t has reached a crisis
which if recognized will open the way to a speedy and final victory."
Mrs. Catt expressed the belief that in the future a better
understanding between national and State boards would be possible and
spoke of the visits of herself and other national officers to West
Virginia and South Dakota, where woman suffrage amendments would be
voted on in November. She then took up the case of Iowa, where one had
been defeated the past June, and made an analysis of a situation which
had existed here and in nearly all States where defeats had taken
place as follows:
When the present Board came into office, Iowa was in campaign and
but a few months remained for work. In January I met with the
State Board and we counselled together concerning the needs of
the campaign; later I met with it on three different occasions
and gave one month to speaking in the State. The National Board
contributed $5,000 to the campaign from the legacy of Mary J.
Coggeshall of Iowa and gave one organizer from January 1 until
the vote was taken. It also sent speakers and workers toward the
end of the campaign. The various States contributed generously
through the national treasury.
The campaign came up splendidly at the last. Men, I believe,
supported it more earnestly than they have done in other States.
One of the best press bureaus any State has had, under the
direction of Mrs. Rose Lawless Geyer, was at work for some
months. The able president, Miss Flora Dunlap, gave all her time
and ability. There were many brilliant forays which were truly
effective, but nothing could overcome a weakness which has
appeared in every campaign and that is the inability of
newly-formed, untrained committees to put speakers and workers to
the best use. It will be the case in every campaign that, near
the end, weak spots must be reinforced by outside experienced
workers. Another difficulty was that money-raising was left to
the close of the campaign when all the efforts of workers were
demanded by other duties. This has been the trouble in most
States. The lesson we must learn is that at the beginning a
money-raising plan must be formed and carried out and pledges
must be made to cover the major portion of the cost before the
real campaign is begun. Toward the close there are many things
which ought to
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