Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-07-14
Helen Douglas Joins
Mary Norton S Plea
For Democratic, Vote
BY stoff Correspondent Of The stor

BY stoff Correspondent Of The Stor
PHILADELPHIA, July 14.-Using
entirely different technioues, two
outstanding women leaders in the
convention are prodding the dele
gates and the voters to turn out
next November and elect Demo-
cratic President and a progressive
Democratic Congress.
One is Mrs. Mary T. Norton, for
"a years a member of Housewife
was it's first woman committee
chairman. In an address TO the
convention last night she belabored
the Republicans all right, but high
note in her address was stern lee
ture to women voters for their lax
ity, laziness and lethargy" in not
going to the polls.
The other, photogenic Helen Ga
hagan Douglas, former actress who
rose to the political limelight with
the New Deal, cut loose, in her turn,
with philippe against the Repub-
licans.
Scored as Isolati0nists.
Mrs. Douglas hit them for "isola-
tionists," especially in the House,
and attacked them for doing moth
ing about imitation, coming up with
such singing words as:
During the next four months
many trumped-up excuses will be
given for failure to stop the rising
cost of the market basket Most of
these excuses will be coming from
isolationiSts Isolationism and in
fation go hand in hand.
The people who are ready Ito
parade their moldy isolationism are
the same people whose economic
philosophy is now picking the pock-
cts of every housewife in America"
Appeals to U. S. Women.
Mrs Norton. Aunt Mary" to
legion of folk on Capitol Hill-spoke
directly to the women of America
in an appeal for action next No
vember.
She remarked that in he rem
thusiasm she might be saying some
things that her listeners might not
like, but she went on and said
them just the same.
For instance:
at is now % years since women .
became voters. I think that you
and I should be ashamed of our !
selves because in no election in all
those % have more than so per cent
= 70
polls on Election Day and vote.
The fact that the men haven't
done any better" she continued.
does not excuse us.
Only about one-third Of the
voters voted on Election Day in
1916.
Assails Voters Laziness.
do you realize that as result .
of that laXity-that laziness on the
part of two voters out of three on
that day-We in the United States
now are being governed by a
by Congress elected by
only one-third of the people?
Sometimes I get very tired of all
our talk. our boasting about democ-
racy. If we really believe in our
way of life, the very least we can
do is to overcome our lethargy, our ,
downright Indifference. and get out
and vote on Election Day.
II have known women, and so
have you, to make sacrifices. to drive |
themselves to point almost beyond
human endurance for personal OBJ
iactive-for instance, to obtain A
college education for child.
IF we women were willing to put
even a fraction of that concentrated
effort, that drive. behind these larg-
er detectives. we could attain them.
Favors Women in Congress.
I'VE still think of politics as some
thing not quite clean. something to
be left to men. Well. we've left 1t
to the men-and see what we have.
my opinion is that had we more
women in Congress, that Congress
would have done more than serve
the high priced propagandists who
forced their will on the Republican
Mrs. Norton cited the case OF Mrs.
Margaret Chase Smith, a Republl-
can, who several weeks ago won
out over male contenders for the
Maine senatorial nomination in the
Republican primary there, as an
of what woman can
do if she is willing to go into a
political contest.
IF any woman feels that she
cannot succeed politically" Mrs.
Norton said, Il would call her at
ention to a recent primary election
in Maine, where a woman, without
funds, with no organization to back
her, but with a very good record OF
service to her district in the House,
won a victory over three powerful,
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