Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 5.djvu/519

NATIONAL AMERICAN CONVENTION OF IQI6 485 cer of the National Board or some person or persons represent- ing the Board have visited nearly every State in the Union. I have myself visited twenty-three States; Miss Hauser and Miss Walker visited nine enfranchised States; Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Jacobs, Mrs. Morrisson and Mrs. Rogers have each visited sev- eral ; Mrs. Roessing and Miss Patterson have made a number of trips to West Virginia. Our chief motive was to learn conditions. To corroborate our impressions questionnaires were sent to all the State associations in January and again in July. As a result of the information obtained the National Board is convinced that our movement has reached a crisis which if recognized will open the way to a speedy and final victory." Mrs. Catt expressed the belief that in the future a better under- standing between national and State boards would be possible and spoke of the visits of herself and other national officers to West Virginia and South Dakota, where woman suffrage amend- ments -would be voted on in November. She then took up the case of Iowa, where one had been defeated the past June, and made an analysis of a situation which had existed here and in nearly all States where defeats had taken place as follows : When the present Board came into office. Iowa was in cam- paign and but a few months remained for work. In January 1 met with the State Board and we counselled together concerning the needs of the campaign ; later I met with it on three different occasions and one month to speaking in the State. The National Board con- tributed S- ooo to the campaign from the legacy of Mary J. Cogge- shall of Iowa and gave one organizer from January i until the vote was taken. It also sent shakers and workers toward the end of the campaign. The various States contributed generously through the national treasury. The campaign camp up splendidly at the last. Men, I believe, stip- f it more earnestly than the- ; n other Slates. One of th" l"^-t - ; any State has had. under the direction was at work for some months. The able president, Miss Flora Dunlap, gave all her time and ability, re many brilliant forays v: uly effective, but nothing coul -i weakness which has appeared in every 't is the inability of newlv-formcd. untrained corn- mitt' >. It will be near the nk spots inn rein . Another difficulty that mo' ic close of the campaign when all