Alice Paul: Equality for Women by Christine A. Lunardini

Author:Christine A. Lunardini [Lunardini, Christine A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, Biography, General, Feminism
ISBN: 9780813347622
Google: JR9WDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 17032499
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 2012-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

7

The War Against Women

On January 10, 1917, Alice Paul launched the next phase of her well-thought-out campaign to secure a federal amendment. Following the anti–Democratic Party campaign of 1916, Paul huddled with several of her lieutenants, including Lucy Burns, Harriot Stanton Blatch, Mabel Vernon, Mary Beard, and Dora Lewis. She proposed to start a picket line outside of the White House gates. The biggest problem she had to deal with before implementing the plan was ensuring there were enough volunteers to do the job properly. It would not do to begin a picketing campaign and watch it fizzle out for lack of volunteers. If that happened, the NWP would appear to have lost the momentum for support of a federal amendment. Initially, Paul wanted members of both the NWP and the CU to go on the picket line. But Blatch, whose New York organization had already picketed the state capital building in Albany, suggested that picketing ought to be something that was left to the unenfranchised women of the East. In other words, the NWP membership should continue to lobby in their states but picketing should be the contribution made by women who could not yet vote. Taking this step, Blatch believed, would provide a focus for women not yet sure of how they could personally participate in the cause. Blatch’s argument persuaded Paul. The decision was made that if there was to be a picketing campaign, volunteers would be sought from the CU membership. Paul chose Blatch to present the case for a picketing campaign to the National Executive Committee. “We can’t organize bigger and more influential deputations,” Blatch reasoned. “We can’t organize bigger processions. We can’t, women, do anything more in that line. We have got to take a new departure.”1

No one disagreed with Blatch’s proposal regarding the makeup of the picket lines. But some women were ambivalent about undertaking a picketing campaign at all. Not only Paul but many NWP members had received complaints related to the anti–Democratic Party campaigns waged in 1914 and 1916. And a number of pro-NAWSA suffragists, Democratic Party voters, and family members continued to express severe doubts about the wisdom of campaigning against Democratic politicians who favored woman suffrage. Then, too, a great many suffragists did not approve of what they considered a militant strategy. Under the circumstances, it was not at all certain that, if they initiated a picketing campaign, there would be sufficient support to carry it through as long as necessary. Even Paul’s mother asked Alice to reconsider her new tactic because it seemed so undignified. Fortunately for Paul, President Wilson himself tipped the scales in favor of the new campaign.

On January 9, 1917, three hundred women met with Wilson in order to present him with a resolution passed on Christmas Day 1916, at a memorial service for Inez Milholland. Inez had been a highly effective speaker on behalf of suffrage. She was able to draw crowds whenever her name appeared on the speakers’ list at rallies. Inez astride

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