- We went around and visited a number of women. Some were radical, some were conservative, some were Republicans, some were Democrats, some were well known, some were not so well known. But one and all they all told us the same thing. They we're not interested in running for the Kansas legislature. Some women felt they were too young. Some women felt they were too old. Some women said they were too busy they'd run another time. Some women were too poor. Some womens were too rich. One woman told us that she couldn't run because if she accepted office work she wouldn't be able to go traveling in England and on the continent with her husband. Nobody told us about Naomi Lance's political advocacy, but I guess everybody felt that it was pretty low. A number of women considered themselves unqualified. These women had rung door bells for other male candidates. They'd done volunteer work. Some of them have shedded off fairly important positions in the United Fund as in some instances had good, familiar last names of course these are the names of their husbands you understand which would have done them well in a campaign but they still felt that they were unqualified. Maybe they were, I asked one particularly why? And they said, possibility I was talking to what she thought about taxes. Did she think they were too high or too low and what did she think? She said she didn't know. A number of good candidates had other prospects in mind. One had already accepted a government position. Some were finishing up their degrees. Others were supporting their husbands through school. One person, one woman who had already shown considerable leadership capabilities was the sole support of two children. Another told us that her husband had already apprehensive about some previous work she had done. She was afraid if she took on this particular business and ran for the legislature it'd just be the end of her marriage. One woman couldn't run for fear of losing her job. And in two cases women had already run unsuccessful candidates and they weren't in the mood to run another. Since we didn't nail down any women candidates, we decided to introduce the men candidates at meetings in which we would tell them about our goals and hopefully they would inform us about their goals. On the whole I think these meetings were pretty successful. There's a real sense of immediacy about being in a room with four or five candidates, one of whom you know is actually going to win and going to be representing you over in Topeka. There's a feeling of contact with government and of course later on when you need to contact this person to explain to him what law it is you want him to vote for or against, well you have some idea of what his basic attitude is going to be and what's your best approach in talking to him might be. However, in my opinion, the most successful moment for the Women's Political Caucus came after one meeting. These were, this is one key thing when we interviewed five different candidates for district 44, there were four Republicans and one Democrat running for district 44. Three of those were, yeah actually four of those were young people running. One of them was a student, the other three were law students and one of them Mr. Harwood, who finally obtained the Republican nomination was an older man who came in only because he wanted to see the voters that wanted to given a choice between these three young Republican men and a little older person. But after this meeting, one young woman came up to me and said, you know after I hear what these men had to say, I think I could be a candidate myself. I was very pleased to hear this and after looking over that particular bunch of candidates, I was inclined to agree. The thought I'd like to leave with you tonight is partly political and partly personal. Politics is generally thought of as being concerned with government, but it's a little more than that. Politics is the art of the practical, it's the art of getting things done. So first of all in a kind of more traditional, personal political sense, I like to urge all of you to take some part in the November elections. The best way to do this is to call up some candidates who look good to you and offer to go help in his campaign. No matter how timid you are, no matter how feminine, and I mean feminine, not feminist, there's bound to be some job you can do. Whether it's answering the telephone, or addressing everyone. After you get a little more experience then you may want to go onto something more ambitious such as canvassing, going door to door, giving out the cards of your candidates, or you may want to talk to prospective voters on the telephone. Now that's the political part. The personal part is a little more complex. No person, man or woman today can get control over a lie without understand the process by which things get done. But in order to get things done you have to know something about how things are accomplished. You have to have some experience in working with people who know how to get things done. I met one day with a small group of students who had a little project in mind. There was a man accused of a crime. He was poor, he couldn't defend himself, they wanted to raise some money. It was not a very large project in the sense that it seemed to me it was perfectly possible to accomplish their goal. But none of us had any idea how to go about accomplishing their project. They had no idea whom to contact, what to do, who to seek out to help them. They had a good idea but they lacked the skills necessary to carry it out. And what these students wanted to do was not political but the kind of skill and knowledge that they would gain working in politics was what they needed for their project. So they would know how to organize themselves and organize other people. That's why I urge you to gain political strengths, learn how to get things done now. So that when you someday can have something want done, whether it's organizing a daycare center, establishing credit at a department store, or getting you know to be served well you know how to go about it. Natural if you wanted to do this through the Lawrence Women's Political Conference, well I'd be glad to see you do it that way, but through the political parties is also a good way to run.

- I want to say amen to everything they have said just for before I get into my thing, I'd like to say I think there are going to be at least three more women at the house. I really do. I've sat in on several political action council meetings and we probably will have a lady senator so you men look out. I was so surprised when Cindy called and asked if I would talk to you a little bit about sharing and tell you some of my experiences of how to communicate with the legislators, mostly because I'm not an expert. And you know I really don't care because I like to tell the men when I'm talking to men's groups that it isn't anything to be an expert because you know what an expert is don't you? An X is a has-been and spert is just a big drip under a whole lot of pressure. So if you're not an expert, I don't you know let that worry me. Women can effectively persuade their legislators not to get the bills passed as we found out. Ellen and all of us have struggled through some of the ERA bid and all of this, I worked very closely with legislation on highway safety. I go home and cry a lot, not in front of the men because you know, you can't get these people unhung. They're hung up on things that are so unreal that it's fantastic. But as Ellen has said, you have to work through the system and I'm learning that very bitterly in some instances and have tried to work through the system and sometimes like I said, you go home and cry inside. You know the old commercial that you see a lot says we've come a long ways to baby. And we women really have, but we've got a long way to go. And through working in government, with government, with the officials that we elect this is how we do it. And I'm kind of a rebel. I get real upset and real uptight when I see many capable, and I'll say men and women because I think the men are as guilty as we are, sitting on their ass but they're absolutely doing nothing to be interested or to even know how to go about writing your legislator or contacting them. And this really bugs me especially since I've been quite active, the last two years I've been a registered lobbyist for the Kent's Women Highway Safety and found that a woman is very suspect even on the outside of the legislative halls. You know, it's kind of a hallowed hall that you walk in up there anyhow, you shouldn't really be there. I have one house member that is a the chairman of the roads and highways and he's the man I work with all the time and this man I just feel him looking at me and inside I think he thinks why don't you just go home darling and knit. And this is what you contend with. And so you know, we have to learn through the process that we can reach these people. It's been kind of an expensive experience. I've learned a great deal about the inner workings of government, I don't get paid. And I've learned one thing for sure and this is that the legislators are real. They really are for real, whether they're fat and ugly, or dumb, or indifferent or whatever you think they are. And I have words and names for about every one of them. I'm not gonna share that with you because they're not too nice sometimes. But these people really are the ones that have control of us. And so this is why it's so important to go back to what Dr. Lynn said, and to go back to what Alan said, you have to start with getting your people elected, and of course that's not my subject so I'm not going to get into it. But it's just a reminder that you do have to start down there so that you do get your feelings across to the men or women that are going to be elected. And then in that way you have some contact in the state house or in Washington if you're going into the national level. And I firmly believe that that we women can no longer can pass the buck. I don't think we can say that you know, it's because we're setting home, we're taking care of babies or we're doing this. I think we have to get involved in learning to know how to communicate with these legislators and it's not always that easy. And I keep fighting back because I believe in some of the things that I'm fighting for and I think that all of you out there do too. And so you have a very good cause to fight for it and a woman with a cause you can't beat. You know you can get something you're really behind that you want to really push then the man gets scared in the house and in the Senate. We found this the day that they were going to act on the ERA last spring. They really didn't want to talk to us. My very favorite man, and a very good friend of ours for many years, has been the speaker of the house and he avoided me like I had the plague. You know he didn't want to face the fact that that I was going to say let's you know do something about getting a vote on the ERA. So you can reach them. Like I say, not always maybe to the way you want to, but you can reach them. And so this is some of the things you do. Write letters, contact them personally, meet before committees. And I'll get into those three things very soon. Don't be frightened of them in the first place. You know, we go up there scared to death, and did and I can sit here, and I, you know, I'm a real pro. I know them all and I say don't be frightened and I'm still scared to death. I'm going to appear in the morning at 10 o'clock before a committee in the Senate on the highway transportation and I'm scared to death. But yet, you know I say not to be frightened and I mean this because they really want your help and they need you. And so this is why it's important that you are in house. My first trip up there as a lobbyist I thought well, you know I'm kind of a green horn, but I learned one thing, the tourists visit that Kansas State house as though it were a zoo and it's really no reason. I mean there's a reason not to do this. That's where the bull is shot and the buck is passed and that's where you get a bum steer. So it's sort of like a zoo really and you sometimes think that they really are animals and they're not. It is an honor though to meet with these people that you have sent their there to represent you, that I have elected to send and to represent me. And they were curious I think every time a woman appears before them and so you have to do extra homework. I did a lot of things that I am sure that the men lobbyists don't do because I didn't want them to find that I didn't know or believe in what I was saying. And so I did do a lot of homework before I went down. I felt that by having some facts before me, and this is very important because when you're appearing before them especially as a committee they really come up with some wild questions. And some of them I think very basically were questions that would embarrass me and I'm awfully hard to embarrass because I just look at them and think you know you're here to learn and I'm here to learn and so this has been a real good rapport I think with them. Then the other thing, I always think you want to have one time to make that good impression, you never get that second chance. So this is why I urge if you write or any of this that you do you know, do some background homework so that you will know what you're talking about. As a writer of many letters, and I do write a lot of letters not only to the legislators, I'm a real fan of the governor he gets quite a few letters from me, sometimes nice and sometimes not so nice but he always knows who I am now and he calls me by my name and this surprises all my cohorts because I'm of the other party. But I have tried very hard to work with the governor and I think we have good associations and relations and he will listen to some of the things I'm saying and I listened to what he's saying and I think this is very important. But when you stop to think, really the mailbox is just as important to these men and women in the legislatures both again, national and state, as a ballot box because this is the only way they have to really have contact with their constituents back home because they can't get home always and you can't get up there where they are. And so this is very important to them. And they'll take time to write an answer. It may be three or four weeks before you answer back but you'll get an answer. Nationally I think you get an answer faster because the fellows in Washington do have help whereas unfortunately, and I would fight to get more secretaries and more research people for our state legislators because they really don't have a lot of help and they need this because by the time they're sitting there all day long in sessions and in committee hearings, they don't have a lot of time to answer mail. So don't get pretty too upset with them and be angry if you don't hear right back because they are working hard, but keep your letter as brief as possible and give only the essentials then request action. Pin them down because they're there to do a job and they should be made to answer or to respond to you in some way. As I say it might not be what you want to hear back, it might not be the answer at all, but you do have that courtesy that you know that you should have an answer. I can remember before I was a lobbyist, my own Senator, I was very interested in a parimutuel betting coming from Abilene, Kansas where we did live at that time, of course where they not places that the nation we feel. And he you know, he was very anti parimutuel and he would not listen to me. And so I just cornered him and I caught his lapel like this and I said, Ross you can at least give me the courtesy of listening to me and then you can tell me you know where to go. But this is the thing that they really need to do and because you're part of them. And if you had anything to do with their election. But if you, you know, I always say to the people if you don't vote then you don't have any reason to cry and you really can't go down there and say what you want to say to those people because you really didn't do anything to get them elected or get them defeated. So this is sort of your responsibility. But be brief and then if you know that there is a bill introduced call it by number, because really there are so many bills that sound very much alike the fellows just don't really know what bill you're talking about. So if it's already been introduced it will have a number and I would suggest in writing to them or in talking to them that you refer to them by number because it will be very helpful to them as well as to you. And then sign your letters, always sign your letters because nothing angers them more I've seen them opening their mail and they just toss anything that's not signed and I think this is true anywhere. You know, newspapers won't accept, I mean they'll accept it but they won't ever print a letter to the editor if it's not signed. This is very important and do it clearly so they can read it clearly. In my case, I almost have to print my rights support. So and give your address so that they'll have that, you know, because like I say you pin them down and they owe you this courtesy of doing this. And then for heaven's sake use your own ideas. Nothing turns them off more than to get a bunch of canned letters, you know saying the same thing or a printed mimeograph card you know and you sign your name. Use your ideas even if it's a kind of corny, it's better than this. I've heard so many of them say, well I can see that such and such a group has been acting. You know, because today I got 400 loads across my desk and that doesn't mean a thing. So be personal and this helps a great deal in getting what you want to say across. If you ever need help, as far as getting bills and copies of bills, or getting some other official documents or something contact them because they'd be very happy to help you out. Again, that's what they're there for. And they sure can get you the bills and I'm sure they will. Another way that you can contact or personally persuade them is I like to say contact them. If you're not in Topeka most of the time during the session they'll be home on weekends. And I'm sure they don't want it to be bugged by a whole lot of people, because I know they're busy they're doing their bread and butter jobs. Unfortunately we don't pay them enough that they can have a full time job up there but they appreciate again having your thoughts so call them at home or maybe you'll run into them, you know, on the street and then you tell them about some of the things you like and for heaven's sake not always to be critical. If they've done something real good just make them fall off the floor, you know onto the floor, off their chair when you write and say, thanks for voting for such and such because very few people ever do this. You know we're real quick to write when we're angry and say, no, no but do this because like you and I we have ego and it makes you feel real good if somebody says you know, a job well done thanks. And so I would suggest that you do this either in person or in writing even because like I say I'm sure that they don't get that too often. And then they'll don't always agree and you don't always agree with them, let them tell you their side because you know, unfortunately, and I hate to admit it sometimes, there are two sides to every question and maybe we're only one of the many constituents and the others maybe a hundred or so favored the other way. So you know, after you've told them what you think and what you like then be sure you let them have equal time so that they can express themselves. It makes both of you feel much better. You'll have a better relationship in working with them again. And then be honest, because these people, whether there are some I think are far out and not really too witty, they're pretty smart and they see through it when you put them on. So again, you have to be kind of honest in the end and square with them so that they'll know what you're talking about is what you sincerely believe and some of the truth that is around because I'm sure they're exposed to all kinds you know. Supposedly the lobbyists are bad and they tell them all kinds of falsehood and prefabricate and this sort of thing. And I think I'm kind of refreshing to them because I don't know enough about it to lie and so I just have to be very honest and I get a lot of gaps, I get a lot of teasing, of course especially on women's rights. You'd be surprised at how you know, you know the first thing they always say when you start thinking about anything equal rights, Oh so you want one community potty. Now isn't this something, this just makes me real upset with them because these are adult people and that's the first thing you hear. You know I suppose you want to take his or hers and make it ours. And you know we have no intention, that's not what we wanted at all. And so it's kind of humorous as well as sometimes very serious. Then the third way of course is to appear before committees. And many of you probably don't know how to do this because you've not had the experience. But during the session in the mornings the house of representatives meet as a body in the afternoon they have a committee, vice versa. The Senate has committee hearings in the mornings and meet in the afternoons. There will be most any day of the week in the newspaper that you have access to a schedule of the meetings. If not contact your own individual legislator and say I'm interested in such and such a bill, for instance a driver's license re-examination bill which I appeared and went on. I have been on their list, you know ever since the station ended and I get this daily list they send once a week that shows the committees. Somehow the Senator remembered my plea I think last year and I got notified that I was asked to come in tomorrow but you do this by sending in to the chairman and saying, or calling and saying we would like to appear before such and such committee when you meet on this particular bill then you go in and appear before them as a body. One of you would speak you know if you have a group like The Women's Political Caucus you would go in there and meet and they would hear you. Then they make no decisions or anything at that time and it's all discussed afterwards. After you leave, you don't get to hear all the goodies but it's really quite an experience. And it's one way again, that you can communicate as a group by you know, having a representative or two speak out. And so this is something I'd like you to learn to do because well last year there were many young people from the from the universities appeared at different times, sometimes while I was there. Another interesting experience and this is to sit in on a budget hearing some time. This is really. I saw your Dr. Chalmers two years ago when he was first new, or about three years ago, whenever it was his first year. And I came away very impressed especially with his bow tie. This man really was sharp and they played and they played very loud and very long and sometimes on deaf ears. And sometimes I think that you know, we don't think that our regions and all are really hearing us but they do try and legislators had to hear all of this and then they determine which is most valuable and how your money should be spent. And unfortunately there's never enough money. And so this is why many of the bills that I plead for we don't get because we don't have enough money. Sometimes they get through and then they get vetoed but you know, that's another thing. But when you appear before the committee be informed that's very important thing. And then again, believe in what you're saying because if you don't believe you're not going to sell that. The thing I think in closing I'd like to stress mostly is remember they are human beings and for heaven's sake don't threaten them and don't make them you know a promise that you're going to do something because you've kind of insult their integrity. They can't be bribed. I'm sure that sometimes you've heard that they are bribed but I'm probably convinced after working with them for two years and as you can see I'm very much, I shouldn't say, I don't know what word I want to use but I think the legislators are pure plain people and they're taking a lot of abuse every day from many of the politicians that say they were bad. And I'm speaking of both sides because I've worked very closely with both sides. But they're trying and they're not doing a perfect job. And I look around at my people at home, for instance this past primary deadline was the 20th of June to file and I plead with everyone in my town of Abilene, Kansas, where I work, I live in Sinai but I work over there, to please run for office. We could not get anybody, you know off their desk to run. We finally have two young people and now everybody is so critical of the young people, I want to go around and tap each one on the head and say, okay this is you're doing why didn't you run? Nobody wants to take that responsibility as I found, particularly in women. And so we live with the legislature we have and you work with them. So don't be too critical of them. They appreciate constructive criticism and they need you as I said before, and you need them. And I think in working with them, not always agreeing but working with them, I think we can accomplish a great deal. And so if you have some questions, if we have some time for questions I'll try to answer or whatever. I hope it's enlightened you a little bit, I didn't know just what to cover except that it is quite an exciting world and it gets under your skin and you know, you think you can lift the world, but you can't. Thank you.

- I've got a good question. Something the author said that relates to women's issues in the party platforms. I noticed it's true at the national level. Is there a commitment on the state law on either side of either party?

- Not as such on the platform.

- No, I didn't want to say I have, but I think that we're dealing with them, I got from Phoebe something about her appearing before the platform committee and I think that they're trying and at least they're, I know in our district we have a woman who happens to be running as a state representative and she is forcing the proponent to explain why he didn't vote people write to them. And that's more what I meant to say for the first time they are aware of women's issues, their examining may justify why they didn't vote for equal rights or they're explaining why they didn't break ground and said they were happy to. They hadn't care before. So I think there is just some progress. I'm not saying that it's on the platform in Congress.

- Did you ever experience this issue?

- I appeared before both platforms, Ladies On Highway Safety and then on the Republican platform I carried the Women's Political Caucus plate which one of the women who was talking down there at every point of impact, neither party got wild. We had lots of promises on the hearings and bad news, I, you know, I thought it was bad. I thought The Women's Political Caucus had a very strong issue in the daycare centers to get the welfare mothers off the welfare roles so that you know, they have somebody to take care of their children. I think it was a representative vote or maybe in the community hearing, anyhow somebody from down these areas had a great idea. So you know I came home and curious so I thought, well we'll get a little bit of a platform but we did not get any of the platforms. Not a cent.

- They really screened you initially.

- Especially since the video of the girls, I hadn't done a tracking. Karen Grace shook them to pieces. Just shook Carl out of his head. He was so afraid that abortion thing would get into that platform. He was sick for two hours, he was panicky about it. And of course it didn't get in. We don't have guts enough in our party, I can't speak for the Democrat party and now you know what I am, but I'm a liberal one. I'm gonna get kicked out on anything. We can't take an issue. I mean we can't face and say in black and white we will do this. You read our platform every year.

- Me?

- Yeah. You spoke about women legislators you think that they have time in a sense to have a Senator Jim Meyer-

- Very much.

- So that's one Senator. I did a thing I think I figured out, I can't tell really like Vivian from-

- That's a man.

- I think there's 16 runners.

- There are 16 in women. In fact there were 23 in the primary.

- You know I think even more than that unless I mixed up on those names, surely Shirley usually would, but not always.

- I understand-

- Which races do you think-

- There's a Wichita senator might, a lady might win in the Senate at Wichita but In Saline County, do you all mind if we talk a little bit about women that might win? In Saline County, there will be probably Shirley Jacques who's been actively living with the focus very definitely I think win because the man isn't working, a woman is out knocking on doors. It's really she is one. There's bound to be one more in Topeka area because there are two women opposing each other Ruth Wilkins and Anita Carl, either will be very good. Either are very good business women, favor women's rights and so forth. Oh, the other one will be well Annabelle Hawk in Wichita in the house has a very good chance. In fact we might get has a good chance. There's someone at Wichita that might have a chance. So we may go out there and just beam at all the women on the floor of the house.

- I think that B. Douglas was not given much chance in Wichita against Billy McCray.

- Billy McCray has it sacked up. First of all he's in a complete democrat area, secondly he's gonna you know, he's not the only black that represents something that whole area and the black will see that he's reelected he's going into you know the Senate.

- I understood that with Billy McCray who single handedly, by bringing up on the floor the fact that women should be included in the civil rights.