NAWSA
Subject File
Congressional Union
Mott, Isabella

Mott
Isabella 

Hamilton,N.Y., June 10,1915.
Mrs.Carrie Chapman Catt
Chairman of the Empire State Campaign Committee
New York City
My dear Mrs.Catt:
As a former member of your organization and as an
admirer of your fairness, I want to state the case of what you
call "heckling" the President,from the point of view of the
Congressional Union. As New York is committed to the referendum,
it is, of course, to the greatest interest of every real suffragist that
it be as favorable as possible. For that reason, with the exception
of the O'Gorman deputation which had been already arranged, Miss
Paul agreed not to run the risk of complicating the issue in the
state by carrying the Union's plan of sending deputations to all
representatives. You may be assured that Miss Paul spoke for the
Union in her letter to you, and that no representative will be
interviewed until after November 2nd. This gives your organization
free run of the State Campaign. 

The Union, however, has adopted a political policy which
has no bearing upon any State campaign. A policy which was made
necessary by the domination which the President exercises over
Congress, particularly, under the present administration, when the
President is a member fo the majority party in Congress. Therefore,
we propose to bring to his attention the universal demand for suffrage
by the most representative women in every part of the country.
To carry out this plan it is necessary that to whatever place he
may go he should be met by a large deputation of women in that


Mrs.C.C.Catt                                  2.                            June 10,1915.
particular locality, who should present their demand to him.

The Union fails to see how the dignity of such a policy
can be justly attacked and it must continue to pursue it.

It is, of course, unfortunate that the efforts to present
the demand to the President in New York were inaccurately reported
and unfairly characterized by the press. But it is still more unfortunate
for the cause in the State that such reports and characterizations
should have been accepted and concurred in by the leaders
of the state work, and that those leaders should have further
spread and called attention to the reports. It might almost seem
to have been an attempt to discredit the Union at the cost of injuring
the referendum. Wouldn't it have been a wiser course for the
welfare of the referendum if yo u as state leader had ascertained
and circulated the exact facts and reasons for them? Because the
President's refusal to receive the New York and Philadelphia deputations
has aroused thousands of women to an appreciation of the injustice
of their position, as nothing else hasever done. The Union
has ample testimony to this from women who know the truth of the
affair.

The Union hopes as much as you hope that such a misunderstanding
will never occur again, because it would be as you suggest
"most unfortunate if the cause should be injured by misunderstandings
among itsleaders". Your use,if accurately reported, of 
the single word "mischief", did more to hurt the New York work
than anything the Union, misrepresented as it was, could have done.

3.              June 10, 1915.

Mrs. C. C. Catt

It was surely an enlivening spectacle to the gleeful enemy.

From what you said in your letter of May 26 it is evident
that you do not understand the political policy of the Union which
is the very essence of non-partisanship, in that it asks the voter
to judge a party only by its record on suffrage.  We place the cause
above parties and above "neutrality by parties" as much as you.
But if any party caucuses against suffrage then that party stands 
revealed opposed as a party.  We are not opposed any party now,
as we shall wait until action has been taken in the new Congress.
The issue will be a very different one in the 64th Congress from
that of the proceeding one we are confident.

The Union desires every possible success that the cause
may attain in each state, and any assertion to the contrary is absolutely 
untrue.  The Union's purpose is to secure National Suffrage.
Therefore its efforts are exerted to that end.

Very sincerely yours,
Isabella Mott

Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.