Document 7A: Letter from Harriot Stanton Blatch to Alice Paul, 20 December 1920, National Woman's Party Papers, 1913-1974, Library of Congress (Microfilm (1979), reel 5).
Introduction
Harriot Stanton Blatch joined the group lobbying Alice Paul for the inclusion of an African American, Mary B. Talbert, on the platform at the NWP event planned for Washington on February 15, 1921. She enclosed a letter from Mary White Ovington (see Document 7B), a white founder of the NAACP, who made a strong case for the importance of standing firmly in support of voting rights for African-American women in the South.
WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY CLUB
106 East Fifty-Second Street
NY Dec 20, 1920
My Dear Miss Paul:
I enclose a letter from Miss Ovington which explains itself. It seems to me it would be a very splendid thing for the Woman's Party at its celebration in February, if it acceded to Miss Ovington's request.
May I note here two items in reference to the misunderstanding between us? The ten thousand dollars for the Bust Fund was not merely referred to by Mrs Lewis in June. You suggested the day that we went to Mrs Belmonts, that I make an appeal for the money but we both concluded that the single appeal to wipe out the actual debt of the Woman's Party was sufficient on that occasion. Also on Wednesday evening September 15th, when you dined with me at the Women's University Club, you came for the express purpose of discussing with me some of the details of the Bust celebration and on that occasion also, then thousand dollars was mentioned as the desired goal and it was then that you spoke of as "seeming rather large."
With every good wish for the success of the occasion, believe me,
Very Truly yours,
Harriot Stanton Blatch
