NAWSA Subject File Congressional Union Upton, Harriet Taylor Feb. 19, 1914 Mrs. Harriett Taylor Upton, Masonic Building, Warren, Ohio. My dear Mrs. Upton:–– I think you can rest easy in regard to the friction between the Congressional Union and the national Congressional Committee for the moment, at least, but I do feel that the absolute difference in policy is one that must be discussed during the coming year among the suffragists, as I think it is going to be a serious issue before the next National convention. In my judgement, these girls would have been wiser if they had either brought up their policy at the last convention or waited until the next convention so that the suffragists of the country could have thrashed it out and decided whether or not they wished to change the policy of the National. But as I hope to see you some time in the near future, I will wait and discuss this matter of policy with you at that time. There need not be any opposition to your following the national idea in regard to the may 2nd demonstrations between sympathizers of the Union and of the National, because they do not conflict in any way. As a matter of fact, the National proposed having these meetings on the same day in order that there would not be any conflict. Sympathizers with the Union can hold any sort of special demonstration they like on May 2nd, but we hope that they will co- operate in the mass meeting idea in addition, or that they will adopt the mass meeting idea if they feel that they cannot financially swing the parade or some other special demonstration. The mass meeting provides an objective point to march to or an objective point to form a parade. I am delighted that you are going to appoint a special chairman to look after this in Ohio, and will you be good enough to ask her to report to me for the present until a National Committee is appointed to take over this work? I really feel guilty to ask you for ideas, but if any do occur to you, please send them along. I am still hoping that you are going to arrange a date for me to meet you in Ohio before I go to Washington on March 1st, as I am most anxious to talk things over with you, I really have hopes of Burton, and will let you know about him when I get down to Washington. How I agree with you about Pomerene! He makes me perfectly wild, too, and I have notified my Committee that whenever it is necessary for anyone to see him, that I refuse flatly to interview him again. Nick Longworth was here the other day and he told me that Foraker had come out against woman suffrage and that it was about decided he would run against Burton. If this is so, confidentially, I feel quite certain we can swing Burton into line, unless he is an anti-Prohibitionist. Nick also tells me that we are so tired up in Ohio with the liquor question, that is is practically impossible for a man to come out for suffrage who is not a Prohibitionist. Is this true, or is this only his old stand-patism getting Mrs. Harriett Taylor Upton, -2- Feb. 19, 1914. in the way of his present political judgement? I understand perfectly about Miss Rice, and I only regret that you had to take up your valuable time in writing me a special letter in regard to it. U have a letter from a Miss Flora E. Worthington, President and founder, she says, or the Ohio Equal Franchise Association. Is this a separate state organization from yours, and what is your relation with them? Miss Worthington insists that the influence of the Christian church, through its missions over the world, has done more for democracy and the emancipation of women, than all other forces combined. Confidentially, this sound to me a little formidable, and as I do not want to take a single step in Ohio without consulting you, please put me on to this situation. She also tells me that Miss Marguerite Molitor, of South Norwalk, Hamilton County, is now to take the responsibility of the Congressional work, and that Miss Mann is to assist. May I ask you to clear me up on this point, andaadvise me as to what I ought to do?? Cordially yours, Ruut Howard Weelound March 20, 1914 Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton Masonic Building Warren, Ohio. My Dear Mrs. Upton: I apologize for the mixing up of my correspondence, and wish to assume all the blame for inaccuracies and vagueness of my various headquarters. I have learned from past experience to assume all mistakes with a smile because I find that I make them and my organizers do not. I thought I remembered that I had a letter from you here in Washington saying that on account of the socialists celebrating in Ohio on May 2nd that you were afraid you could not cooperate with our demonstration on that day and that your pilgrimages were to be on a different day. If I dreamed this I apologize, bit there is one thing I didn't do, and that was write to the Chicago headquarters this information. Don't pay any attention to me anyway about the May 2nd demonstration until I get back to Chicago, and Mrs. Osborne is handling that end of it, and is in close touch with the details. We have the name of Mrs. Charles S. Brooks who is to take charge of the publicity work for Ohio and will not bother you in the future with regard to press details. As I know Mrs. Brooks very well, personally, I am delighted that she has charge of this work. I am sorry that I have not our complete correspondence before me so that I can answer your letter as intelligently as I should like to, but all our early correspondence is in the Chicago office. I therefore am unable to remember accurately why I got a wrong impression about your campaign next fall. Let me hasten to assure you however that I understand it perfectly now and would not for the world interfere in Ohio. I foolishly thought I would be helping by congressional campaigns. I don't pretend to know the Ohio situation, and I should never presume to even make suggestions to you in regard to politics. Therefore I know that your decision in this matter is right and that it would be a mistake to try and defeat any suffragist for Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, Page 2, March 20, 2914. election. I cannot refrain from saying that personally I think it is a mistake, but I am willing to admit that I am too young a suffrage worker to pit my judgement against yours, so I submit gracefully to your decision. I think you misunderstood my phrase which you quote from my February 25th letter, when I said "What congressman shall we work on particularly? We are card cataloguing the men and getting other records from National Voters League from campaign purposes. I wish you would send me a list of your important districts so we can work on them first." I should still like to have this information for the purpose of record on the card catalog, and such information is valuable for us to possess to enable us to understand the point of view and the argument to be used with these congressmen when we are lobbying. We hope to have in a few weeks a very valuable and compete tabulation of this Congress, and we want as much information as possible from the State to add to the information we are getting from other sources. A list of your important districts mean to us here that the congressmen representing those districts must be dealt with most carefully and given a strong argument, etc. By important, we mean where suffrage sentiment is not as strong as it ought to be. We never intended, and do not intend to go into any state in the fall without the consent, cooperation and advice of the State Association, and we are most anxious to have our records so complete by the middle of the Summer that we will be able to send into each Congressional District of every non-suffrage states valuable information regarding the Congressmen and Senators records, and detailed information giving their attitude on the humanitarian measures in Congress as well as upon the suffrage question. This information seems to us to be of great importance to the states, and it will only be in such states where the State Associations agree with us that an active campaign in the fall would advance the cause that we will undertake to cooperate with them in this campaign work. I must be awfully stupid, but I do not see that I have contradicted myself and where you refer to the letter which your executive Committee sent to me from Dayton, you beg me to defer any congressional work in Ohio until after November 3rd, and I did not understand that by congressional work you meant campaigning. These two terms are quite different in meaning to us, as you must be doing congressional work in Ohio at the present time, but to campaign against a particular candidate, we do not consider congressional work. If you will read the detailed organizational plan over again, you will see that by congressional work we meant sending into our office an enormous amount of information, which is to be used for purposes described above. I assure you that I understand your situation perfectly now, and that my committee will be sent a copy of you Executive Committee letter as soon as it is returned, and also the members of the National Board, so that Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, page 3, March 20, 2914 there will be no misunderstanding on our part and no excuse for us if we interfere. The National Board as well as my committee are only desirous of assisting and would not interfere for anything in the world. The reason that I returned your Executive Committee letter was because it did not have your signature, and because I wanted to make sure you endorsed it, and I was not certain that you were at the meeting, therefore, before I sent it to the National, and the other members of my committee I wanted it to have your signature. Now to come to your personal letter in regard to resolution No. 2, I am rather curious to know how our resolution got into the Cleveland paper, and can you tell me on what date it appeared as I should like to send for a copy. I also wish to say that we are not substituting No. 2 for the resolution pending in Congress as the present time. We should certainly not have a right to do that under any circumstance, and have been particularly careful not to interfere with Joint Resolution No. 1. We are backing resolution No. 1, and supporting it and working for it to the best of our ability. Senator Shafroth of Colorado introduced our new resolution (No.2) yesterday, after the vote was taken in the Senate, but a motion was made to go into Executive Session, before it was recorded, and, therefore, he was obliged to introduce it today. I am not familiar enough with suffrage constitution to know whether or not the National Board has a right to pass on a question of this sort, and supposed they knew they were within their rights when they endorsed it. I am mailing the end of this week to every state president a copy of the resolution, a digest of the reason why we thought it advisable to introduce it, together with a weekly letter which I am planning to send out from now on as to the political situation in Washington. If the suffragists throughout the country disapprove of the resolution, it will be very easy for them to instruct us to withdraw it, or to let it die in committee. You know, of course, that there are about five or six different suffrage resolutions, bills and amendments before Congress today, introduced by all sorts of societies and different groups of suffragists. There is a hearing to be held on next Tuesday before the Rules Committee of the House, under the auspices of the Federal Society, to discuss an amendment granting women the right to vote for Congressmen. There is still another amendment about to be introduced by Senator Bradley of Kentucky in the form of a petition to Congress to make federal laws for the protection of colored men and white and colored women against the enforcement of the constitution or laws which deprive them of a legal right to vote for members of congress, presidential electors, and United States senators. I will not enumerate any more, but there are several others, so I do not see that the National American Women Suffrage Association Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, page 4, March 20, 1914. is doing any harm in endorsing a different sort of National legislation. If our organization does not wish us, its Congressional Committee to actively support and work for this number two resolution, we can drop it, or withdraw it, but I do hope that they will see their way clear to give it their strongest support because, personally, I believe it will advance suffrage by leaps and bounds. The states rights men here in the Senate agree that this resolution is a splendid thing, and we will get the support of a great majority of the Senate on this resolution. This support will not come from those opposed to suffrage, but from the men who are suffragists and strong states rights advocates. I should like very much to know who the astute person is who asked who drew the resolution, and who said "whoever did did you people up well". I am enclosing the last draft of the resolution, so that you may forward it to him and ask him to put in writing his objection, because I should like to answer them. The history of the resolution is this: In the first place the idea was given to me by Senator Burton when he said that in voting for the present suffrage amendment he would not be voting for woman suffrage, but that he would be submitting it to the people in so far as a constitutional amendment enabled him, and that the final decision of whether or not the states want women suffrage rests with them. This idea turned round and round in my mind, until I suggested to Mrs. Funk, who is a member of my committee and a very good lawyer, that she try and work it out, and see if it could be submitted directly to the people, as the various state constitutions are the stumbling blocks all over the United States. Mrs. Funk worked on a rough draft which was submitted to two or three young lawyers here in New York. Their draft in turn I took to Judge Hiram Gilbert, one of the best constitutional lawyers in the west, and I also took it to Judge Calhoun of Chicago, who is one of our ablest lawyers, and who was, as you remember, minister to China during the Taft administration. No politician has been consulted on the outside, and we have only discussed it with members of the Judiciary Committee in the House and the men favorable to suffrage in the Senate. You need have no fear of anybody doing us up in regard to this amendment. And the only thing to consider is whether or not you think it advisable politically, expedient and advantageous to suffrage, to have it submitted to the people of every state. Personally I am most anxious for your individual support as I regard you one of the great leaders of suffrage, and I do not wish to be an advocate of something of which you disapprove. Most cordially yours, Ruth Hanna McCornish 1 enclosure. Ohio Woman Suffrage Association HONORARY PRESIDENT CORRESPONDING SECRETARY FRANCES M. CASEMENT ETHEL R. VORCE Painesville 1876 East 73 St., Cleveland PRESIDENT TREASURER HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON ZELL HART DEMING Warren Warren VICE PRESIDENT AUDITOR PAULINE STEINEM DORA SANDOE BACHMAN 2228 Scottwood Ave., Toledo Eberly Building, Columbus RECORDING SECRETARY MEMBER NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CLARA SNELL WOLFE BELLE COIT KELTON Oberlin 51 N. Monroe St., Columbus LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO Jan. 21, 1914. Mrs. Medill McCormick, Munsey Building, Washington, D. C. Dear Mrs. McCormick:- I have received your letters with your printed plans [*of] [for] action. I received a long letter from Miss Shaw telling of the action of the National officers in regard to the Congressional Committee and the Congressional Union. I had a conference in Cleveland with our state officers on other matters and we talked a little of this. There has been through my administration perfect harmony in the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association. I have never talked over National affairs with them although of late some people have talked to them so that they occasionally asked me questions. Monday morning I wrote you the following note "The Ohio association would like very much to know the plans of the National Congressional Committee particularly as just now new conditions are confronting us in our campaign. We therefore hope you can come to Cleveland at an early date preferably the early part of next week to meet me for a conference" that would mean the [a] week of the 26th. Upon my return home I had your personal and frank letter written from Chicago telling me more explicitly about your Ohio Woman Suffrage Association HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO #2. M.Mc.C. efforts with the Union. You also told of the meeting between yourself and the Connecticut board and that you are not sure after all whether you will become a chairman of the Committee. I therefore do not know whether you will be coming this way at the time named but I think that we better leave it this way that when things are settled with the committee you would better stop in Cleveland on your return to Chicago. I am so tied to the office just now that I probably will be at home and would get a telegraph or a telephone message. Of course the relation of Ohio to the National Committee and the Congressional Union must be settled by our Executive Committee, but before that can be done the officers of the association, the majority of whom are in and about Cleveland want to understand carefully all phases of this question. I know that money melts away in suffrage work despite the fact that none of use are salaried and all of us are careful but it seems to me that of all the money that was raised in Washington there ought to be enough for Congressional work. At this moment there are four letters lying on my desk pertaining to this matter of Congressional Union and Congressional Committee. Three of these letters are from absolutely truthful, honest, interested suffragists and Ohio Woman Suffrage Association HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO #3, M.McC. they present the question of these two Congressional bodies in exactly different ways and if one only saw one of them one would know how to act but seeing both sides [of them] it is must bewildering. Our campaign has been going splendidly until just now when the vicious interests are trying to render useless the initiative and referendum. Somehow even so grave a thing as this does not bother me as much as this Congressional business does. I know though that both will come out all right and I have lived through too many hard suffrage times not to know that in a few months we will forget all about this. Cordially yours. HTR.P Harriet Taylor Upton OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO February 16,1914 Mrs. Medill McCormick, 1505 City Hall Square Building, Chicago, Ill. Dear Mrs. McCormick: Your breezy letter of February 13th just here. I am so glad that things are fixed up somewhat between the Union and the Committee. Nobody knows how anxious I have been over this matter, because of our state campaign. With all the friction of the last few years, in the National Association, none of it has crept into Ohio, and I did so fear something might happen to make another condition. I am very unfortunate of disposition, having no temper whatsoever, and dreading contention above everything in the world. Lots of people [sort of] develop and accomplish things under opposition, but I don't. It is just a matter of temperament. Therefore, if we were to have opposition in the campaign and if I am to continue to be leader of the campaign, a divided condition would have been very detrimental to it. Of course, I am too pressed with the campaign work, and just now, (the political aspect of it, which has to be handled quietly, even as far as some of our own workers are concerned, because publicity means opposition,) to feel as enthusiastic over 2 McCormick May 2nd, as you feel, but I am convinced that what has been proposed about the celebration should be carried out, particularly as it comes at a time when Ohio will be ready for its publicity work. Just as soon as the governor signs the Initiative and Referendum safe-guarding measure, which he might have done Saturday, probably will do today, then I am going to call a meeting of the Executive Committee, which will plan for the opening of the campaign. The campaign will be under the direction of the campaign committee, which will be composed of the Executive Committee and a representative of each of the organizations which indorse us. At that meeting, I hope to be able to appoint some one person who will act as chairman of the committee for the second of May meetings. Of course, it will have to be voted that we have it, but I think, since there is this agreement between the two sides, that there will be little opposition to it. You ask me for some suggestions, but my head is just full of campaign, the organizing of counties, the precinct work, etc. this morning, as yours is full of May Day and I don't seem to suddenly think of anything. If I do, I will let you know. I think I can arrange a date between now and March 1st for you to meet the officers in Cleveland. One of them is coming in today and I will know about the engagements of two others tomorrow. These are just finishing a job which [she] they could not very well leave. Senator Burton is a conservative. For twenty years now, I 3 McCormick have been working at him, off and on for suffrage. He is a personal friend, or rather, was a personal friend of my father's. He has always made excuses and been so conservative but this last year, he has changed. Of course, this is because of the direct election of senators, and because of the changed sentiment, but there is one thing about Mr. Burton[.], [o]if he says he will do a thing, he will. If he is going to change his mind, he will tell us and tell us why. Mr. Pomerene makes me perfectly wild. He is off today and on tomorrow. When he sees you, his for you, when he sees your back, he is against you. He can't help it, either. It is his mature. It is my opinion that if it hadn't been for his wife, he never would have been in the United States Senate. She is calm, fearless and a good sport. Yes, I know Senator Foraker very well. A number of years ago, I spoke before the National Committee n Resolutions, of which Mr. Lodge was chairman. It was the first day of the Chicago Convention nominating McKinley and of course their platform was already printed but we went before the committee to ask for suffrage. Mr. Lo[n]dge was too disgusted [and] for any anything and of course, the men on the committee did not want to have us there and acted very bored. I knew Senator Foraker very well and he had the same bored look. I do not know how I dared make so bold, but I said: "Senator, you needn't look so bored, many is the times I have been bored with your speeches." Of course, all of the Committee laughed, except the monumental chairman. It changed the whole spirit of the meeting. In 4 McCormick a little time, they opened the Ohio campaign at Warren and Mr. Taft and Mr. Foraker were leading the procession in a carriage, when they passed me. Mr. Foraker immediately raised his fist and shook it at me and that has been a kind of symbol between us ever since. I feel perfectly sure that he hasn't changed his opinion in regard to suffrage, but I probably will see him soon and will ask him. I note what you say about the local suffrage situation in Washington. I don't know anything about the newer people there, but ever since my recollection [,] of suffragists in the District of Columbia, there has always been friction. I never understood why. There are, however, now in Washington, a great number of suffrage women of small means, who go there, because they can live cheaply and can be interested and who never were very active in work at home and I think they add to the muddle. Well, this is a longer letter than you will want to read. Cordially yours , Harriet Taylor Upton [MC]HTU/MCS. P.S. I am writing [to] about Miss Rice and Mrs. Funk on a separate sheet, so that if you keep files, it can be easily referred to if the question ever arises. HTU OHIO WOMEN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION February 16, 1914. Dear Mrs. McCormick, I am afraid from the paragraph in your letter referring to Miss Rice and Mrs. Funk that you thought I thought Mrs. Funk did not treat Miss Rice properly. I did not think that at all. Nobody know any better than I do how hard it is to get away from pressing office work, nor how much time can be dissipated in visiting. That is one reason why I have always kept the Ohio headquarters in a rural place, because hours of days are lost in city offices. I do not think Miss Rice pressed her matter at all or felt that it was important. I feel sure that if Mrs. Funk had known that Miss Rice had wanted to talk to her about Ohio matters she would have made an engagement , when her time would not have been so much taken up, or have even seen her then. I am explaining this fully, because even the most hardened of us do not like to be misunderstood and personally I do not want to have appeared to report that Miss Rice had any feelings about it or that Ohio had either. I think I understood it exactly. Cordially yours, HTU/MCS. Harriet Taylor Upton OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION Honorary President FRANCIS M. CASEMENT Painesville President HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON Warren First Vice President ZARA du PONT 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland Recording Secretary CLARA SNELL WOLFE Oberlin Corresponding Secretary ETHEL R. VORCE 10321 Ashbury Ave., Cleveland Treasurer ZELL HART DEMING Warren Auditor MRS. ELLIOT PENDLETON 1736 Madison Road, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati Member National Executive Committee MRS. O. F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave., Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO March 19, 1914 Mrs. Medill McCormick, Munsey Building, Washington, D.C. Dear Mrs. McCormick: The enclosed quotation from a letter which I am sending to our local auxiliary associations explains the action of the Ohio W.S.A on the May 2nd demonstration and upon the conflicting requests of the National Congressional Committee and the Congressional Union as to congressional work. A copy of the game is being sent to Miss Alice Paul of the Congressional Union and that part which relates to the May 2nd celebration to your Demonstration Committee in Chicago as a reply to their communications upon this subject. Yours most cordially. [*Harriet Taylor Upton*] OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION Honorary President FRANCIS M. CASEMENT Painesville President HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON Warren First Vice President ZARA du PONT 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland Recording Secretary CLARA SNELL WOLFE Oberlin Corresponding Secretary ETHEL R. VORCE 10321 Ashbury Ave., Cleveland Treasurer ZELL HART DEMING Warren Auditor MRS. ELLIOT PENDLETON 1736 Madison Road, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati Member National Executive Committee MRS. O. F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave., Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO Mar. 19, 1914. Mrs. Medill McCormick, Munsey Building, Washington, D. C. Dear Mrs. McCormick:- Last evening I took all of the letters in regard to the Congressional work since the National Convention and read them carefully. In yours of Feb. 25th you say, "What congressman shall we work on particularly? We are card cataloguing the men and getting other records from the National Voters League for campaign purposes. I wish you would send me a list of your important districts so we can work on them first." In yours of March 16th to the Executive Committee which you asked me to forward "The Congressional work in campaigning against certain candidates to be selected later would be most effective and some speakers could do double work." In the letter which the Executive Committee send to you from Dayton we say "We therefore, beg you to defer any Congressional work in Ohio until after November 3rd, 1914, but we invite you most cordially to give us every possible aid from now until election day in our effort to add Ohio the fourth state in the Union to point of population to the list of equal suffrage states." #2. M.MoC. Either because of the great pressure which you are under you did not realize what you are writing or you have misunderstood us for what we are trying to get at is not to have any conflict in regard to Congressional candidates in our State this Fall. This is a most critical time for us. We will win if nothing unusual happens. We will not win if people from outside of the State come into the State campaigning against Ohio men whether they [?] be Democrats as the Congressional Union proposed or whether they are anti suffragists as your Committee proposes. I am hoping therefore that this letter from the Ohio Executive Committee will be given over to your Committee, will be carefully considered and that we will get [?] official word that nothing will be done with Congressional candidates in Ohio during this Fall. There are forty seven other States where your Committee and the Congressional Union can work. I know that the National Association does not want to jeopardise our chances so I am feeling perfectly sure that they will agree with us. You returned our letter which we sent you from Dayton. It was signed by the members of the Executive Committee who were left until the last, part of them had to go home earlier. There are twenty of them. I thought that Mrs. Vorce the corresponding secretary and myself signed it. We meant to. I am therefore affixing my signature forwarding the same to Mrs. Vorce making her to sign and send to you. Cordially yours, HTU.B Harriet Taylor Upton March 23, 1914. Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, Masonic Building, Warren, Ohio. My dear Mrs. Upton: All is explained now in your March 19th letter in regard to Ohio and May 2nd demonstration. I cannot tell you how deeply I regret your attitude on the fence as to our difference of policy and your failing to support us. The Congressional Union is a separate National organization. How can a state organization affiliated with the National, having taken a part in framing the policy of its own National Association at convention not support its policy? Either it does support or it does not. It isn't a question of personality, it has nothing to do with Miss Paul and me; or of Miss Stephens and Mrs. Funk, or of the National Board members and the members of the different state associations, but it is a great and important question of political policy. Do you approve of holding the Democratic Party as a party, and the party in power responsible for the passage of this amendment at this session of Congress? If they fail, do you approve of going into the suffrage states where the women vote and ask the women to defeat all Democrats? Remembering as we must that we put ourselves in the position of trying to defeat Senator Thomas of Colorado who is fighting for us now in Congress; is Chairman of one committee and who has stood on the front of the firing line in our behalf? Lo you want us women in Illinois to go out to defeat the party that has stood behind us and given us one vote? I cannot believe that you understand what it all really means, because you are too clever and too able a politician. I can appreciate that Ohio doesn't wish to mess up in a personal row but this not that, there is a principal mooted and if we fail to take a stand and a strong stand at this time we are going to give suffrage a blow that will cost us dear. Please think this over and realize that all I am asking of Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, page 2, March 23, 1914. you is to look at this matter from a National point of view and to support the side you believe is right. One cannot be neutral. It is a vital fundamental question. Can you say you are neither a Democrat or a Republican or a Progressive? Dear Mrs. Upton, think before you regret it. I beg of you. Please don't misunderstand anything I say because I am writing from the bottom of my heart about a cause that is sacred to us all. Cordially yours, (Ruth Hanna McCormick) RN-LB Ohio Woman Suffrage Association Honorary President, Frances M. Casement, Painesville President Harriet Taylor Upton Warren First Vice President Zara du Pont 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland Second Vice President Dora Sandoe Bachman Elderly Building, Columbus Recording Secretary Helen Wise Molony, 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill, Cincinnati Corresponding Secretary Ethel R. Vorce 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Treasurer Zell Hart Deming Warren Auditor Mrs. Julius F. Stone Station A, Route 5, Arlington, Columbus Member National Executive committee Mrs. O. F. Davisson 307 Central Ave., Dayton Headquarters: Masonic BLDG., Warren Ohio May 13, 1915. Mrs. J. Stanley McCormick, 505 Fifth Ave., New York City, N.Y. Dear Mrs. McCormick:- We are very glad that you sent Miss Smith to our meeting yesterday. It was a long hard day. I did not go out for lunch but lay down on the bed instead and then I expected to have my supper with Miss Smith but we suddenly called away. She probably will report to you all that was done in the committee but I know you will be glad to know that there was no special change in our attitude towards the committee and I was surprised to find that Miss Smith did not know how extensive and how thorough our congressional organization work has been done. Miss Smith said the committee was willing to have the Congressional work done under our regular committee in our regular way. So as far as the committee and the State goes everything is well understood. Some of the younger women feel that the Shafroth resolution is a great nuisance and a [the] resolution was passed asking the National Association to withdraw it. They felt since it was adopted between conventions and since it was not referred to in the report of the convention by name that this could be done. #2 S.McC. However I suppose this will be discussed at the Chicago meeting. I was really glad that Miss Smith and not some of the rest of you came because she was unknown to us and had no special personal influence. Our decision in the matter was just the same as if some of you in [*I mean that decision come without influence*] higher places or with larger acquaintances had come. In fact the result would have been the same if no one had been here but we were really gratified to talk over the matter with her. Cordially yours, Harriet Taylor Upton HTU/B P.S. I found your letter of May 10th on my return from the executive committee meeting. None of the members present received the letters which I wanted them to have but I do not know as it made any special difference. Of course if they could have gone out Saturday night it would be all right but nobody thought to call for mail at the Statler I think. [*We were only here for two days*] Ohio Woman Suffrage Association Honorary President, Frances M. Casement, Painesville President Harriet Taylor Upton Warren First Vice President Zara du Pont 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland Second Vice President Dora Sandoe Bachman Elderly Building, Columbus Recording Secretary Helen Wise Molony, 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill, Cininnati Corresponding Secretary Ethel R. Vorce 1706 Euclid Ave., Clevland Treasurer Zell Hart Deming Warren Auditor Mrs. Julius F. Stone Station A, Route 5, Arlington, Columbus Member National Executive committee Mrs. O. F. Davisson 307 Central Ave., Dayton Headquarters: Masonic BLDG., Warren Oh June 24, 1915 Mrs. Medill McCormick, Williams Boulevard, Springfield, I11., Dear Mrs. McCormick:- I do not want you to give out the enclosed information right away until we see what the result is but I feel as if you ought to have it as we get it. The Congressional Union sent Miss Vernon as you know, to Columbus. They were to see Senator Harding yesterday. Do not know whether they did or not. The morning paper said nothing about it. They had a terrible time getting their call signed nothing about it. They had a terrible time getting their call signed but finally Mrs. Howard Huckins ex-president of the Ohio Federation of Woman's clubs and Mrs. O.F. Davisson the member of our executive committee were among those who signed. The other people were Columbus people. Mrs. Bachman our second vice president had promised them to sign but for some reason she did not. I have not wanted to use my personal influence with any of the my people in regard to this. I wanted them to find out and decide for themselves. Mrs. Huckins wrote me telling me she was so glad she was going to see me at Columbus and so glad she could so something for the cause etc., and when I answered her and told her she was not doing #2. McMcC anything for the cause when she helped an association which was trying to build up a second state association she immediately wrote to them, selling them not to use her name any more in regards to the matter and that she thought she was working with me and not against me. The most troublesome thing we had to deal with was Mrs. Davisson. She is a member of the Executive Committee in the National for Ohio. She is a perfectly lovely person, is handsome, well to do, courageous and one of our very best workers. She is personally attached to Doris Stevens and Doris got her to join the Union. She is a member of the State Association and on the National committee as I have said and violently opposed to the Shafroth resolution so she is torn asunder there. She is personally fond of the Congressional Union girls and terribly opposed to the separate organization. I have thought I could go there and explain matters to her, she was not at the Cleveland meeting because her daughter's wedding occurred at that time and therefore did not discuss the question. You can see though how torn between two ideas she has been. In addition to this she is very fond of me personally and I am monstrously fond of her. Last night I lay awake two hours trying to make up my mind to write her and tell her just how matters were but this morning after day light I decided to adhere to my regular program and let each decide for herself. You can know my pleasure therefore at receiving a letter a few minutes ago saying that she had resigned from the Advisory council and from the Union as well. She just thought this out for herself. It is a hard thing for her to do. The Union girls have made her think that an amendment was an easy thing to get through the next conference. She lives in an #3. M.McC. awful hard district. German, conservative, with the only anti organization of any kind [????] outside Cincinnati and it is very hard work for her. Besides a very rich man has financed her organization until a year ago, when he ceased to do so. She feels as if Ohio womens enfranchisement was a long way off and that if she could get it by an amendment as Miss Paul tells her she can without very hard work and it would be all right. Well anyway I am very happy to think that our vice president did not sign as she had promised, that Mrs. Huckins stuck by us and that Mrs. Davisson was fairly heroic in her decision. The people who have signed are none of them workers. Of course they will get some people who are more or less diseffective. There are always a lot of people who do not do anything and yet who want positions. However we are organizing two more districts this week, or one the last of this week and one the first of next week which will make 17 out of 22 and they are all working. What are your plans for the summer? We use different executive committee meetings meetings for propaganda too and if it should come around that we should want a speaker I would like to know where you are. It would be a good thing for you to present the Congressional question. Cordially yours, HTU/ B Harriet Taylor Upton Dict. June 23. [*Copy retained in Washington files*] OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION Honorary president, Frances M. Casement, Painesville President HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON Warren First Vice President ZARA duPONT 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland Second Vice President DORA SANDOE BACHMAN Eberly Building, Columbus Recording Secretary HELEN WISE MOLONY, 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill Cincinnati LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE Corresponding Secretary [*C. U.*] ETHEL R. VORCE 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Treasurer ZELL HART DEMING Warren Auditor MRS. JULIUS F. STONE Station A. Route 5, Arlington, Columbus Member National Executive Committee MRS. O. F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave., Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO [*Please show to Mrs. Halliman and Miss Savage EMS*] July 8, 1915. Miss Ethel M. Smith, Munsey Bldg., Washington, D. C. Dear Miss Smith:- The "Ohio Woman" is published by a company I believe. It has a past history. It was founded by Miss Ann Quinby and she was the editor of it for a long time. She had associated with her Miss Sara Swaney, whose mother had some property, Miss Mary Toole who had had business training in getting advertising etc., After some months of association the two girls left Miss Quinby and established a paper known as Everywoman which was for a time the organ of the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association and now gives the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association one page. I understand that Miss Quinby ran the Ohio Woman for some time after the two younger women left and then as it was badly in debt the printer took it over. This is just hear say. When the Union persisted in coming into the State to organize after all our endeavors to compromise with them I kept saying that I did hope that Ann Quinby would be drawn towards them. She is the greatest disorganizer, the least effective and the least respected I think of any suffragist in the State. I was delighted when I found #2. E.M.S. out that she was the moving spirit in their convention. Nothing could have happened better for us. If I were the National I would take no notice of her of the "Ohio Women". She has a few followers. Perhaps half a dozen but she has no standing in Columbus of in the State. She was originally a W.C.T.U. women but if I am told rightly she has no official position and no special standing with them. she belonged to the Socialist Party and the wife of a leading socialist told me that they had no use for her. People in Columbus, even those who tolerate her say she has no influence there. I do not believe in any state in the Union that the Congressional Union has put as much effort and accomplished as little as they did in Ohio. After four days stay Miss Paul left without a chairman. No women outside of Columbus [was] so far as I know who signed the Call or even encouraged them in the first place attended their meetings. Some of the Columbus people who were in their program did not even go to their luncheon and the best part of this was that each person arrived at her own conclusion without any ditching or suggestions from me. It was no the intention that Mrs. Bachmen, as I understand it should preside at the luncheon but somebody had to introduce Miss Paul and Mrs. Huckins who signed the Call under misinformation and who was assigned the place of toast master withdrew her name and refused to serve so that somebody has to do it as last and of course Mrs. Bachman, Being in Columbus, Being a friend of Mrs. Stone really could no refuse. They lost everything in Ohio according to my Judgment and the only thing they gained was Mrs. Bachman as a member of the Advisory council. I think things were misrepresented to her. I considered it a bad thing to have them advertise that the second vice #3. E.M.S president of the State of Ohio is on the Advisory Council. However the member of my executive committee are so fair and so straight that everything seems to works out all right and I think this will. Cordially yours, Harriet Taylor Upton HTU/B OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION Honorary president, Frances M. Casement, Painesville President HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON Warren First Vice President ZARA duPONT 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland Second Vice President DORA SANDOE BACHMAN Eberly Building, Columbus Recording Secretary HELEN WISE MOLONY, 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill Cincinnati LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE Corresponding Secretary ETHEL R. VORCE 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Treasurer ZELL HART DEMING Warren Auditor MRS. JULIUS F. STONE Station A. Route 5, Arlington, Columbus Member National Executive Committee MRS. O. F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave., Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO Sept. 9, 1915 Miss Ethel M. Smith, Munsey Bldg., Washington, D. C. Dear Miss Smith:- There have been several developments in the Congressional Union matter and I am writing to tell you about them now because you may hear about them indirectly and all indirect evidence is not correct After the meeting in Cleveland which you attending, our executive committee was a unit unless there was one exception, that we could not work with the Congressional Union under their terms. The Union then proceded to try for a convention and I guess if it had not been for Mrs. Stone they never would have accomplished anything. Miss Vernon came and Miss Paul came. They had a nice luncheon, the other meeting did not amount to very much, they waited on Harding which was not necessary because I had already seen him and they attempted to get a chairman. Mrs. Stone would gladly have been "it" [*the chairman*] but her husband would not let her. At the time of that meeting, the Franklin county association allowed the union to do its work in its rooms. It has leased a large parlor and a small back room in the house immediately opposite the Capital [*a splendid place*] and for various reasons it has not been doing the kind of #2. E.M.S. work it expected to do. For that reason and as a good many people in Columbus are members of the Union, the work of the Union was allowed to be carried on in that room. We understand that Mrs. Harvey Garbor, wife of the ex-leader of the Democratic Party in Ohio is to finance the Union in Ohio and she has asked the Franklin county people to rent the small room back of theirs to her, she to provide a Bell telephone which they can use and to allow her to put the congressional Union sign on the outside of the building together with the Franklin county. This matter was considered at a small meeting, a bare quorum being present and four of the seven voted for this admission. It was strange that this was the same number and the same vote which the State executive committee had when it passed the resolution inviting both the National and Union to come into the State. Miss Mott had in the meantime been in Columbus and is coming back. I did not see Mrs. Garbor or Miss Mott. I understand there is a great deal of mis information about the State and the Union in Columbus. In fact this is the only spot in the State where there is any disloyalty to the State association. As soon as I got to Columbus a woman came to me to see if I could not get them to reconsider the question. It seems they tried to have Mrs. Garbor put off the vote until after I had been there. I thought since the vote was taken and taken the regular way that we could not do anything about it and I thought probably if the two get in there together they may be able to understand each other better. However at a meeting of the executive committee on Monday the 6th in Cleveland that committee voted unanimously to ask the Franklin county people to reconsider this decision. They all feel that it is a very bad thing to have the two associations OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCATION HONORARY PRESIDENT, FRANCES M. CASEMENT, PAINESVILLE PRESIDENT HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON WARREN FIRST VICE PRESIDENT ZARA du PONT 1814 East 89 St., Cleveland SECOND VICE PRESIDENT DORA SANDOE BACHMAN Eberly Building, Columbus RECORDING SECRETARY HELEN WISE MOLONY 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill Cincinnati [Logo in center] LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY ETHEL R. VORCE 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland TREASURER ZELL HART DEMING Warren AUDITOR MRS. JULIUS F. STONE Station A. Route 5, Arlington, Columbus MEMBER NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MRS. O.F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave. Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG. WARREN OHIO Sept. 21, 1915. Miss Ethel M. Smith Munsey Bldg., Washington, D.C. Dear Miss Smith:- I do not know whether you could put over another story about Congressional work just now. I will think it over some day when I am a little clearer. Today we have put out 520 pieces of mail, all of them in envelopes and most of them with writing. I mean it was not circular work. Before the day is over, it is not three o'clock, we will probably have added a number of letters to this same list. I am explaining this because I want you to know why I am not telling you about the congressional work. Miss Hauser came home from New York for a few hours last night going back today and she says we better wait a little longer before giving out the result of the congressional enrollments because she thinks if we have a goodly number of members in favor the new members will be interested in the beginning but if the percent is small it may work the other way and I think she is right. Two or three women in Ohio are giving money and working with the Congressional Union, it is maddening because it mixes all of our new people up #3 E.M.S. in the same building. Miss Rice the chairman of the Finance committee says that some people who gave her money in Columbus said they were very much opposed to the Union because of its methods and asked her if we were associated with the Union and when she told them we were not they gave. Now she feels as if this would create trouble when they see the signs side by side. However there is another phase to it. I think Mrs. Garber felt as if the thing had been kind of railroaded through and so she has gotten an option of the dining room in the same building and got permission to put the Congressional Union over the door so even if the Franklin county association does rescind its vote she still will be in the same building. I am telling you this because I thought maybe somebody might tell you that the Ohio Association had hitched up with the Congressional Union in Columbus. Cordially yours [signed] Harriet Taylor Upton ETU/B #2. E.M.S. but we can't help it. Please see that I get 25 or 30 of the extracts from Miss Shaw's letter in regard to the Union. Isn't it maddening how the Union never says anything about the women who withdraw from them, like Mrs. Blatch, Mrs. Hepburn and all that? Cordially yours, Harriet Taylor Upton HTU/B I see I have use [maddening?] us r? know times Can't the (l-?) back OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION Honorary President, Frances M. Casement, Painesville LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE Headquarters: Masonic Bldg, Warren, Ohio President Harriet Taylor Upton Warren First Vice President Zara du Pont 1814 East 89 st., Cleveland Second Vice President Dora Sandoe Bachman Eberly Building, Columbus Recording Secretary Helen Wise Molony, 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill Cincinnati Corresponding Secretary Ethel R. Vorce 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Treasurer Zell Hart Deming Warren Member National Executive Committee Mrs. O.F. Davisson 307 Central Ave., Dayton Nov. 4, 1915. Miss Ethel M. Smith, Munsey Bldg., Washington, D.C. Dear Miss Smith:-- Can you send to me right away authentic information in regard to Miss Paul's statement that people ought not to be identified with the National? I am wondering whether she made the statement that you could not very well belong to both. This is what I want to prove because she is now saying that we can belong to both. I am just heart sick over this Union affair. Columbus has a woman who is ambitious and who is spectacular in her methods but is ineffective and she is helping Miss Paul and they are getting quite a little hold i Columbus. We have discussed the business and supposed we had settled it and now they are coming to our splendidly arranged convention and are going to occupy time talking about that old Union. It does seem to me if I hear anyone say again that the National is not working for the Susan B. Anthony amendment I shall have apoplexy. They have influenced lots of splendid women in Columbus who know nothing about our methods. One of the Columbus women told our people in Cleveland the other day that the National had never spent more than $10,000 on congressional work. I am not built for controversy. Cordially yours, Harriet Taylor Upton HTU.B OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION HONORARY PRESIDENT, FRANCES M. CASEMENT, PAINESVILLE PRESIDENT HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON Warren FIRST VICE PRESIDENT ZARA du PONT 1814 East 80 St., Cleveland SECOND VICE PRESIDENT DORA SANDOE BACHMAN Eberly Building, Columbus RECORDING SECRETARY HELEN WISE MOLONY 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill Cincinnati LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY ETHEL R. VORCE 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland TREASURER ZELL HART DEMING Warren MEMBER NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MRS. O.F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave., Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO Nov. 15,1915. Miss Ethel Smith Munsey Bldg., Washington, D.C Dear Miss Smith:- As you know Ohio people in the beginning for many reasons leaned towards the Congressional Union. All the history since you have been familiar with. After your interview in Cleveland with us you remember our stand. The Union has sent three or four organizers into Ohio and with the exception of Columbus they had had no hold until now. Now they are working out into the districts and getting people here and there. They protest that they are not anti partisan and that nobody is easily touched by position, they make them feel that they are going to work with Mrs. Belmont and when they are our own and say they already have too much to do the Union tells them that they wont need to do anything. We have been in a good deal of distresses lately because they have enlisted some of our very best workers and because the envoys have solicited people under the most trying conditions. They have visited some of our congressmen who already had been visited and who are suffragists. In the case of Dr. Fess they invited Dr. Fess to come to Springfield to be interviewed and then when the #2 E.S. Springfield people did not want to do anything when Miss Johnson the county president was not at home they said to the Springfield women "Are you willing to have Dr. Fess come to this town with no one to receive him"? Of course they were not so the interviewing took place. Now Dr. Fess was the man who at the last moment saved us in the printing of our constitutional position. He was a suffragist then and has been ever since and it is was just annoying to him I am sure to be interviewed. They have sent three different people to Cleveland to get the Party interested in the Congressional Union but the Cleveland party is an unusual party, no individual does anything but the governing board considers everything. They invited nearly every one of the leaders of the party to stand for state chairman without avail. A week or two ago Miss Whittimore went there and wanted to speak at a congressional district meeting and they would not have her. They sent a woman there a week ago to get the party to meet the envoys. They interested the City Federation of Clubs, the Women's Club and a number of other organizations but these organization said they would not meet the envoys unless the Woman Suffrage Party took the lead. Finally the Woman Suffrage Party called a meeting of its governing board and that board decided that it would not meet the envoys nor take part in any demonstration because the congressional Union stood for the anti party policy. They have secured a state chairman from Dayton who was the chairman of our association in one of the suburbs. I suppose Mrs. Julius of Columbus is financing this thing. Anyway after the Party had refused to work with them they tried to get other groups to work with them and every time the head of these groups would call up the Woman Suffrage party and when #3. E.S. they were informed that the Party was not working with the envoys because of their anti party policy the group has withdrawn. They will reach Cleaveland today. Of course there will be a demonstration but none of the regulars will be there. I would have been very happy over all this but this morning the Cleveland Leader has a long editorial on the envoys in which the claim is the congressional Union's claim that there is no use in working in States and that they are doing congressional work just as if we were not. As this is Mrs. McCormick's brother's paper of course [*she*] will [*see*] an editorial [*you can get it*] It is maddening. I have just telephoned to Cleveland an interview explaining how many congressional districts we have organized and what we have done but of course that is not the same as the original article. They are absolutely dishonest and yet you cannot do a thing with them. We had expected to have but two delegates at the National Convention. It seems as if there was so little we could do if we want and the trip is so expensive that we decided on this. Since our convention there has been some talk of sending more delegates. You will hear from me later in regard to this. I am writing hurriedly having been away most of last week. The post convention work is something terrific. Cordially yours, HTU/B Harriet Taylor Upton [*Ethel Smith*] Warren, Ohio. Dec. 21, 1915. I have just seen a letter which Mrs. Garber wrote to one of our workers and in it she has the following: "The movement in this state for the enfranchisement of women is more than thirty years old and in that time they have been able to secure the privilege of voting on the school question. The women of this state did not take advantage of this privilege until the Congressional Union came into the state and in every part of the state in which they were working made a demand that the women take advantage of this privilege. Hence the increased registered vote." I thought this might amuse you. It undoubtedly was the Congressional Union which got out the large registration in the Cleveland school campaign. [*ha! ha!*] Cordially yours, Harriet TaylorUpton OHIO WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION HONORARY PRESIDENT, FRANCES M. CASEMENT, PAINESVILLE PRESIDENT HARRIET TAYLOR UPTON Warren FIRST VICE PRESIDENT ZARA du PONT 1814 East 80 St., Cleveland SECOND VICE PRESIDENT DORA SANDOE BACHMAN Eberly Building, Columbus RECORDING SECRETARY HELEN WISE MOLONY 2 Hamilton Pike, North College Hill Cincinnati LET OHIO WOMEN VOTE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY ETHEL R. VORCE 1706 Euclid Ave., Cleveland TREASURER ZELL HART DEMING Warren MEMBER NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MRS. O.F. DAVISSON 307 Central Ave., Dayton HEADQUARTERS: MASONIC BLDG., WARREN, OHIO Dec. 22, 1915. Miss Ethel M. Smith , Munsey Bldg., Washington, D. C. Dear Miss Smith:- I saw by the press that Mr. Taggart of Kansas said that every Democrat against whom the Congressional Union campaigned was re-elected with a large majority save one. Is this true and can you give me the names of those men? Cordially Yours, Harriet Taylor Upton January 5, 1916 Dear Mrs. Upton:- A few more item on the subject of the Union and the democrats: Mr. Taggart's plurality was as stated in my letter and in the Congressional Directory, 3800 in 1912, and 3680 in 1914 Mr. Helvering of Kansas received a plurality of 1520 in 1912, and 2486 in 1914. Mr. Hayden of Arizona sends some interesting figures for himself and Senator Smith of Arizona. Senator Smith's plurality in 1911 on the "advisory vote" for United States Senator was 958; in 1914 it was 16,617. Mr. Hayden's plurality in 1912 was 5,570; in 1914 it was 25,720. Mr. Hayden says that the large difference in these votes was due to the fact that between these elections women were enfranchised. This is a starting statement, because that means that four times as many women voted as men, - for representative , at last. Mr. Raker of California received 23,467 votes in 1912, and his opponent 10,178. In 1914 Mr. Raker received 32,576, and his opponent received 16, 859. Sincerely yours, EMS-LA Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.