Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/335

MINNESOTA 321 in fifteen legislative districts with meetings and pageants. Dur- ing the national convention in Washington this year deputations of suffragists from Minnesota called on the State's two Senators and ten Representatives asking them to promote the Federal Suffrage Amendment. To assist the campaign the services of the State organizer, Mrs. Maria McMahon, were given to New York for September and October; Mrs. David F. Simpson and Miss Florence Monahan contributed their services as speakers and $400 were sent to the New Jersey campaign. 1 In October, 1916, at the convention in Minneapolis, a delight- ful feature was a banquet of 500 covers at the Hotel Radisson, where President George E. Vincent of the State University made his maiden speech for woman suffrage. Mrs. Simpson presided. There were favorable reports from officers, committee chairmen and organizers. At the request of the National Asso- ciation deputations had called upon the State delegates to the national Republican and Democratic conventions urging them to work for suffrage planks in their party platforms. Twenty-five Minnesota women marched in the parade in Chicago at the time of the Republican National Convention and many went to the National Democratic Convention in St. Louis on a "suffrage barge," holding meetings on the boat and at a number of stop- places. In May the Mississippi Valley Suffrage Conference was entertained in Minneapolis and a mass meeting of 2,000 was held. Automobile speaking trips were made. Money, organ- 3 and speakers were contributed to the Iowa campaign. In December, 1917, the convention again met in Minneapolis with Mrs. Nellie McClting of Kdmonton, Alberta, as speaker. Pledges were made of $8,000 for State work and $3,000 to the onal Association as the State's apportionment. In order to push Federal Amendment work chairmen were secured for the congressional districts. Resolutions for it were passed at many conventions. In May Dr. Effie McCollum Jones of Iowa bad made a lecture tour of the State, contributed by the Na- il Association, and addressed 10,000 people. An attractive 1915 the Congressional Union, afterward the National Woman's Party, formed an organization in St. i'aul with Mrs. Alexan.l- r < olvin chairman. The members were urn the State association and for a few yrars were active in both organizations.