The  National  American  Woman  Suffrage  Association
was  the  first  national  association  to  tender  its  services
to  the  government  when  war  became  imminent,  and  almost
immediately  after  Congress  had  declared  the  existence
of  a  state  of  war  the  Executive  Board  of  the  Wisconsin
Woman's  Suffrage  Association  took  action  favoring  vig-
orous effort  in  several  specified  lines  of  war  activity  and
proffering  its  allegiance  and  its  services  to  the  state —
the  first  Wisconsin  organization  to  take  such  action.  An
appreciative  reply  to  this  message  was  received  from
Governor  Emanuel  L.  Philipp.
The  Wisconsin  Woman's  Suffrage  Association  and  some
of  the  county  associations  appointed  committees  on  reg-
istration, food,  Americanization,  child  welfare.  Many  mem-
bers became  state  and  local  leaders  in  the  councils  of  defense,
Red  Cross,  Fatherless  Children  of  France,  food  conserva-
tion. Liberty  Bond  drives,  and  all  sorts  of  war  and  relief
organizations.    Their  interest  in  citizenship  impelled  them


30  Theodora  W.  Yonmans

to  give  a  friendly  hand  to  alien  women  when  the  law  made  it
necessary  for  these  to  register,  and  to  promote  American-
ization wherever  possible.  Notably  fine  pioneer  work
in  teaching  American  ideals  to  the  foreign  born  was  done
by  our  members.  The  Wisconsin  Woman's  Suffrage
Association  raised  $1,453.85  for  the  Women's  Oversea
Hospital,  U.  S.  A.,  the  especial  relief  unit  of  the  National
American  Woman  Suffrage  Association.
Wisconsin  had  an  antisuffrage  organization  which
regularly  sent  speakers  to  take  part  in  the  legislative
hearings  on  suffrage  bills.  However,  the  most  pretentious
arguments  against  suffrage  at  these  hearings  were  for
several  years  made  by  a  representative  of  the  German-
American  Alliance.  Only  these  two  organizations  openly
opposed  our  cause.    Other  opponents  worked  in  secret.
A  Wisconsin  branch  of  the  National  Woman  Suffrage
Party  came  into  existence  two  or  three  years  before  the
final  victory.
