Blackwell Family                                                                           Meetings: national league of women voter 
                                                                                                                    convention
Alice Stone Blackwell                    Subject fileSept [?]9, 1921
Mrs. Richard Edwards says we need an organ-
printed material that comes out fr Mass & Boston
is best in country - Peru local devotes one afternoon
a week? + to work of one Nat Com, & has outside
speaker, & uses our "Know Yr Town" questionnaire
& plants questions round to be asked - program
problem = grtest everywhere - must provide our
in things to think about & to do - latter more
important - Shd have 2 coms - local affairs or
local good gov't com - & States Nat affairs com.
- Pres. gets too much mail and locals too little -
Put state & Nat affairs comon mailing list; it
is really a sort of current events tour - &
they are to pass it on.
Pan American Congress coming - in connec-
tion w Baltimore meeting - not to be given out;
- Local Affairs Com shd divide se into groups;
shd be a very large com - 1 div for schools,
for city council - for Board of Health - Is a
feeling in small towns that school board
owns the schools & that city officials own
the city. Hope in time to have every local league
a com of the whole on local affairs - report
once a month -
Have had no luck in developing a Speakers' Bureau -
My idea was to build up a regional service,2
so that women cd call on other States. I want
new speakers, particularly; small town league
in west is not accustomed to have 'em
- We have to lean hard on those of you who are
really doing things because so much of
the country is blank
In Utah only a com - heads of orgs -
no woman on any pol com in any
county - Leg Council represented
membership of 1/16 of women of state - had
carried one measure & a number of
others were defeated - That sort of org
is not adequate for what we need to do,
West of O, women are so isolated, &
know almost nothing - must get inter-
change of ideas & of knowledge - shd have
no restrictions on membership
Have tried out 7 organizers this summer,
have 6 now - money for org must be
spent in west - not middle
west. Am planning (after Xmas) school
for oranizers. If State will guarantee a
certain no of students, we will furnish 
a week's school in org
Southern women are finding in League

machinery for their immediate needs
-In west we have problem of immense distances
& absolute control by people who have money -
millionaires & w millionaire backing; not
so in middle west. Suggests lowering
dues & finding 50 persons in US who wd
give or get us $1000. a year
Get surveys of your town made on
particular subjects.
Have Competitive surveys for cities of dif classes
Mrs Sherwin conducts institutes on
2 questions: - How to make govt more
representative? How to make administra-
tion more efficient?
Institutes aim to make leaders
of pol thought
Going to have personally conducted tour
(in autos furnished by Chamber of
Commerce) thro factories wh make
the things women use
Interchange of speakers between statesRESOLUTION ADOPTED AT THE CLEVELAND CONVENTION
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
WHEREAS, The organization of a nation for modern war moblizes its entire
human and economic resources, wipes out old distinctions between
combatants and non-combatants and takes a toll of material resources
and human suffering hitherto undreamed of, and
WHEREAS, Eighty per cent of the federal appropriations of the United
States go to pay the cost of wars, past, present, and to come, and
WHEREAS, The cost of the last war has driven other countries to the
verge of bankruptcy, and for them to assume additional taxation to
keep up in the race for military and naval supremacy means incalculable
suffering, the indefinite delay of reconstruction and economic
disintegration in which we also will be involved, and
WHEREAS, The President has stated in his message that "While prudence
forbids us to disarm alone, we are ready to co-operate with other
nations to approximate disarmament."
THEREFORE, Be it Resolved, That we urge upon the President and Congress
that they initiate a movement to secure such co-operation with
other governments for the reduction of armaments at the earliest
possible time.
RESOLUTION OFFERED BY MRS. CHARLES SUMNER BIRD
AND ACCEPTED BY THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
AT ITS MEETING HELD IN WASHINGTON
"Owing to the late war the women of your country, as well as
every other country, have suffered unutterable anguish and economic
distress such as the world has never known, and believing that
another world war so destructive would imperil, if not destroy civilization,
we, women of America, members of the League of Women Voters,
confident that the only way to make wars cease is by a world agreement
to disarm, wish to co-operate with the women of your country in
a determination to do all that is possible to bring about universal
disarmament.  We ask you to endorse this great and vital principle
that we may feel that the women of the world are joined together in
this high call to preserve the future peace, prosperity, life and
happiness of the world."Cleveland arms
resolution