Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/495

NEW YORK 479 President burdened with heavy responsibilities, reproaches of disloyalty and pro-Germanism were hurled at suffragists in gen- eral. The officers of the National Association had repeatedly condemned the "militancy" and repudiated all responsibility for it but to the public generally all suffragists looked alike and people did not at first recognize the difference between the small group of "pickets" and the great suffrage organization of almost countless numbers. New York workers were very resentful be- cause a direct appeal to suspend the "picketing" until after the election was refused by the leaders of the Woman's Party. The Saratoga conference adopted a resolution of disapproval. At a mass meeting in New York soon afterwards Governor Yhitman, Mayor Mitchel and other prominent men spoke most encouragingly, but on September 10 a suffrage amendment was defeated in Maine by a vote of two to one and this had a disastrous effect on the New York situation. It discouraged the workers and many newspapers which had been friendly, antici- pating a similar defeat in New York, became hostile in tone ; also because of the pressure of war news, the papers were almost closed to suffrage matter. Mass meetings which formerly were crowded were now so poorly attended that many had to be abandoned. In order to help the chances of the amendment President Wil- son on October 25 received a delegation of one hundred of the most prominent women of the Party, headed by Mrs. White- house. He expressed his appreciation of the war work of women and his thorough belief that they should have the suffrage, prais- ing the New York campaign and saying: "I am very glad to add my voice to those which are urging tin- people of your State to set a great example by voting for woman suffrage. It would be a pleasure if I might utter that advice in their presence, but, as I am bound too close to my duties here to make that possible, I am glad to ask you to convey that message to them. . . ." This address was published far and wide and had a marked effect on the voters. Later the President wrote Mrs. Catt that he hoped no voter in New York would he inlluenred by anything the so-called had done in Washington. The stiff; meetings were soon again crowded. On October 27 the final