WOMEN SLOW
IN REGISTERING
Men Outnumber Them Three to
One First Day.
Expect Proportion to Change
Materially in Next Few
Days—Some Figures.
The number of women registrants on
the opening day of the biennial registration here yesterday was somewhat
smaller than was expected, the ratio
being about three men to one woman in
a number of wards where reports were
received shortly before the closing hour.
Reports received from a number of
wards early in the day indicated that
the women in every section of the city
were showing a disinclination to rush to
the booths to qualify for the municipal
elections, but political leaders last night
attributed this failing to their inexperience in politics, and expressed the belief that the number of women registrants in the next few days would be
nearly as large as the number of males.
In the first ward there were 54 receipts issued up to 7 o'clock, of which
19 were issued to women. In the south
ninth, only four women had registered
up to 7 o'clock, while receipts were issued to 58 men. At the Park City fire
hall in the 14th ward, 69 receipts were
issued, 20 of them being made out for
women.
In the second ward, 48 had registered
up to 7 o'clock. Eleven of these receipts were issued to women. Fifty-five
were qualified in the 6th ward, 14 of
them being women.
While these figures are incomplete,
they nevertheless furnish an idea of
how the first day's registrations were
being recorded among both the men and
women voters of KnoxviUe, clearly-
showing that in every section of the
city there was but little activity among
the women in obtaining registration receipts to qualify for the municipal elections.
Mrs. T. P. Miller, president of the
Non-Partisan Political league, said last
night that while the initial day's registration among the women voters was
lighter than expected, she believed that
a heavy registration would be recorded
before the end of the week.
"We hope to register at least 50 per
cent of the eligible women voters," said
Mrs. Miller, "before the expiration of
the time limit, Aug. 21."
Mrs. Miller registered in the 14th
ward at noon.
Mrs. R. L. Cunningham, who has
charge of the work of organizing women's
clubs in the city wards, was busy
lst night sending out literature, explaining certain election details. Mrs.
Cunningham is actively engaged in the
work of bringing out women to the registration precincts.
Mrs. Henry Welcker, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was the first
woman to register in the twenty-sixth
ward, South Knoxville, Monday morning. Mrs. Welcker says she was an
anti-suffragette, but since the law giving the women the right to cast their
ballots in city elections she believes it (missing)
