Evening star., 1940-04-28

VOILOU W uCLtOU ~ LHe L
ina and Representative Welch, Republi
| Robert Francis Norton, general mana
ger of heavy cooperage firm in Jersey
City.
II understand" she comments, that
girls today don't feel as I did about quit
ting their jobs when they marry I
loved being housewife, and still do"
1t is her boast that during % years
she has had only three cooks, the first
two of whom died in Office. The ex-
planation is that she herself knew all
about skillets and ovens, and never asked
the impossible.
Only Child Died in Infancy.
Her only child, Robert Francis Nor
ton, jr., died in infancy, and doctors
told her she could never again be
mother. This tragic event determined
the course of her future life. She fell
into such a crisis of dependency and
bitterness that friends grew alarmed
They urged her to seek distraction, and
mentioned an enterprise then new in Jer-
sey City, the Day Nursery Association, at
which children were cared for while
their mothers worked Those who could
afford it paid 10 cents day.
They didn't want to seem paupers,"
Mrs. Norton remarked dryly. 1T was
the difference between that age and
this"
She was elected recording secretary
and three years later she was president.
In the spring of 1920, she relates,
Mayor Frank Hague, to her astonish-
ment, asked her to call at his Office.
Women are going to vote this year."
announced the boss.
Are they?" queried Mrs. Norton. She
had been too occupied with welfare work
to pay much attention to the suffrage
movement
L want you to be a member of the
State Democratic Committee" Hague
continued. She protested that she knew
nothing of politics and cared less.
You won't be getting into politics at
ALL" the cunning Mayor soothed her.
"It's just an honor"
On that basis, she consented to serve
for year. Mrs. Norton waged an active
campaign throughout the State to or
ganize her sex in the Democratic cause.
When the year was up, she asked
Hague to release her, but he made her
vice chairman of the State Committee,
post she still holds. There is talk of
electing her this year to the chairman
ship. She has served more than once
during vacancies as acting chairman.
Hague's Way Wins Again.
In 1923 the boss asked her to run for
election as member of the Board of
Freeholders of Hudson County When
she refused, he dangled before her the
chance of doing welfare work on big
scale as chairman of hospitals. In the
end, Hague, as usual, had his way Mrs.
Norton made the campaign and was
chosen for her first elective Office.
Mayor Hague helped me through the
worst time of my life" she now admits.
There is not greater student of people
in the country"
Another summons of his came in 1924.
"How would you like to go to Con-
gress?" he asked out Of a clear sky.
Mrs. Norton answered that she had
been in the House of Representatives
only once, for three minutes, and knew
nothing about it.
Neither does any one else," was the
response. She protested that her hus-
band would not like it.
Bob will be proud" retorted the boss.
She yielded when Hague put the offer
on the ground that he wished to be the
first Democratic leader in history to send
a woman to Congress. Mrs Norton was
elected and has been reelected seven
times. Her first majority was $4,000
votes, and the last was $4,000.
She arrived in Washington to find the
House debating tax bill During the
campaign, she had pledged herself to
work for the relief of taxpayers in the
low income brackets. Looking about the
floor for some one with "kind face"
she picked out Representative Charles
L. Abernethy if North Carolina. It was
quite simple, he told her. All that was
necessary was to fill out an amendment
blank and make five-minute talk. Mrs.
Norton still shudders humorously over
her terror at descending into the well
of the House to deliver her first speech
in Congress. only few days after she
became a member.
She asked to be placed on two COM
mittees, those on labor and World War
veterans. She was appointed also to the
Committee on the District of Columbia.
A. member Of the veterans committee