s was fully understood by the members.

By June 15 the Party, with Mrs. Edgar M. Cahn as State chairman, had
enrolled 300 members. It held open air rallies, organized by
legislative districts, which are known as "parishes," and in the
seventeen wards of Orleans parish congressional chairmen were
appointed by the beginning of 1914. This year the Teachers' Political
Equality Club and the Newcomb College Suffrage Club became branches of
the Party, and the Orleans Parish Branch was organized. Delegates were
sent to the national suffrage convention at Nashville in November.

The first State convention of the Party was held in April, 1915, at
Baton Rouge and Mrs. Meehan was elected chairman. Throughout the
summer suffragists of all groups campaigned vigorously for the
recognition of woman suffrage in the State constitutional convention
expected in the autumn, but the convention itself was voted down at
the polls. A Men's League was formed and among its members were Dr.
Henry Dickson Bruns, W. A. Kernaghan, M. J. Sanders, Solomon Wolff,
Oscar Schumert, I. A. Strauss, J. J. Fineran, Lynn Dinkins, James
Wilkinson, Louis J. Bryan, Captain James Dinkins, L. H. Gosserand,
Rabbi Max Heller and Rabbi Emil Leipziger.

In 1916 the resolution for a constitutional amendment to eliminate the
word "male" again failed to pass when introduced by Frank E. Powell of
De Ridder in the Lower House, though asked for by all the suffrage
organizations, which now included a new group--the Equal Rights
Party--formed by Miss Florence Huberwald. Owing to the absence of Mrs.
Meehan, Mrs. H. B. Myers, vice-chairman, was active head of the party
most of the year. In November Mrs. Lydia Wickliffe Holmes of Baton
Rouge was elected State chairman at the annual convention in New
Orleans. Under her leadership all the groups in accord with the policy
of the National Suffrage Association were merged before the close of
1917, so that the Woman Suffrage Party now included the Equal Suffrage
League, the Equal Rights Party and the Louisiana League for Equal
Suffrage, formed the winter before in New Orleans by Mrs. W. J.
O'Donnell. At the annual convention in New Orleans Mrs. Holmes was
re-elected.

State headquarters, known as Suffrage House, were established in New
Orleans in February, 1918, a large house on St. Charles Avenue, which
was furnished largely through the efforts of Mrs. O'Donnell, who was
in charge. In May a resolution for a State suffrage amendment