News Articles

LABOR INDORSES WOMAN SUFFRAGE

State Federation Adopts Resolutions in Meeting at The Dalles.

At a meeting of the State Federation of Labor, held at The Dalles Monday, resolutions favoring women’s suffrage were unanimously passed. The resolutions, which were presented by Attorney W. M. Davis of Portland, were as follows:

“That, whereas, the question of equal suffrage will be placed upon the ballot at the next election, in November of this year, in the following form: ‘In all elections not otherwise provided for by this constitution, every citizen of the United States, of the age of 21 years and upwards, who shall have resided in the state during the six months immediately preceding such election, and every person of foreign birth of the age of 21 years and upyards, who shall have resided in this state during the six months immediately preceding such election, and shall have declared his or her intention to become a citizen of the United States one year preceding such election, comformably to the laws of the United States on the subject of naturalization, shall be entitled to vote at all elections authorized by law,’ and,

“Whereas, it appears from the initiative petition which has already been filed in the words above set forth, that it does not restrict the ballot in any manner, but gives women equal rights of voting with men; and,

“Whereas, women are naturally less selfish and more sympathetic than men; and,

“Whereas, there does not appear to be any reason why women should not have equal rights with men in voting; be it therefore,

“Resolved, That the State Federation of Labor of Oregon, hereby assembled, recommend and indorse the initiative petition which has been heretofore filed with the secretary of state, giving women the right of suffrage in the state of Oregon; and be it further

“Resolved, That this body recommend to every subordinate body in the state of Oregon that equal suffrage be indorsed in the state of Oregon, and that every voter in the state of Oregon members of this body, or any subordinate body, use their utmost efforts and vote for said initiative ballot at the next election to be held in November.”

EQUAL SUFFRAGE CLUB ORGANIZED; DAVIS PRESIDENT

Plans Made to Conduct State-Wide Campaign for Votes for Women; Speakers Give Slogan for Fair Sex.

Permanent organization of the Men’s Equal Suffrage club was effected last evening at the Commercial club. A full set of officers was elected, and preliminary arrangements made for a state-wide campaign for the extension of the ballot to women. The assembly hall of the club was crowded. Judge Kavanaugh of the circuit court and John P. (Jerry) Rusk of La Grande, speaker of the house in the last legislature, were the principal speakers.
The officers elected were: President, W.M. Davis; vice president, Judge John P. Kavanaugh; secretary, Attorney Arthur Langguth; treasurer, W.D. Cridge; directors, Robert A. Miller, W.H. Fear and Richard Deich. A constitution and by-laws were adopted. Meetings will be held monthly, and membership is extended to voters at the next election. No women can join, as there is another organization for them. At present, work of organizing Multnomah county will be taken up, but as the campaign advances the state will be organized. The names of George N. Davis, Dr. Emmet Drako and Judge Tazwell were offered for directors, but each man declined, saying he had not the time.
Does Not “Destroy” Home.
Judge Kavanaugh said he had recently made a trip through Washington and California, during which time he talked with many people about the woman suffrage amendment. The judge said he was thoroughly convinced the old idea is erroneous that woman suffrage would destroy the simplicity of the home woman.
“I had occasion to observe this one result, and I gave particular attention in homes where I visited,” he added. “I wish to say that I found the maiden and the matron just as fair, and just as charming, as they were previous to the adoption of the suffrage amendment.
“The old prejudices against women voting are passing. Oregon is practically surrounded by states allowing women to vote. Our state should have been the first to adopt it. Woman suffrage is one of the most advanced steps in true democracy. It is the next step in popular legislation. A few years ago people did not look kindly upon this question. Woman was not then the breadwinner she is today. There are many interests today that touch the woman closer than the man. Such interests are the school, home, and herself as a wage earner.
“It has been said that politics would draw the woman down. This is an unfair statement. The result will be that woman will elevate politics. Women will force better men and better issues.”
The judge advocated the handling of the question with diplomacy. He said a campaign of education should be conducted. Publicity, the malls, and public speaking are the agencies through which the voters should be reached. It was also predicted that this would be the last campaign in this state the suffragists would have to wage, as the question would carry.
“Jerry” Rusk Speaks.
“The people adopted the Australian ballot system, the direct primary election laws, corrupt practices act, and other popular laws, but have rejected one of the most important movements for public good,” said “Jerry” Rusk. “One of the most prevalent reasons given for not extending the ballot to women is that it will degrade them. I contend that woman will purify politics. All the other popular election laws elevated politics, and the adoption of the suffrage amendment will still further clean the political arena. If Oregon would have had woman suffrage 20 years ago, the state would not have experienced some of the dirty games indulged in by politicians.”
Robert Miller, one of the old Democratic war horses, said that when it comes to taking up political questions, that woman comes with a cleaner and more ethical hand than man. She is entitled to vote as a matter of right, and not one of theory, added the speaker.
C.M. Mullen cautioned the club against nominating men who would be candidates for office, saying that the voters at large would say the move was one to advance the candidate’s election. He also advocated a campaign of education.

ACTOR URGES SUFFRAGE

J. FORBES ROBERTSON SPEAKS AT HIRSCH HOME.

In Address Eminent English Player Declares He Is in Favor of Votes for Women.

The cause of woman’s suffrage received encouragement yesterday afternoon when J. Forbes-Robertson, the eminent English actor, gave an address at the home of Mrs. Solomon Hirsch. An audience of representative men and women of Portland listened to Mr. Robertson’s eloquent appeal.

Mr. Robertson is a great enthusiast for the cause of women’s suffrage, and, while he does not approve of the militant methods by which the English women have brought the cause before the public, he declares that these women have suffered great hardships through their loyalty to the fight for suffrage.

Mr. Robertson laid great stress upon the fact that the English playwright J. M. Barrie and the novelist George Meredith are supporters if the cause of suffrage. He ended his talk by saying that if by his efforts he had succeeded in converting one man or woman to the cause, he would be satisfied. Following his address 42 persons pledged their personal support.

After the address a reception was held in honor of Mr. Robertson. Mrs. Hirsch was assisted in receiving by her daughters, the Misses Ella, May, and Clementine Hirsch. Mrs. Helen Ladd Corbett, Mrs. J. Wesley Ladd, Mrs. L. Allen Lewis and Mrs. Holt C. Wilson presided at the table in the dining-room and Miss Jean Mackenzie, Miss Katherine MacMaster, Mrs. Thomas Robertson, Miss Frances Wilson and Mrs. J. Andre Fouilhoux assited about the rooms.

The forming of the Portland Equal Suffrage League is regarded as a notable step in the suffrage movement of the West. The league officers are: Mrs. Solomon Hirsch, president; Mrs. Grace Watt Ross, vice-president; Mrs. J. Andre Foilhoux, secretary, and Miss Frances Wilson, treasurer. The dues for the league will be $1 a year.

The following are the names of those who yesterday pledged their support for women’s suffrage: The Misses Ella, May and Clementine Hirsch, Mrs. James Canby, Mrs. Leroy Parker, Miss Cornelia Cook, Dr. Esther Pohl, Miss Minnie Russell, Mrs. C. A. Barnes, Mrs. Alf Klingenberg, Mrs. Charles Gauld, Miss Alice Strong, Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Mays, Miss Josephine Smith, Miss Polly Hewett, Mrs. Laura A. King, I. N. Fleisohner, Mrs. William T. Foster, Mrs. G. E. Reed, Miss Evelyn Wilson, Julius L. Meier,  Mrs. F. M. Rothchild, Miss Genevie Thompson, Mrs. George T. Willett, Mrs. Robert Strong, Mrs. A. A. Morrison, Miss Jean Mackenzie, Mrs. Henry Jones, Miss Elizabeth Cadwell, C. S. Jackson, Mrs. T. B. Trevett, Miss Lucy Trevett, Wells Gilbert, Mrs. C. S. Jackson, Mrs. Carroll Hurlbut, Miss Marion Jackson, Mrs. Edmund L. Devereaux, Mrs. Thomas Robertson, Mrs. F. Friedlander, Miss Henrietta Elliot and Clifton McArthur.

SUFFRAGE CERTAIN TO COME VERDICT OF ENGLISH ACTOR
J. Forbes-Robertson Says Men Afraid to Have Women Vote—Does Not Defend but Excuses Militants.
“This great movement is as sure to pass through the civilized countries of the world as we are gathered here this afternoon.” Said J. Forbes-Robertson, the noted English actor, in an address on woman’s suffrage delivered at the home of Mrs. Coleman Hirsch to a large number of Portland’s leading men and women yesterday afternoon. “There will be no stopping of it. You might as well try to stop the wind from fretting the trees on the hillsides. Woman’s suffrage is sure to come.”
Direct from the conflict which is being waged so vigorously by the women of England, Mr. Robertson, who is a strong supporter of the contention that the women have a right in the privilege of the ballot, gave the society folk of Portland an insight into the hardships the militant suffragettes of England have had to endure in their efforts to further their cause.
“I cannot defend the militant suffragette, but I can understand and excuse her,” he said.  “She thought if she did drastic acts her cause would get some notice by the newspapers, but if she contented herself by holding meetings and discussing the constitutionality of the question, she wouldn’t even get so much as a paragraph.”
All Classes Enlisted
“All classes of women are enlisted in the militant movement. Along with the poorer classes are those who enjoy wealth and ease. All classes, numbering more than 1000, have been imprisoned, but their spirit has not been broken. Many have been sent to prison many times. This has not been for self advertisement. These women realize it isn’t funny to go to prison for six or eight weeks, but they do it for the cause.”
As one good effect of the women going to prison, Mr. Robertson said deplorable, unspeakable, insanitary conditions were found in the prisons and which, through the efforts of the women after they were released, have been remedied to a very large extent.
In defense of the militant suffragette, as he said they were called, he asked his hearers to look back upon any movement for the emancipation of mankind. He said there always were many who became tired of slow methods who adopted militant methods.
Says Man Has Done Worse.
“What is good for the goose is good for the gander,” he continued. “Man has done what the women are now doing, only man has done worse.”
The speaker said the anti-press of England greatly exaggerated the stone throwing and other rough methods said to be in vogue among the women fighters for the cause. He said the women were compelled to endure slander and vilification, but they did it and when trouble arose they went to jail instead of paying their fines.
He bitterly denounced Mrs. Humphrey Ward, a woman of wealth and influence, for her opposition to woman’s suffrage. He said nearly all of the women of the official class of England were against the movement because they were already in positions of influence and were afraid of losing some of their influence if all women were given the right to vote.
“I can understand male opposition to woman suffrage,” he cried, “because some men think that their throne in the home is in danger. They are frightened at their wives. They are afraid to give their wives equal privileges with themselves.”
He congratulated all women because of the support given the movement by J. M. Barrle, the novelist and playwright, and George Meredith, the novelist. He laid great stress upon their support because of the wonderful understanding and insight into woman’s nature.
“You cannot call upon women to pay dues and taxes without giving them the right to vote,” he said. He said women had more conservative tendencies and were more religiously inclined than men, and that these qualities were of inestimable value to the race.
“Woman suffrage is but a little key that will open such a wide door and let in flood of light throughout the world,” he said. “If you believe in it, it is your duty to stand on the platform whenever opportunity offers, and declare yourselves for this great movement. You must be fearless.”
Reception Held
Following Mr. Robertson’s address a reception was held in his honor. Mrs. Hirsch was assisted in receiving by her daughters, the Misses Ella May and Clementine Hirsch. In the dining room Mrs. Helen Ladd Corbett, Mrs. J. Wesley Ladd, Mrs. L. Allen Lewis and Mrs. Holt C. Wilson presided at the table. Assisting about the rooms were Miss Louise Burns, Miss Jenn Mackenzie, Miss Katherine MacMaster, Mrs. Thomas Robertson, Miss Frances Wilson and Mrs. J. Andre Fouilhoux.
The occasion brought many new recruits into the ranks of the Portland Equal Suffrage league of which Mrs. Solomon Hirsch is president, Mrs. Grace Watt Ross vice president, Mrs. J. Andre Fouilhoux secretary, and Mrs. Frances Wilson treasurer. Among those who pledged their support to the cause yesterday were the Misses Ella May and Clementine Hirsch, Mrs. James Canby, Mrs. Leroy Parker, Miss Cornelia Cook, Dr. Esther Pohl, Miss Minole Russell, Mrs. C. A. Barnes, Mrs. Alf Kilngenberg, Mrs. Charles Gould, Miss Alice Strong, Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Mays, Miss Josephine Smith, Miss Polly Hewett, Mrs. Laura A. King, I. N. Fleischner, Mrs. William T. Foster, Mrs. G. E. Reed, Mrs. Evelyn Wilson, Julius B. Moler, Mrs. F. M. Rothchild, Miss Genevieve Thompson, Mrs. George T. Willett, Mrs. Robert Strong, Mrs. A. A. Morrison, Miss Jenn Mackenzie, Mrs. Henry Jones, Miss Elizabeth Cadwell, C. S. Jackson, Mrs. T. B. Trevett, Miss Lucy Trevett, Wells Gilbert, Mrs. C. S. Jackson, Mrs. Carroll Hurlbut, Miss Marlon Jackson, Mrs. Edmund L. Devereaux, Mrs Thomas Robertson, Mrs. F. Frledinnder, Miss Henrietta Ellot and Clifton McArthur.

SUFFRAGE CERTAIN TO COME VERDICT OF ENGLISH ACTOR
J. Forbes-Robertson Says Men Afraid to Have Women Vote—Does Not Defend but Excuses Militants.
“This great movement is as sure to pass through the civilized countries of the world as we are gathered here this afternoon.” Said J. Forbes-Robertson, the noted English actor, in an address on woman’s suffrage delivered at the home of Mrs. Coleman Hirsch to a large number of Portland’s leading men and women yesterday afternoon. “There will be no stopping of it. You might as well try to stop the wind from fretting the trees on the hillsides. Woman’s suffrage is sure to come.”
Direct from the conflict which is being waged so vigorously by the women of England, Mr. Robertson, who is a strong supporter of the contention that the women have a right in the privilege of the ballot, gave the society folk of Portland an insight into the hardships the militant suffragettes of England have had to endure in their efforts to further their cause.
“I cannot defend the militant suffragette, but I can understand and excuse her,” he said.  “She thought if she did drastic acts her cause would get some notice by the newspapers, but if she contented herself by holding meetings and discussing the constitutionality of the question, she wouldn’t even get so much as a paragraph.”
All Classes Enlisted
“All classes of women are enlisted in the militant movement. Along with the poorer classes are those who enjoy wealth and ease. All classes, numbering more than 1000, have been imprisoned, but their spirit has not been broken. Many have been sent to prison many times. This has not been for self advertisement. These women realize it isn’t funny to go to prison for six or eight weeks, but they do it for the cause.”
As one good effect of the women going to prison, Mr. Robertson said deplorable, unspeakable, insanitary conditions were found in the prisons and which, through the efforts of the women after they were released, have been remedied to a very large extent.
In defense of the militant suffragette, as he said they were called, he asked his hearers to look back upon any movement for the emancipation of mankind. He said there always were many who became tired of slow methods who adopted militant methods.
Says Man Has Done Worse.
“What is good for the goose is good for the gander,” he continued. “Man has done what the women are now doing, only man has done worse.”
The speaker said the anti-press of England greatly exaggerated the stone throwing and other rough methods said to be in vogue among the women fighters for the cause. He said the women were compelled to endure slander and vilification, but they did it and when trouble arose they went to jail instead of paying their fines.
He bitterly denounced Mrs. Humphrey Ward, a woman of wealth and influence, for her opposition to woman’s suffrage. He said nearly all of the women of the official class of England were against the movement because they were already in positions of influence and were afraid of losing some of their influence if all women were given the right to vote.
“I can understand male opposition to woman suffrage,” he cried, “because some men think that their throne in the home is in danger. They are frightened at their wives. They are afraid to give their wives equal privileges with themselves.”
He congratulated all women because of the support given the movement by J. M. Barrle, the novelist and playwright, and George Meredith, the novelist. He laid great stress upon their support because of the wonderful understanding and insight into woman’s nature.
“You cannot call upon women to pay dues and taxes without giving them the right to vote,” he said. He said women had more conservative tendencies and were more religiously inclined than men, and that these qualities were of inestimable value to the race.
“Woman suffrage is but a little key that will open such a wide door and let in flood of light throughout the world,” he said. “If you believe in it, it is your duty to stand on the platform whenever opportunity offers, and declare yourselves for this great movement. You must be fearless.”
Reception Held
Following Mr. Robertson’s address a reception was held in his honor. Mrs. Hirsch was assisted in receiving by her daughters, the Misses Ella May and Clementine Hirsch. In the dining room Mrs. Helen Ladd Corbett, Mrs. J. Wesley Ladd, Mrs. L. Allen Lewis and Mrs. Holt C. Wilson presided at the table. Assisting about the rooms were Miss Louise Burns, Miss Jenn Mackenzie, Miss Katherine MacMaster, Mrs. Thomas Robertson, Miss Frances Wilson and Mrs. J. Andre Fouilhoux.
The occasion brought many new recruits into the ranks of the Portland Equal Suffrage league of which Mrs. Solomon Hirsch is president, Mrs. Grace Watt Ross vice president, Mrs. J. Andre Fouilhoux secretary, and Mrs. Frances Wilson treasurer. Among those who pledged their support to the cause yesterday were the Misses Ella May and Clementine Hirsch, Mrs. James Canby, Mrs. Leroy Parker, Miss Cornelia Cook, Dr. Esther Pohl, Miss Minole Russell, Mrs. C. A. Barnes, Mrs. Alf Kilngenberg, Mrs. Charles Gould, Miss Alice Strong, Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Mays, Miss Josephine Smith, Miss Polly Hewett, Mrs. Laura A. King, I. N. Fleischner, Mrs. William T. Foster, Mrs. G. E. Reed, Mrs. Evelyn Wilson, Julius B. Moler, Mrs. F. M. Rothchild, Miss Genevieve Thompson, Mrs. George T. Willett, Mrs. Robert Strong, Mrs. A. A. Morrison, Miss Jenn Mackenzie, Mrs. Henry Jones, Miss Elizabeth Cadwell, C. S. Jackson, Mrs. T. B. Trevett, Miss Lucy Trevett, Wells Gilbert, Mrs. C. S. Jackson, Mrs. Carroll Hurlbut, Miss Marlon Jackson, Mrs. Edmund L. Devereaux, Mrs Thomas Robertson, Mrs. F. Frledinnder, Miss Henrietta Ellot and Clifton McArthur.