nal power through the work of
national officials is not deemed politically sound by some persons who
favor specific action by the states alone in such matters as maternity
aid. The tendency is, however, a proof of two things, one that we are
as a people becoming a nation; that is more a centralized and united
governmental force--and the other that more and more people are trying
in every way to secure a more uniform as well as a higher standard of
living for all our citizens.

=A Women's Lobby at the National Capitol.=--It is said that the most
powerful lobby in Washington is "the Public Welfare Lobby backed by
seven million organized American women." This lobby is composed of
representatives of the following organizations of women with number of
members estimated as indicated:

National League of Women Voters 2,000,000
General Federation of Women's Clubs 2,000,000
Women's Christian Temperance Union 500,000
National Congress of Mothers and
Parent-Teacher Associations 310,000
National Women's Trade Union League 600,000
Daughters of the American Revolution 200,000
American Home Economics Association 1,800
National Consumers' League (No number given)
American Association of University Women 16,000
National Council of Jewish Women 50,000
Girls' Friendly Society 52,000
Young Women's Christian Association 560,000
National Federation of Business and
Professional Women 40,000
Women's League for Peace and Freedom 2,500

This represents a formidable influence upon public affairs, one that
may do some harm along with much good, unless it goes to school to
social facts and balances its social sympathy (already shown in such
alert attention to the needs of the weaker and younger portion of the
nation) with sober and sane understanding of the difficulty of getting
progress in any line unless a majority of the people are unitedly in
favor of it and willing to sacrifice something in order to secure it.

There are signs already that among the leaders of women in the new
organization of Women Voters there is a feeling that the pendulum may
swing too far toward philanthropic measures