The Story of the Woman's PartyGillmore, Inez Haynes
History
The Story of the Woman's Party
Gillmore, Inez Haynes
National Woman's Party; Paul, Alice, 1885-1977; Women -- Suffrage -- United States
ALL during this period, the National Woman’s Party was, of course,
taking its part in the autumn campaign—the campaign of 1918. It was in
the Senatorial elections only that the Woman’s Party was interested. The
expedient quality of Alice Paul’s policy manifested itself notably here.
It has been shown again and again how swift she was to adapt the tactics
of the Woman’s Party to the needs of the moment. The Woman’s Party, it
must always be remembered, was organized for but one object—to
enfranchise the women of the United States by federal amendment. Other
Suffrage organizations could and did divide their interests; could and
did deflect their forces for those interests. On this point, Alice Paul
never swerved. But as has been again and again demonstrated, she was as
fluid as water, as swift as light, to adapt that single adamantine
policy to the situation of the moment. At this juncture she extended her
policy.
The circumstances were these:
In the Senate, Suffrage needed two more votes.
In the West, as usual, the Woman’s Party asked the women voters to
defeat the Democrats as the Party in power and therefore the Party
responsible. In two States in the East—New Jersey and New
Hampshire—where the Republican candidates were anti-Suffragists and the
Democratic candidates were Suffragists, the Woman’s Party supported the
Democratic candidates.
That campaign, short as it was, was intensive. In the West Elsie Hill
took care of Nevada; Catherine Flanagan of Montana; Anita Pollitzer of
Wyoming; Clara Wold of Oregon; Louise Garnett of Kansas; Iris Calderhead
of Colorado. In the East, Doris Stevens, Betty Gram, Bertha Arnold, Ruth
Small, Rebecca Hourwich, Vivian Pierce, Bertha Moller, Lucy Branham,
Caroline Katzenstein, Florence Bayard Hilles, Agnes Morey, Gladys
Greiner, Maud Younger, Mary Beard, Abby Scott Baker, Mary Dubrow, Grace
Needham, Lucy Burns, Mrs. Lawrence Lewis, Katherine Morey took care of
New Jersey and New Hampshire.
The two vacancies in the Senate from New Jersey and New Hampshire had
been caused by death. The Senators who would take those seats in
November would fill out the remainder of the Congress then in Session.
In New Jersey the Republican candidate—Senator Baird—had voted against
the Suffrage Amendment in the Senate on October 1. The Democratic
candidate—Charles O’Connor Hennessy—had fought all his public life in
New Jersey for National Woman Suffrage.
In New Hampshire the Republican candidate—George H. Moses—was an
anti-Suffragist. The Democratic candidate—John B. Jameson—was for the
Federal Amendment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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