ague.

On April 15, 1913, Miss Mills had invited representatives of these
organizations to a conference at the State headquarters in New York to
consider concerted action at which Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt was urged
to become chairman of a State Campaign Committee composed of their
presidents. Before accepting, Mrs. Catt, in order to learn conditions
in the State, sent out a questionnaire to county presidents and
assembly district leaders asking their opinion as to the prospect of
success. Of the forty-two who answered twelve believed that their
counties might be carried for the amendment if enough work was done;
sixteen thought it doubtful, no matter how much work was done, and
fourteen were certain they could not be carried under any conditions.
Not a single county believed it could organize or finance its own
work. In spite of the discouraging situation, Mrs. Catt on her return
in the autumn from the meeting in Budapest of the International Woman
Suffrage Alliance, of which she was president, accepted the
chairmanship on the condition that $20,000 should be raised for the
work. The Empire State Committee organized November 11 was composed of
Mrs. Raymond Brown, representing the State Association; Miss Mary
Garrett Hay, the Woman Suffrage Party of New York City; Mrs.
Mansfield, the Equal Franchise Society; Mrs. Tiffany, the College
League and Mr. Laidlaw, the Men's League, with the following chairmen:
Miss Rose Young, Press; Mrs. Warner M. Leeds, Finance; Mrs. Norman
deR. Whitehouse, Publicity; Mrs. John W. Alexander, Art; Mrs.
Mansfield, Literature.[133]

For convenience of work the State was divided into twelve campaign
districts, whose chairmen were, 1st, Miss Hay, New York City; 2nd,
Mrs. Brown, Bellport, Long Island; 3rd, Miss Leila Stott, Albany; 4th,
Mrs. Frank Paddock, Malone; 5th, Mrs. L. O. McDaniel, succeeded by
Miss Mills, Syracuse; 6th, Mrs. Helen B. Owens, Ithaca; 7th, Mrs.
Alice C. Clement, Rochester; 8th, Mrs. Nettie Rogers Shuler, Buffalo;
9th, Mrs. Carl Osterheld, Yonkers; 10th, Mrs. Gordon Norrie,
Staatsburg; 11th, Miss Evanetta Hare, succeeded by Mrs. George Notman,
Keene Valley; 12th, Miss Lucy C. Watson, Utica. Under all of these
chairmen came the 150 assembly district leaders and under these the
5,524 election district captains. From the first it was realized that
organization was the keynote to success and that to be effective it
must extend into every polling precinct of the State. Mrs. Catt