esponsibility for it but to the public
generally all suffragists looked alike and people did not at first
recognize the difference between the small group of "pickets" and the
great suffrage organization of almost countless numbers. New York
workers were very resentful because a direct appeal to suspend the
"picketing" until after the election was refused by the leaders of the
Woman's Party. The Saratoga conference adopted a resolution of
disapproval.

At a mass meeting in New York soon afterwards Governor Whitman, Mayor
Mitchel and other prominent men spoke most encouragingly, but on
September 10 a suffrage amendment was defeated in Maine by a vote of
two to one and this had a disastrous effect on the New York situation.
It discouraged the workers and many newspapers which had been
friendly, anticipating a similar defeat in New York, became hostile in
tone; also because of the pressure of war news, the papers were almost
closed to suffrage matter. Mass meetings which formerly were crowded
were now so poorly attended that many had to be abandoned.

In order to help the chances of the amendment President Wilson on
October 25 received a delegation of one hundred of the most prominent
women of the Party, headed by Mrs. Whitehouse. He expressed his
appreciation of the war work of women and his thorough belief that
they should have the suffrage, praising the New York campaign and
saying: "I am very glad to add my voice to those which are urging the
people of your State to set a great example by voting for woman
suffrage. It would be a pleasure if I might utter that advice in their
presence, but, as I am bound too close to my duties here to make that
possible, I am glad to ask you to convey that message to them...."

This address was published far and wide and had a marked effect on the
voters. Later the President wrote Mrs. Catt that he hoped no voter in
New York would be influenced by anything the so-called "pickets" had
done in Washington. The suffrage meetings were soon again crowded. On
October 27 the final parade took place in New York City. The
signatures of 1,014,000 women citizens of the State, of voting age,
asking for suffrage had been obtained. Those from up-State were pasted
on huge cardboards and carried in the parade by delegations from the
various counties. Those from the city were placed in 62 huge ballot
boxes, one for each assembly district, with the number of them on the
outside, and carried by the "cap