[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 31 (Thursday, February 16, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

                                 ______


                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 16, 1995
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the League of 
Women Voters on 75 years of extraordinary service to our democracy.
  In 1920, women throughout the Nation cast their first ballot for 
Congress and President of the United States, forever changing the 
character of our country and of our politics. It was the League of 
Women Voters which informed and engaged these millions of newly 
enfranchised citizens.
  Today, the League of Women Voters has over 1,000 chapters with some 
150,000 members, both women and men. It continues to shape our public 
dialogue through study of major policy questions, and through the 
encouragement of community service and participation.
  In Westchester County, where I live, the League of Women Voters is a 
leading sponsor of progressive reforms. Each year, the league produces 
thousands of voter guides to help us make informed decisions, publishes 
a directory of elected officials, and sponsors scores of debates with 
ample opportunity for citizen involvement.
  That vibrant tradition has helped produce leaders such as Ruth 
Hinerfeld, who rose to lead the national league organization after a 
long and successful experience with the Westchester chapter.
  I am also very proud to say that the founder of the League of Women 
Voters, Carrie Chapman Catt, chose to spend the last decades of her 
life in New Rochelle. Today, the city of New Rochelle and its local 
league chapter are temporarily renaming Paine Avenue, where Mrs. Catt 
lived, League of Women Voters Avenue. It is a fitting tribute to a 
leader whose remarkable works continue to shape our lives.
  Mr. Speaker, 75 years after its founding, the league's mission is as 
essential as ever. For though the right to vote is secure, the 
responsible exercise of that right remains an ideal for which we shall 
ever strive.
  It is a pleasure to thank the league for all it has done, and all it 
will do.


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