The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 29, 1920, Page 12

e How Women’s Clubs Aid ed in Campaign The Montana Spirit “Begin Earlier and Fight Harder Next Time,” Says Mrs. Perry =er] DITOR Nonpartisan Leader: I organ- #| ized a local club, solicited members- at-large and helped in the organiza- tion of three other locals. I attended meetings, speaking on the need for women’s organization, furnished liter- ature to and suggestions for conduct of clubs. Saw the need of a Woman’s page in our farmers’ paper, whereupon I established and edited same, also wrote articles for other publications. I called together our five locals and completed our county federation, using the influence of the feder- ation to obtain pledges of law enforcement from all candidates for the offices of county attorney, sheriff and supermtendent of schools. Before primaries spent 10 days on the road, camping at night, distributing literature, routing <.meetings, ete. Held a club dance to raise campaign funds. Held weekly meetings to instruct on ‘referendum % and balloting. Circularized 150 teachers. Mailed campa.lgn liter- ature one whole day. Drove car taking speakers to appointments, cov- ering 175 miles. Posted notices. Was the only Nonpartisan in the county to serve on the election board; worked 20 hours steadily. Personally wrote about 300 letters. After a stinging defeat came out smilirg, with renewed courage to begin earlier and fight harder next time, AURA C. PERRY. Glasgow, Mont. Organized Twenty Clubs Editor Nonpartisan Leader: To me the work of aiding in getting the women of the seventh congres- sional district of Minnesota organized has been an interesting “job.” It started when Mr. Ashmun came to Canby to take charge of the Canby Press, a farmer-owned paper. Our second day here brought inquiries as to when we could come out into this or that township to organize- Women’s Nonpartisan clubs. Fortier township was our first field and through the efforts of Representative Lars Olson and his wife we organ- ized a club there the first week in October. Next came calls from Hammar, Norman, Burr, Clarkfield, Minnesota Falls, Lisbon, Wood Lake, Posen, Werg- land, Hanley Falls and Sioux agency. The demands on the editor’s time made it impos- sible to go to organization meetings which could not be taken care of after office hours, but H. J. Hauge of Clarkfield offered his time and car. Mr. Hauge was just as patient and persevering . as his Ford. One week we started out on Monday to «"drive to the extreme end of the county and the only opportunity we had to get away from “Lizzie” and muddy roads that ‘entire week was to drive back 40 miles to attend a Kvale meeting in Canby. We usually drove all day so as to make arrangements for the evening meetings and never did we call for a meeting but what we were able to stage one on short notice and were able to organize a club with more . than the required number of members. Out in Sioux agency, through the efforts of O. M. Aarseth of Echo, we had a happy surprise. On arriving there early in the morning to make arrangements for an evening meeting we found that while we had been organizing over in Posen town- ship some of the boosters from Granite Falls had the evening before succeeded in starting the work with 14 members. . Our Canby club is a source of much pleasure. We are getting more members at every meeting and aim to keep up the work. Would urge all the clubs in the state to do likewise. We came here total strangers. Now we feel that we have friends all over the coun- ty. To them is due the credit that Yellow ' » Medicine county now enjoys some 20 clubs. - Canby, Minn, LAURA E. ASHMUN. THE FARM WOMAN’S PAGE This page is devoted this week to the prize - winning letters = written by League women, telling their experi- ences in working for the League in the campaign just finished. There were more of these letters than could be . printed and some of the women had so many experiences to tell that we had to cut their accounts down slightly to fit the page. One spirit breathes through all the letters, and that is the determi- nation never to quit until the last bat-- tle is won in the fight of the common people against organized greed and gelfishness. It is a wonderful spirit that the League women have shown, especially when it is remembered that this year is for most of them their first chance to participate actively in poli- tics. What will be the outcome in 1922, when we should have thousands of women workers, where we had hundreds in this last campaign? “Downhearted?”> Never! What a Member of Live Wire Minnesota Club Did Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I am writing, not for the sake of a prize, but to assure you that we did our best. Our club members faithfully attended our weekly meetings, good programs were giv- en and politics was talked from start to finish. We became “live wires,” mfiuencmg each voter we met. I assisted three other clubs to organize, attended four of their meetings, distributed literature, ex- plained balloting and spoke on the League and can- didates. I shall aim to make these clubs the great- est influence for good in their community. I attended the “drive” meeting at Preston, and - Thursday, Friday and Saturday I rode from morn till night, explaining the ballot and. handing litera- ture to women voters. We reached many who need- ed help, but were handicapped by lack of time. Town women were more easily reached by the opposition than country women by us. Are we holding a funeral for the League? No! Are we downhearted? No! We have begun the next campaign, remembering: “Though the enemy seems to have won, though his ranks are strong, if he be in the wrong, the battle is not yet done.” Then here’s to the success that shall be 6urs. Spring Valley, Minn. NELLIE MILLER. I A LIVE NORTH DAKOTA CLUB I Members of Women'’s Nonpartxsan Club No. 18 of Renville county, N. D. During the recent campaign this club took a leading part in expos- ing the actions of Miss Minnie Nielson,-state ‘school supennbendent, who-was campaigning against the Nonpartisan leagué in Minnesota instead of attending to her work in North Dakota. pointed out that while Miss Neilson was telling Minnesota women that the League was ruining the schools of North Dakota, a govern- ment investigation showed that the schools of North - Dakota ranked higher than those of Minnesota. PAGE TWELVE . The club also - Have Youa Club ih Your Neighborhood? One Club Starts Six Little Sauk Club Used Funds for Organi- zation Work DITOR Nonpartisan Leader: I should have liked it much better if you had made your offer read, “What has your Women’s Nonpartisan club done to help win the election ?”’ I am trying, so here it is: On August 19 I invited the women of Round Prairie and Little Sauk townships to my home. We organized that night a women’s club for both townships. Our Little Sauk club num- bered only five at this meeting, but by persistent effort on the part of our president, Mrs. Akervik, and myself our club has grown to 40. - The:next day after this joint meeting I went as a booster into Leslie township and helped organize a club there and a week later we organized a club in ‘Reynolds township. Our club had first planned on giving a certain amount, for the campaign fund, but later decided that we could do more for the cause by interesting the farm women of other townships and organizing them into clubs. So with our president we went into Kandota township and organized an enthusi- astic club there. A week later I went with other boosters into Gordon township and started a club. " Then I went with members from the Round Prairie club and assisted it in forming a club in Burnham= ville township, making six clubs in all to the credit of Little Sauk Club No. 53. I have assisted in 12 schoolhouse meetings for other clubs and 10 meetings of our own club. Round Prairie, Minn. MRS. EVA PAQUIN. - Her Birthday Party Editor Nonpartisan Leader: November 2 was my birthday and it was a great day, wasn’t it? Not be- cause'it was my birthday—I have had lots of them— but because it was the first time that woman could vote on an equality with man. I did not get to do as much as I should have liked to have done to help win the election, but of course every little bit helps. I went to the polls and voted for every League candidate on the ticket. And I fixed up a fine dinner, supper and lunch for my hus- band, Andrew Hegardt, who was inspector of elec- tion, so that he could work well all day and night. Just think of it, women of America, the first time that we could vote for governor and president of the U. S. A.! I thought that my hand was going to tremble when I went to make the “X” for those high officials, but it didn’t. LaMoure, N. D. MRS. MARIE HEGARDT. Socials Raise Funds Editor Nonpartisan Leader: The first thing the women of our club did to help the cam- paign was to raise some money. This was done by giving two socmls—one an ice cream social and the other a pie social. i The proceeds from these, together with * the money we already had in the treasury, made the sum of $50, which was gladly contributed to the campaign fund. Thén they got busy getting women to attend the club meetings and succeeded -very well. They talked to every one they came in contact with about the existing conditions and the remedy to be found in the Nonpartisan league program. Through their efforts three new clubs were formed, the women spending several days at this work When the candidates commenced their speaking tours the women made all ar- rangements and paid “all expenses for their meeting in our town. And as the last days of the campaign rolled along many “of the women worked with the crews in canvassing the township and did their work so ‘well that many women who had not intended to vote at all “went to the polls and cast their votes for the Independent candidates. MINNIE, CEDERHOLM. Grandy, Minn.