means for carrying the Federal Amendment. A
number of conferences were held to consider various phases of the work
of the association which had become all-embracing. The one on How to
do Political Work for Suffrage was led by a past-master in it, Miss
Hay. One on How to use our Organization to Win was under the direction
of Mrs. Shuler. The conference of press workers was in charge of Miss
Young. Why We Did Not Win was told by Mrs. Lydia Wickliffe Holmes,
president of the Woman Suffrage Party of Louisiana, referring to the
defeat of the State suffrage amendment; Why We Did Win, by Mrs. Ben
Hooper, president of the Wisconsin association, describing the gaining
of the Presidential franchise. There were reports by the State
presidents of the work that had been done by women during the year
throughout the country for the war, for suffrage, for civic
improvement.

A report that was heard with the deepest interest was that of the
Oversea Hospitals in France, by Mrs. Raymond Brown, general director,
and Mrs. Charles L. Tiffany, chairman of the committee. This had been
a very important part during the past two years of the work of the
association, which had raised $133,000 for its maintenance. [See the
chapter on War Work.]

When it had been arranged to hold the convention the last week in
March, 1919, it was supposed that the Federal Suffrage Amendment would
have been submitted by Congress by that time, as it had passed the
Lower House early in January. It seemed especially appropriate that
this jubilee convention could celebrate this event on the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the sole
purpose of obtaining this amendment but to the keen disappointment of
its leaders and members two obdurate Senators had spoiled this
beautiful plan. Its success, however, was so universally conceded that
it was decided to hold the semi-centennial celebration and the
afternoon of March 26 was dedicated to this purpose and to the
honoring of the early leaders. Fifty Years of Ever Widening Empire was
the motto at the head of the program. The tribute to the Pioneers of
the National Association was paid by Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery, for
twenty-one years from 1881 the corresponding secretary of the
association and closely associated with Lucretia Mott, Mrs. Stanton,
Miss Anthony and the other pioneers almost from her girlhood. To Miss
Anthony she was like a daughter and she gave a touching account of her
person