Imperial Valley Press

Women Playing Distinguished Roles in Presidential Battle

Editor's Note: The following is one of a series of sketches of women who are playing an important part in the political campaign.

By PERCY B. SCOTT
(United Press Staff Correspondent)

NEW YORK, July 10

A quiet, gentle-voiced woman who is a home maker rather than a politician, will play one of the most important parts in the forthcoming presidential campaign.

She is Mrs. Henry Moskowitz of New York, generally regarded as the closest advisor of Gov. Alfred E. Smith.

She is modest and retiring by disposition and one is scarcely aware of her presence but there is not a social problem to which she has not devoted years of thought and study and no political problem has arisen in the last ten years on which Gov. Smith has not called her into conference and more often than not he has taken her advice.

And Mrs. Moskowitz is working mostly because she likes it.

"We who knew the gov'r think at the money we receive working for him," she told the senate committee which recently investigated expenditures of presidential candidates. "We work for love of the men."

That statement literally is true.

Nominally she is publicity agent for the New York Democratic state committee. As such she receives a salary of $150 per month.

Mrs. Moskowitz began a study of social and labor conditions years ago. Little was known of her until Smith began his first campaign for governor. She was recommended to him for organizing women.

The governor asked her to accept the work, which she did. Not long after the campaign began she advised the governor that he should address a woman's gathering in Harlem. Smith protested that he never had addressed an audience of women in his life and was too nervous.

But Mrs. Moskowitz persisted and carried her point.

She had faith, she told a few friends afterward, that Smith's sincerity would make itself manifest to the women and she was determined the women should see it. Apparently they did and spread the word for Smith was invited more and more frequently to address women's organizations.

That was her introduction into real politics. But the governor thought so much of her opinions that in his second gubernatorial campaign he put her on his war board of a half dozen members. To day she is conceded to be his closest adviser.

Mrs. Moskowitz is approaching middle life. She is of medium height, with black hair and brown eyes.

She is the mother of three children, two sons and a daughter. Her great pride is her home.