Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/608

59 2 HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE session of the Legislature to consider important State affairs, one being to change the clause in the constitution relating to citizenship. Its framers, to render settlement of a new, unde- veloped country attractive, made the requirement such that a foreigner might become a qualified elector after having merely declared his intention of becoming a citizen, without having sworn allegiance to the United States. Thousands of aliens had taken out their first papers, filed on government land, proved up and established their homes, failed to complete their nat- uralization and yet were fully qualified to vote. This had long been considered a menace to the government and suffragists knew that it was principally to this class of voters that they owed their many defeats. The war developed great disloyalty among this class and the Governor announced that the situa- tion was intolerable and the requirements for citizenship must be changed. In order to do this it was necessary to amend the section of the constitution which stated the qualifications of a voter and which was the same section that it was sought to amend for woman suffrage by striking out the word "male." It was finally decided that the only way was to have the two matters submitted as one amendment. The word "male" was stricken out and full naturalization and a five years' residence were re- quired before the privilege of voting should be granted and this was substituted for the original suffrage amendment. In the course of a report made to the national executive board Mrs. McMahon, one of its organizers, said : There was a conference in the headquarters at Huron and Mrs. Pyle faced the situation and took up the burden. The National Suffrage Association had sent two field workers Miss Mary Eliza- beth Pidgeon and Mrs. Albert McMahon. To the latter was given charge of the organization department and together the two women set to work with the State officers to district the State and organize in each eounty a campaign committee. Eventually there was an organizer for every six districts, each comprising from twelve to fourteen huge counties. Each worker as she came into the State had to be carefully instructed in everything that touched upon the consti- tutional provisions for voting, the status of the alien, the reason for putting the citizenship clause into the suffrage amendment, the effect its passage would have upon the aliens, etc., because these questions were constantly met. Much new literature had to be prepared and all the posters changed to fit new conditions.