LETTER: Typed Letter to "My Dear Sir."
LETTER TO A SOLDIER
Whitehouse, Vera Boarman. Typed Letter Signed “Vera Boarman Whitehouse” to “My dear Sir.” New York: [1917]; one leaf “New York State Woman Suffrage Party” stationery; verso only; minor edgewear.
Suffragette Whitehouse writes a spirited letter to “Sir,” likely a soldier or military man, urging him to get out the “soldier vote” for the proposed “Woman Suffrage Amendment No. 1.” Her letter begins, “The soldiers of New York, no matter where they are – whether in camp at home, in some other State, or somewhere in France – are going to be given the chance to vote in November. The one question of State-wide importance at the election will be the Woman Suffrage Amendment No. 1.”
She cites statistics of the women who signed the New York State Woman Suffrage Party’s petition, noting, “The number increases daily,” and, “This is much more than a majority of the largest number of men ever registered in this State.”
She goes on, “The mothers, wives, and sisters of many of the soldiers are, of course, among this number. When you vote, think of them left at home! Do you realize your responsibility? The soldier vote may decide this question.”
Whitehouse ends asking the recipient to look over the enclosed literature (not present) and closing, “we ask you to consider the question very seriously and not only to vote “yes” yourself but to get your friends to do likewise.”
Vera Boarman Whitehouse (1875-1957) was an American suffragette who served on a number of local committees in New York – among them the Empire State Campaign Committee and the New York State Woman Suffrage Committee.
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