of 2,000 was held. Automobile speaking
trips were made. Money, organizers and speakers were contributed to
the Iowa campaign.

In December, 1917, the convention again met in Minneapolis with Mrs.
Nellie McClung of Edmonton, Alberta, as speaker. Pledges were made of
$8,000 for State work and $3,000 to the National Association as the
State's apportionment. In order to push Federal Amendment work
chairmen were secured for the ten congressional districts. Resolutions
for it were passed at many conventions. In May Dr. Effie McCollum
Jones of Iowa had made a lecture tour of the State, contributed by the
National Association, and addressed 10,000 people. An attractive
concrete building had been erected on the State Fair grounds by the
Scandinavian Association and presented to the State association.[95]
This was known as the Woman Citizen Building and a tablet was placed
in it in memory of Mrs. Julia B. Nelson, one of Minnesota's staunchest
pioneer suffragists.

Owing to the influenza epidemic all meetings were forbidden in 1918.
This year district organization was completed. With three organizers
in the field, Mrs. Rene F. Stevens, Mrs. James Forrestal and Mrs. John
A. Guise, ratification committees in 480 towns outside of the three
large cities had been appointed and 90,000 signatures obtained for the
national petition under the leadership of Miss Marguerite M. Wells. In
March the following plank had appeared in the platform of the
Democratic Statewide Conference held in St. Paul: "We believe in the
principle of State woman suffrage as supported and commended by our
leader, Woodrow Wilson." This was the only official Democratic
endorsement ever received and there was none from the Republicans.[96]

A State conference was held at Minneapolis in May, 1919, with Mrs.
McClung as the principal speaker. On June 9 in the rotunda of the
Capitol at St. Paul an impressive program of addresses and ringing
resolutions was given, 3,000 people taking part in this celebration of
the submission of the Federal Suffrage Amendment by Congress on the
4th. A. L. Searle marshalled the 250 gaily decorated automobiles
carrying the Minneapolis delegates, accompanied by a band.

RATIFICATION. Monday, September 8, was a beautiful and spirited
occasion. Automobile parades assembled in the two cities and started
for the Capitol with cars gay with sunflowers, goldenrod, yellow
bunting and the word "suffrage" on the windshields. By 10 o'clock the
gall