ;
hand this year who have never beei
tapped or touched by the organization
efforts of 10 years Of voting strength
for women. The regular organization
channels Of both parties are tnadequat
TO deal with them.
For woman leaders In the regular
party organization are still, general.
speaking, n1anmade. Those Womel
have their merits and. they have thei
accomplishments But they have no
yet In either party at all educated tn
men into any comprehensive idea o
what the woman vote Is all about.
This year on both sides of the part
lines 1t is for the women who knos
what they want TO get out and max
for themselves whole lot of ne'
woman made political organizations.
This new stirring on the part OF tn
> women of America, though 1t may b
called out by belief In principle a
they understand it, may achieve In fu
, ture history new definition Of the pc
iittcai power OF women.
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