Today in 1915: Suffragists Set Their Sights on Eastern States

[niyad]

Today in 1915: Suffragists Set Their Sights on Eastern States

October 15, 1915: “New Jersey Next!”



That’s the motto of suffragists who are undertaking a bold gamble to expand “Votes for Women” out of the West and capture four big eastern states between October 19th and November 2nd.
Though women in Illinois have almost equal suffrage, and can vote for President and local offices, but not statewide officials, at present there is no state east of Kansas where women vote on the same basis as men. But confidence is now running so high that major campaigns are being waged in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. New Jersey will vote first, just four days from now. These four states contain one-fifth of the population of the United States, and could suddenly double the number of women voters, something not accomplished since California became a suffrage state four years ago.



New Jersey is unique, because women could vote here from 1776 until 1807, so long as they met the same property-owning qualifications as the male voters. There have been 4,000 outdoor and 500 indoor meetings held around the State arranged by four paid and thirty volunteer organizers of the New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association. It works with three other groups in a coalition called the Cooperative Committee. The largest of the three other groups comprising the committee is the Women’s Political Union of New Jersey, with the Equal Franchise Society of New Jersey and the New Jersey Men’s League for Woman Suffrage contributing to the effort as well. Thus far, three million pieces of literature and four hundred thousand buttons have been distributed, so the campaign to re-enfranchise the State’s women has been a mighty effort.

Today both sides were quite active. A group of New York suffrage supporters took time out from the campaign in their home State to travel around this State in a horse-drawn wagon converted from delivering lunches into delivering literature to voters. The group was headed by Nora Blatch De Forest, daughter of Harriot Stanton Blatch, and granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was accompanied by journalist Rheta Childe Dorr, Florence Kelley, of the National Consumers’ League, and Alice Carpenter, Progressive Party activist.

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http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2014/10/15/today-in-1915-suffragists-set-their-sights-on-eastern-states/

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Thank you. nt

[niyad]

2. you are most welcome.

[theHandpuppet]

3. Fascinating stuff.

Much appreciate these posts!

[niyad]

4. you are most welcome. it is my pleasure to share them.