登陆注册
19626200000077

第77章 XIII(3)

During the final six weeks of the campaign Alice Stone Blackwell, of Boston, was also with us, while Kate Gordon took under her special charge the or- g anization of the city of Portland and the parlor- m eeting work. Miss Clay went into the state, where Emma Smith DeVoe and other speakers were also working, and I spent my time between the office headquarters and ``the road,'' often working at my desk until it was time to rush off and take a train for some town where I was to hold a night meeting.

Miss Mary and Miss Lucy Anthony confined them- s elves to office-work in the Portland headquarters, where they gave us very valuable assistance. I h ave always believed that we would have carried Oregon that year if the disaster of the California earthquake had not occurred to divert the minds of Western men from interest in anything save that great catastrophe.

On election day it seemed as if the heavens had opened to pour floods upon us. Never before or since have I seen such incessant, relentless rain.

Nevertheless, the women of Portland turned out in force, led by Mrs. Sarah Evans, president of the Oregon State Federation of Women's Clubs, while all day long Dr. Pohl took me in her automobile from one polling-place to another. At each we found representative women patiently enduring the drench- i ng rain while they tried to persuade men to vote for us. We distributed sandwiches, courage, and in- s piration among them, and tried to cheer in the same way the women watchers, whose appointment we had secured that year for the first time. Two women had been admitted to every polling-place--but the way in which we had been able to secure their pres- e nce throws a high-light on the difficulties we were meeting. We had to persuade men candidates to select these women as watchers; and the only men who allowed themselves to be persuaded were those running on minority tickets and hopeless of election --the prohibitionists, the socialists, and the candi- d ates of the labor party.

The result of the election taught us several things.

We had been told that all the prohibitionists and socialists would vote for us. Instead, we discovered that the percentage of votes for woman suffrage was about the same in every party, and that whenever the voter had cast a straight vote, without inde- p endence enough to ``scratch'' his ticket, that vote was usually against us. On the other hand, when the ticket was ``scratched'' the vote was usually in our favor, whatever political party the man be- l onged to.

Another interesting discovery was that the early morning vote was favorable to our Cause the vote cast by working-men on their way to their employ- m ent. During the middle of the forenoon and after- n oon, when the idle class was at the polls, the vote ran against us. The late vote, cast as men were returning from their work, was again largely in our favor--and we drew some conclusions from this.

Also, for the first time in the history of any cam- p aign, the anti-suffragists had organized against us.

Portland held a small body of women with anti- s uffrage sentiments, and there were others in the state who formed themselves into an anti-suffrage society and carried on a more or less active warfare.

In this campaign, for the first time, obscene cards directed against the suffragists were circulated at the polls; and while I certainly do not accuse the Oregon anti-suffragists of circulating them, it is a fact that the cards were distributed as coming from the anti-suffragists--undoubtedly by some vicious element among the men which had its own good rea- s on for opposing us. The ``antis'' also suffered in this campaign from the ``pernicious activity'' of their spokesman--a lawyer with an unenviable reputation. After the campaign was over this man declared that it had cost the opponents of our measure $300,000.

In 1907 Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont began to show an interest in suffrage work, and through the influence of several leaders in the movement, notably that of Mrs. Ida Husted Harper, she decided to assist in the establishment of national headquarters in the State of New York. For a long time the associa- t ion's headquarters had been in Warren, Ohio, the home of Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, then national treasurer, and it was felt that their removal to a larger city would have a great influence in develop- i ng the work. In 1909 Mrs. Belmont attended as a delegate the meeting of the International Suffrage Alliance in London, and her interest in the Cause deepened. She became convinced that the head- q uarters of the association should be in New York City, and at our Seattle convention that same year I presented to the delegates her generous offer to pay the rent and maintain a press department for two years, on condition that our national head- q uarters were established in New York.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 冷妖太子妃

    冷妖太子妃

    前世的豪门千金在家却从小就被当做杀手一般培养,在一次偶然的事件中,一个陌生人告诉她她的磁场越来越弱,将要死亡。果然,在第二天她发现她的身体开始越来越透明了,最后,她华丽丽的穿越了......她穿越在了一个很奇怪的国家,但名字却没变,她变成了凤王府的嫡女,却因从小失去母亲,父亲又常年在外,导致这副身体的原主人被侧房欺负抢去了自己心爱的人后上吊自杀,而她便穿越了过来,她发誓要让欺负过她的人全部尝试一遍被欺负的感觉。不然她就不叫凤凌熙。
  • 我身体里躲着的女人

    我身体里躲着的女人

    进一步爱这个女人。被爱是一种多么了不起的幸福,而快乐始终赠与那些无私的爱者。可是,“水满则溢,说盈则亏”,这个世界从来只有更美,而没有最美。而最靠近完美的一刻,就是最容易走向相反的时刻。
  • 你是我的天使

    你是我的天使

    黑白通吃的男人易峰对豪门千金一见钟情;却由于觉得自己沾满鲜血的人生没有资格得到天使般纯洁女人的爱。他们之间有着天堂与地狱的鸿沟。可是,为什么她会主动要求嫁给他?难道是上天对他的眷顾?
  • 玩转皇家学院:公主校花很调皮

    玩转皇家学院:公主校花很调皮

    她曾一度渴望逃离皇宫,闯出自己的一片天地,她隐瞒身份来到皇家学院,遇见了属于自己的王子。她不花痴,王子不知道为什么爱上了她。爱情总有坎坷,也必定有些看不起她的人。待她公布身份,光芒外露,他们又会怎样?【公主有超能力!】
  • 刺杀三国

    刺杀三国

    前世,他王晨,群魔乱舞,让诸国闻风葬胆。一朝穿越成为王允的侄子,深受王家鄙夷,却有貂蝉这个美貌侍女。王晨:“不管前世今生!我皆不为凡人!身逢乱世,那就让我一统天下。今生我为帝!
  • 岭海焚余

    岭海焚余

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 明筝悠悠琴瑟鸣

    明筝悠悠琴瑟鸣

    他是别人眼里的璀璨,璀璨的他内心却早已被命运的无情结满冰霜,匆忙的一个笑,却使他的世界从此四季变换。那个微笑的她,却不知早已被心中的璀璨注视过.......
  • 行为决定作为

    行为决定作为

    本书共分为十章,包括找准人生方向、心动更要行动、思考改变命运、学会顺势而为、做到与人为善等内容。
  • 唐辰的故事

    唐辰的故事

    讲述一名叫唐辰的平凡年轻人慢慢卷入玄幻世界的故事
  • 凤倾良缘

    凤倾良缘

    有多少人可以痴恋守候半个世纪,死了也想合葬。他入狱被囚,她收到和离书也不想放弃,从一个柔弱女子硬是变成女强人,拼搏在商场股市,为的只是:等汉卿出来了,能有一个好的住所。无怨无悔,相生相伴,生死已成灰,早已了然。不在乎自己是否拥有,只在乎他一切安好。