<P> Wilson designated January 1, 1916 as Polish Relief Day . Contributions to the Red Cross given that day were used to give relief to Poland . Polish Americans frequently pledged a working day's pay to the cause . American Poles purchased over $67 million in Liberty Loans during World War I to help finance the war . </P> <P> By 1917 there were over 7000 Polish organizations in the United States, with a membership - often overlapping - of about 800,000 people . The most prominent were the Polish Roman Catholic Union founded in 1873, the PNA (1880) and the gymnastic Polish Falcons (1887). Women also established separate organizations . </P> <P> The PNA was formed in 1880 to mobilize support among Polish Americans for the liberation of Poland; it discouraged Americanization before World War I. Down until 1945 it was locked in battle with the rival organization Polish Roman Catholic Union . It then focused more on its fraternal roles such as social activities for its membership . By the 1980s it focused on its insurance program, with 300,000 members and assets of over $176 million . </P> <P> The first Polish politicians were now seeking major offices . In 1918 a Republican was elected to Congress from Milwaukee, the next one was elected to Congress in 1924 as a Republican from Detroit . In the 1930s, the Polish vote became a significant factor in larger industrial cities, and switched heavily into the Democratic Party . Charles Rozmerek, the PNA president from 1939 to 1969, built a political machine from the Chicago membership, and played a role in Chicago Democratic politics . </P>

Which would have been considered a push factor of immigration apex