Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/201

IOWA 187 tain and the women had learned that it was not entirely a State matter but one of national interest. The national president, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, gave six weeks of time to the campaign and liberal contributions of money, as she considered Iowa her State, having spent a large part of her life there. The honorary president, Dr. Shaw, other national officers, State presidents and men and women suffragists from many other States rendered valuable help in time, money and service of all sorts. Large num- bers of Iowa women who had never helped before now did effec- tive work. The long-time suffragists devoted themselves wholly to the campaign. Many Iowa men gave great assistance. A Men's League for Woman Suffrage, John H. Denison, president, was organized with headquarters at Des Moines and branches in all the large cities, forty altogether. These leagues not only assisted with counsel but raised funds, placed speakers and helped get out the vote. O. G. Geyer was the executive secretary and the State offices of the League adjoined those of the State Suf- frage Association. There were the closest cooperation and the greatest harmony in the work of the two organizations. An un- usually well-conducted press campaign was carried on with Mrs. Rose Lawless Geyer at the head of the press department and she and Miss Alice B. Curtis, executive secretary, gave long hours and invaluable service to the campaign. Five-sixths of the news- papers not only used plate matter and a weekly press letter but supported the cause editorially and some of them refused the paid advertising of the "antis." Dr. Effie McCollum Jones was finance secretary; Miss Mabel Lodge was the first organizer in the field and there is a long list "f men and women whose names deserve mention for the abun- dant time and unstinted devotion they gave to the campaign, In some of the counties along the Mississippi River, where the situa- tion was the most difficult, were strong groups of men and women workers. Miss Anna B. Lawther of Dubuque headed f the most active and the record of the river counties would have been even blacker than it was but for the herculean work that they did. In Keokuk. the most southern city on the river, this was so effective that it alone was a white spot in the long, black line when the election returns came in. Each of the