Volume VI Part 45 (1/2)

An important feature of the campaign in New York City and in other parts of the State was the work of the St. Catherine Welfare a.s.sociation of Catholic women, organized by Miss Sara McPike, executive secretary of the advertising department of a large corporation, and Miss Winifred Sullivan, a lawyer. Its object was better social and economic conditions for women and children and the extension of the suffrage to women as a means to this end. Its leaders and prominent members worked with the State and city suffrage a.s.sociations also but through their own they could carry the message into the different sodalities and fraternal organizations of the church and to its summer schools and conventions. Bishops and priests were interviewed and a number of the latter were persuaded to speak at the meetings held in twenty-six prominent parish school halls in New York City. Ten meetings were held in Brooklyn and others in surrounding towns.

Leaflets of opinions favorable to woman suffrage by the Catholic clergy were prepared and widely circulated among priests, educators and laymen. s.p.a.ce was secured in the Catholic press. Letters without number were written. A delegation was received by Cardinal Gibbons in Baltimore to explain the desire of its members for the vote. Many of the clergy looked with favor on their work, which encouraged Catholic women to take part in it, and 500 marched under the banner of the a.s.sociation in the last suffrage parade in New York in October, 1917.

Miss McPike devoted every hour of her time outside of business hours and gave $800 to the work of the a.s.sociation. Mrs. Mary C. Brown was a generous contributor. Among the countless members who helped unceasingly by writing, speaking and in many other ways were Elizabeth Jordan, Janet Richards, Mrs. William A. Prendergast, Countess Mackin, Mrs. Schuyler Warren, Sara H. Fahey, Mrs. William H. Yorke, Anne Sands O'Shea, Catharine G. Hogan, Helen Haines, Aimee Hutchinson, Mary C.

Larkin, May H. Morey, Frances Gallogly, Annie Nolan, Rose and f.a.n.n.y Flannelly. The activities of the a.s.sociation were extended into Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other States.

The success of the suffrage amendment did not mean the disbanding of the organization. At the 49th State convention, held in New York City, Nov. 20-22, 1917, Mrs. Whitehouse was re-elected chairman, Mrs.

Laidlaw vice-chairman, and most of the old officers were retained. It was decided to make the Federal Suffrage Amendment the chief object and in order to work more effectively the State was organized by Congressional districts, with the a.s.sembly district organization retained. Early in 1918 Mrs. Whitehouse, because of her remarkable work in the suffrage campaign, was selected by the Government's Committee on Public Information to go to Switzerland. Mrs. Laidlaw was elected chairman at the convention and the name of the State Woman Suffrage Party was changed to the State League of Women Voters. Even before the war was ended an enormous work was begun throughout the State, under Mrs. Laidlaw, toward the political training of the more than a million women who had been enfranchised. This was continued under Mrs. Frank A. Vanderlip, who was elected chairman of the State League of Women Voters, officially formed April 8, 1919.

The Federal Suffrage Amendment was submitted by Congress June 4, 1919.

Senator William M. Calder voted in favor, Senator Wadsworth continuing his opposition to the end. Of the Representatives, 35 voted in favor; five were absent; three, Riordan of New York, Dunn of Rochester and Sanders of Stafford, voted no.

RATIFICATION. The ratification of this amendment by the State Legislatures became the pressing question and as most of them had adjourned for two years it would be necessary to have this done by special sessions if women were to vote in the November election of 1920. That of New York would meet in January, 1920, so there was no need of haste, but Mrs. Catt at once took up the matter with Governor Alfred E. Smith, pointing out the excellent effect on other States if New York should have a special session for this purpose. Without hesitation he issued the call on June 10, with a strong appeal for ratification. The Legislature met on June 16 and immediately the a.s.sembly ratified by unanimous vote of 137. The resolution went at once to the Senate, where Henry M. Sage made a speech against it and asked to be excused from voting. It was then pa.s.sed by unanimous vote, the Legislature being in session less than a day.

FOOTNOTES:

[122] The History is indebted for this part of the chapter to Mrs.

Ella Hawley Crossett, president of the State Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, 1902-1910.

[123] Mary Anthony left to Mrs. Crossett, Miss Mills and Isabel Howland $1,000 to be used for State work as they thought best. The interest for three years was given as prize money for the best essays in the colleges of the State. When the headquarters were opened in New York City some of the money helped to furnish them and the rest was put in the State work the following year.

[124] The History is indebted for this part of the chapter to Miss Harriet May Mills, vice-president of the State Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation, 1902-1910; president, 1910-1913.

[125] In 1911 Mrs. Livermore was succeeded by Mrs. William L. Colt, who later resigned on account of illness and Mrs. Marie Jenney Howe was unanimously elected. After the death of Mrs. Osborne, Mrs. Rumsey of Buffalo was appointed second auditor. Mrs. Katharine Gavit of Albany succeeded Mrs. Burrows and served to 1913. Mrs. Ivins resigned in the winter of 1913 and Mrs. Maud Ingersoll Probasco of New York was chosen for the remainder of the year.

[126] From New York: Misses Jones, Craft, Klatschken, Constance Leupp, Phoebe Hawn, Minerva Crowell, Amalie Doetsch, Elizabeth Aldrich, Mrs.

George Wend and her son, Milton Wend, Mrs. George Boldt, Master Norman Spreer, Ernest Stevens and A. C. Lemmon. From Philadelphia: Miss Virginia Patache and Mrs. George Williams.

[127] Mrs. Ella Hawley Crossett, president of the State Suffrage a.s.sociation, sent a complete resume of the legislative action from 1900 to 1913, comprising many thousand words, but the exigencies of s.p.a.ce compelled condensation to the bare details.

[128] The Legislative Committee was composed of Mrs. George Howard Lewis, Miss Miller, Mrs. L. Cuyler, Mrs. Villard, Mrs. Harry S.

Hastings, Mrs. Craigie, Mrs. Rodgers, Miss Jenney. A Cooperating Committee representing the entire State was of great a.s.sistance. Among its members were Mrs. Catt, Mrs. Blatch, Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Shuler, each president of a large organization of women; the Rev. Josiah Strong, president American Inst.i.tute of Social Science; Oswald Garrison Villard, proprietor of the New York Evening Post; Dr.

Stewardson, president Hobart College; Professor Schmidt, of Cornell University; Colonel A. S. Bacon, treasurer of the American Sabbath Union; Edwin Markham, William G. Van Plank, Dr. John D. Peters, D.D.; Florence Kelley, Elizabeth Burrill Curtis, Caroline Lexow, president College Women's League; Mrs. Osborne and others.

[129] Among those added to the Cooperating Suffrage Committee during this and the preceding year were Mrs. Belmont, president of the Political Equality Suffrage a.s.sociation; Mrs. Mackay, president of the Equal Franchise Society; Jessie Ashley, president of the College Equal Suffrage League; Mary E. Dreier, president of the Women's Trade Union League; Anna Mercy, president of the East Side Equal Rights League; Ella A. Boole, president State W. C. T. U.; George Foster Peabody, president, and Max Eastman, secretary of the Men's League for Woman Suffrage; Ida Husted Harper, chairman National Press Bureau; Mrs.

William C. Story, president State Federation of Women's Clubs; Lucy P.

Allen, president of the Was.h.i.+ngton county and Lucy P. Watson, president of the Utica Political Equality Clubs; Mrs. William C.

Gannett, president of the Susan B. Anthony Memorial a.s.sociation; Alice Lewisohn, noted for her social work in New York, Dr. Charles F. Aked, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise and William M. Ivins.

[130] The History is indebted for this part of the chapter to Mrs.

Oreola Williams Haskell, former president of the Kings County Political Equality League; head of the Press Bureau of the New York City Woman Suffrage Party through the two campaigns, 1915-1917, and of the League of Women Voters from its beginning until the present time.

[131] Extended s.p.a.ce is given to the two New York campaigns because they were the largest ever made and were used as a model by a number of States in later years.--ED.

[132] The History is indebted for this part of the chapter to Mrs.

Raymond Brown, president of the State Woman Suffrage a.s.sociation.