News Articles

WOMAN’S CLUB TO TRAVEL OWN ROAD
Withdraws Delegation from Advisory Committee of Equal Suffragists.

As a result of what it terms contention, misunderstanding and disagreement in the ranks of Portland equal suffragists, the Portland Woman’s club campaign committee, Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, chairman, has withdrawn its delegation from the advisory committee of the Equal Suffrage campaign, which is was instrumental in organizing. This action was taken this afternoon at a meeting of the advisory committee at the headquarters of the Woman’s club committee in the Rothchild building.

The reasons for this stand on the part of the club committee were set forth in communication addressed to the advisory committee and presented at the meeting. The document sets forth the work of the club committee from the time of its organization, January 12, this year, after an address by Mrs. Abigail Scott Duniway, one of the club’s charater [sic] members.

The communication states that a desire to avoid waste of time, resources, energy and talent by duplication of work, was the reason for the calling together of the different organizations of the city and the formation of the advisory committee. Since then, the communication continues.

“The relation of the Woman’s club to the suffrage work and the motives and acts of its campaign committee have been greatly misunderstood, misconstrued and misrepresented.

“The Woman’s club is not a suffrage organization, therefore cannot be an auxiliary of any suffrage organization, either state or national, but must do its suffrage work through its own regularly appointed committee, as it does other department lines of work. Likewise its committee cannot become auxiliary, but can, and is anxious to cooperate and work in harmony with any and every other organization working for the suffrage cause. One of its legitimate fields of labor will be among the Woman’s clubs throughout the state. Suffrage as an issue has never been before the State Federation of Woman’s clubs but this committee hopes to secure the active espousal of the cause by the majority of the woman’s clubs of our state.  This and other work which the committee has laid out for itself will be vigorously pursued whether or not the advisory committee continues or dissolves.

“Furthermore and finally, since the mission of the woman’s club campaign committee is the work and not contention it does hereby withdraw its delegation from the advisory committee, content to leave the issue with the future.”

 

SUFFRAGE FORCES DIVIDE;
PORTLAND WOMAN’S CLUB TO CAMPAIGN BY ITSELF

Declaring that it was organized “for work and not for contention,” the Campaign Committee of the Portland Woman’s Club in a long communication has withdrawn from the advisory committee organized two weeks ago for the purpose of being a general clearinghouse for the campaign work being carried on by the various equal suffrage leagues in the state and as a result it is probable that the committee will be dissolved and its work taken over by the state central committee.

Friction in the ranks of the suffragists and a disposition to work independently instead of co-operating, as was proposed by the advisory committee, has, it is understood, induced the club’s committee to take the action.

The work planned by the club’s committee will be carried on persistently throughout the campaign. It is asserted, and emphasis will be laid on the help to be secured through the various woman’s clubs. Backed by Eastern funds and the support of the largest club in the state, it was predicted that the club’s campaign committee would be a mighty factor in the coming campaign, although it is not allied with the state association and refuses through non-payment of dues to recognize the state central committee as the political head of the movement. The statement to the advisory committee read at this afternoon’s meeting was as follows:

“At a regular meeting, January 12, the Woman’s Club of Portland, after a stirring address by Mrs. Abigail Scott Duniway, one of its charter members, adopted almost unanimously, resolutions indorsing equal suffrage and appointed a suffrage campaign committee to carry on its work for the furtherance of the cause, and voted from its treasury a monthly appropriation for the period of the campaign, the committee pledging itself to finance any expenditure over and above the monthly appropriation.
As soon as headquarters were secured the committee as a body called upon Mrs. Duniway to pay its respects to the veteran leader and advise with …Finding her too ill…depart with best wishes for her speedy recovery.

In the meantime, other groups of women had organized suffrage leagues and for the advancement of the cause and to avoid waste of time, resources, energy and talent by duplication of work, the Woman’s Club campaign committee called together the leaders of these and of the Men’s Equal Suffrage League, for mutual conference, which conference resulted in the organization of a local advisory committee. Mrs. Duniway’s personal representative being present and participating in the proceedings, and the state honorary president herself, making the motion to organize such committee.

“In politics, state central committees welcome the aid and co-operation of county committees, and this Advisory committee was planned with no thought of assuming any executive or authorative [sic] functions, which all will concede, rest with the state body.
“The relation of the Woman’s Club to the suffrage work, and the motives and acts of its campaign committee have been greatly misunderstood, misconstrued, and misrepresented.

“The Woman’s Club is not a suffrage organization, therefore cannot be an auxiliary of any suffrage organization, either state or National, but must do its suffrage work through its own regularly appointed committee in like manner as it does other department lines of work; likewise its committee cannot become auxiliary, but can and is anxious to co-operate and work in harmony with any and every other organization working for the suffrage cause. One of its legitimate fields of labor will be among the Women’s Clubs throughout the state; suffrage as an issue, has never been before the State Federation of Women’s Clubs, but this committee hopes to secure the active espousal of the cause by the majority of the women’s clubs of our state. This and other work which the committee has laid out for itself will be vigorously pursued, whether or not the Advisory committee continues or dissolves.

“Furthermore and finally, since the mission of the Woman’s Club camps on committee is work and not contention, it does hereby withdraw its delegation from the Advisory committee, content to leave the issue with the future.”

ANTI-SUFFRAGISTS MEET
Body Opposing Votes for Women Plans Statewide Opposition

To prepare for the coming campaign the Oregon State Association opposed to the extension of the suffrage to women held its first public meeting of the year Thursday afternoon at the residence of Mrs. Gordon Voorhies. Nineteenth and Kearney streets, at which 40 women were present. Mrs. Francis J. Bailey, president, announced that this was one of a number of public meetings to be held to start the campaign to defeat the proposed woman’s suffrage amendment to the state constitution. The secretary, Miss Eleanor E. Gile, read a paper, prepared by Wallace McCamant, showing what the association had done in the 12 years of its existence and how it had won at the polls whenever the matter had been submitted to the voters of the state.
The treasurer, Mrs. Wallace McCarmant, submitted her report that showed the expense of the last campaign to have been $770, and with the suggestion that it would take much more to make the fight at the coming election. Miss Henrietta Failing, vice-president of the association, read an interesting paper on its objects and aims.
Mrs. Herbert Holman and Miss Bain, of the Lincoln school, read papers on the condition of women in the states where women’s suffrage exists, the latter giving her personal experience in Utah, where she resided for four years. Before adjournment and after tea had been served it was announced that it was the desire to increase the membership as much as possible and to that end all present were requested to interest their friends in the movement and invite them to become members.

GREEN PAPER STORM WORK OF SUFFRAGISTS

Passersby, Deluged, Look Aloft and See Big “Votes for Women” Sign.

A shower of green-hued paper mottoes [sic] bearing quotations from Parnell and other Irish patriots attracted the eyes of hundreds of passers-by on Washington street this noon. Pedestrians reaching for the green slips raised their eyes to skyward to see if a miracle were being performed in honor of St. Patrick and were greeted by a 12-foot green sign fluttering from the campaign headquarters of the Portland Woman’s Club in the Rothchild building. The sign bore the words, “Votes for Women” in conspicuous white lettering.

The green motto cards were embellished with an Irish harp and bore such quotations as the following

“Taxation without representation is tyranny,” and this from Parnell “We cannot consent to look upon a single Irishman as not belonging to us.”

The novel method of carrying on propaganda work made a hit with the crowd, and particularly that portion of it which came from the “ould sod.”

“Ah, ladies, have no fear about us belonging to yez, “cried one galiant as he doffed his hat to the fluttering sign.

Within, the women were kept busy distributing “Votes for Women” buttons, 10,000 of which arrived today, and will be distributed free from the headquarters to all supporters of the cause.

One of the first to go to headquarters and make a request for a button was an aged Scotchman, who, after 20 years of residence in this country had not lost his north country burr. “I came to get one of the bonnie wee buttons,” he explained, removing his cap from a crown of silvery white hair. “While you are about it ye might gie me a handful, for I know many a man as will be willin’ to wear ane.”

MRS DUNIWAY IS ILL

PIONEER SUFFRAGE LEADER CONFINED TO HOME

Cold Contracted During Arduous Campaign Work Last Month Develops Into Sever Weakness.

Mrs. Abigail Scott Duniway, president of the Oregon State Equal Suffrage Association and the pioneer in the battle for woman’s suffrage in the West, is critically ill at her home at 292 Clay stree, where she has been confined for the last three weeks.

Her illness came after the arduous work of the first few days of launching the suffrage campaign early in February. She seemed at first to have contacted a cold, due to the wet weather then prevailing, and later symptoms of pneumonia developed. The pneumonia symptoms afterward disappeared, but he illness continued.

Although Mrs. Duniway appeared for some time to be getting better, her condition a few days ago began to decline. Yesterday she was quite low, although last evening she was reported to be resting easy. Her two sons were with her last night. Despite her advanced years, Mrs. Duniway continues with her wonderful vitality to defy the encroachments of sickness, and declares that she will soon recover. With the exception of infrequent intervals, when her mind seems to show her weight of years, she retains her clearness of mental poise and talks with her callers on suffrage campaign activities and its progress. On Thursday, from her bed, she directed the organization of the state central committee of the Oregon State Equal Suffrage Association, and named the members and officers of the committee.