The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 15, 1920, Page 7

‘dues direct to national head- Clubs GroWing Fast Nonpartisan Women Organizing in Many League States Now HE movement started by North Dakota women at Bismarck, a year ago, when they organized their first club to work with the Nonpartisan league, is spreading throughout the League states even more rapidly than the original League movement spread among the farm- ers. Until a few months ago these clubs, known as Léague auxiliaries, were confined to North Da- kota. Minnesota next took steps to organize. A month ago national headquarters were established in St. Paul, the name was changed to “Women’s Nonpartisan clubs” and organization work began in many other states. Nebraska has within the last month reported the organization of clubs, Col- orado has reported a club starting with a member- ship of 40, and many other states are crowding forward. Mrs. Flora Thomason, acting secretary of the clubs, whose address is Box 949, St. Paul, Minn., has prepared a booklet on the Women’s Nonparti- san club movement, explaining the work in detail. Following are excerpts from it: Women’s Nonpartisan clubs—what are they? They are a federation of local clubs of women who realize that they are now, or soon will be, voters; that they must know what they are voting for and make their votes count for the things in which they believe. How is the work tobe done? By the organiza- tion of local clubs of women in each community for the purpose of study and investigation so that they may be able to use their votes intelligently. Pro- posed legislation will be studied and subjects of special interest to women will be investigated so that the women may be able to propose or support proper legislation in regard to subjects of vital in- terest to themselves, their homes and their children. Who is eligible to member- ship? Any woman who is interested in good govern- ment—Ilocal, state or nation-~ How is the local club form- ed? Write to the national secretary at St. Paul, Minn,, and she will send you an ap- plication for a charter, con- stitution and bylaws, togeth- er with full particulars. When you have five or more. wom- en interested send for your application and when the charter is granted you will be ready for business. : What are the dues? One dollar per year; 50 cents is _ retained in the local organ- ization for whatever purpose desired; the other 50 cents is sent to the national office in St. Paul to aid in carrying on general organization and do- ing special research work. While five women are re- quired to form a local club, any woman not able to organ- ize a club herself may be- come a “member-at-large” by sending her application and Northwest. poultry raising, $4,623; quarters. As soon as four others join from the same lo- cality, or a local club is form- ed in the neighborhood, mem- bership- may be transferred to the local club. When five clubs are organ- ized in a county, a county federation may be organized, the presidents of the five clubs forming a county exec- utive committee. When five counties have thus organized, a state federation may be formed. The state federations ' steps. will each have a member of the national executive committee. In succeeding issues the Leader will try to tell, each week, just what is being done by Nonpartisan clubs in, the various states. The officers of the local clubs can help us in this work by sending reports of organization work, meetings, ete., either to the national secretary or to the Leader. WOMEN MUST WAKE UP Editor Nonpartisan Leader: It is nearly time we women woke up. I was in a city not long ago and was quite amused at the conversation of our city sisters on the Nonpartisan league. They say that the farm women do not know very much and are as a class very ignorant, they do not know any- thing but to raise chickens, scrub, wash and mend clothes and bake. (And at that there are city women who couldn’t do so much.) Now, sisters, let us all wake up to what is before us. Most of us have families and what will it be like when the children grow up? We so often hear, “Oh, the League is all right; it is Townley that is the crook.” But did you ever consider that if he were not the upright man that he is, would he have to take all this abuse? Also why are the chambers of commerce spending alk their money trying to break up our League? Now, sisters, don’t sit home on election day, but get out and vote for the grandest cause that ever was- known. Medina, N. D. MRS. R. C. VAN EATON. COMMENT ON HOUSE PLANS Editor Nonpartisan Leader: - The plan of “A Busy Farmer’s Wife” for a convenient house is all right, but I would change the kitchen fixtures, put the stove where the cupboard is. That will give you light from the two windows, and you will be close to the worktable and cabinet, saving many The cupboard would be closer to the dining room and you would not have to cross the full length of the kitchen in setting the table. Hebron, N. D. MRS. W. S. DUNHAM. Do Your Children Belong to Farm Clubs? al. The boys’ and girls’ farm club movement is having a healthy growth throughout the The 1919 report for North Dakota shows 4,459 club members enrolled. Reports from 2,068 of these have been compiled and show products worth $77,372 and net profits of $44,320. The largest group of contestants were _enlisted in garden work—1,092—and their report shows $4,454 worth of products. Other lines of club work, and the value of products reported, were: Potatoes, $10,039; calf raising, $3,925; $9,200; sow and litter raising, $19,5675; sheep raising, $8,310. butter-making contests. families—it is giv- ing them an inter- est in farm life and will mean, in the next genera- tion, many families kept in the country ‘rather than drift- ing to the cities. pig feeding, Few farmers can raise a better calf than this boy has. PAGE SEVEN : Besides these lines of ‘contests, in which both boys and girls were entered, the girls had canning, bread-baking, sewing and The farm club system has not only re- sulted in enabling farm boys and girls to earn money for themselves and thelr Women Seek Justice Industrial Program Adopted by League of Women Voters N LAST week’s issue of the Leader Alice Stone Blackwell told some of the facts about the recent Chicago conven- tion of the League of Women Voters overlooked by the daily press. This week the Leader presents the indus- trial or labor program adopted by the 2,000 women delegates from all parts of the United States. The program was approved by a committee headed by Mrs. Raymond Robins, noted welfare worker, before being submitted to the convention. The program provides: 1. Right of organized workers to collective bar- gaining specifically recognized. 2. Women should-receive equal pay with men when doing equal work. 3. Congressional and federal action urged as fol- lows: Establishment of a woman’s bureau in the United States department of labor; appointment of women in mediation and conciliation service; es- tablishment of women’s departments in federal and state employment services; adoption of a constitu- tional amendment authorizing congress to establish minimum wage standards and enactment of child labor laws raising the general employment age to 16 years and night employment age to 18 years; participation of the United States in the interna- tional labor conference and appointment of woman delegate. 4. State legislative action urged as follows: Laws limiting hours of labor of women to eight hours in one day or 44 hours in one week, with one day’s rest in seven; prohibition of night employment of women; establishment of compulsory minimum wage scales; adequate enforcement of labor laws with technicaily qualified women as factory in- spectors. 5. The federal board of vocational education and local boards are urged to give greater opportunity to girls and women to obtain education along industrial lines. 6. Federal and state govern- ments are urged to adopt: Merit ‘systems of appointment and pro- motion; reclassification of the civil service to remove sex distinctions; establishment of a sufficient mini- mum wage; provisions for a retire- ment system for superannuated public employes; equal representa- tion of officials, employes and the ‘public on civil service commissions, with equal representatlon to men and women. Further study, in the United States and abroad, of protective legislation in the interests of working women by the League of Women Voters and the woman’s bureau of the United States department of labor, is proposed. TRUSTS THE LEADER Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I have just finished reading the issue for February 16. 1 wish to say that I cordially agree with the ladies who de- sire a discussion of political and social questions. As a busy housewife, mother and business partner of my hus- band I can not find the time ' to examine the present-day problems “as I would or to study out my own solutions. But with the record of good work that the Nonpartisan league has, I feel safe in trusting the statements of observations and opinions as expressed in its official organ. ANNIE C. DECKER. Anacortes, Wash.