Association, and had been actively
organizing clubs and conferring with Republican leaders. She insisted
that she was making woman suffrage the primary feature of her work, but
Miss Anthony held that her strong Republican affiliations could not
avoid weakening her influence with the Populists. She did, it is true,
send out circulars urging the local organizations to work for planks in
both State conventions; and she did advise the women to keep clear of
partisan action, but this advice could hardly be effective coming from
the State president of the Republican Woman's Association. Miss Anthony
wrote her: "My dear Laura, you must choose whom you will serve--the
Republican party or the cause of woman's enfranchisement;" and she
replied: "Please don't insult my loyalty with any such suggestion as
this; I have never served anything but the suffrage cause since I began
the suffrage work;" and continued to look after the welfare of her
Republican clubs and arrange Republican meetings.

There is no question that a tremendous pressure was brought to bear upon
the suffrage leaders by the Republican politicians. If space would
permit the publication of their many letters now on file they would make
interesting reading. That of Charles F. Scott, of the Iola Register,
urging Mrs. Johns to call off her women and telling her the exact
language in which to do it, is a masterpiece of political shrewdness. It
concludes: "Try to get E. W. Hoch nominated for governor and we won't
need any platform." As a specimen of pure humor might be quoted one from
Case Broderick, M. C., in which he says:

I have thought a good deal about this question and have concluded
we can recognize the movement by a resolution similar to this:
"While the question of the amendment of the constitution, now
pending, granting the right of suffrage to women, is wholly
non-partisan and should not be made a test of Republicanism, yet
we can not view with apprehension the effort to fully confer upon
the women of Kansas the elective franchise."

He then closes: "Some will contend that we ought to say one thing or the
other ... but such a resolution as this would not drive any from our
party." One must admit that it would not scare them to death. Mr.
Broderick, however, was an honest believer in woman suffrage and later
did attempt to secure some recognition for it in the platform. The
Republicans sent an agent of adroit address among