“The Ladies of Salem Celebrate Part 1,” Salem Daily Capital Journal, November 22, 1912, 4.
-Transcription
The Ladies of Salem Celebrate
Capacious Moose Lodge Rooms Filled to Overflowing by Ladies to Celebrate the Victory of Suffrage.
A large number of members and friends of the Capital City Equal Suffrage League held a rousing celebration yesterday afternoon at the Moose hall in the Derby-Lafky building in honor of the recent victory for the enfranchisement of women. With the strains of sweet music filling the hall and the flow of oratory by the speakers, the victory was fittingly and appropriately observed, making the day one long to be remembered by those attending.
As the crowd gathered music was furnished by the Peerless orchestra, which was stationed in the balcony of the spacious lodge room, and it was a fitting occasion for Salem ladies to become better acquainted with the leaders of the equal suffrage movement In [sic] Oregon, and and to voice their praises of the success of the cause which has been almost a life work for some of those who have espoused it. The receiving committee was composed of Mrs. Olive England-Enright, Mrs. Minerva Eaton, Mrs. Mary Allen, Mrs. F. B. Southwick, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Richard Cartwright. As the ladies entered they were welcomed in the name of the league which they represented. Mrs. D. R. Yantis, Mrs. Ed. Baker, Mrs. Wm. Burghardt, Jr. Mrs. Chauncey Bishop and Miss Lena Hutton assisted the receiving committee.
Mr. P. H. D’Arcy acted as presiding officer of the meeting, and in assuming his duties in this connection addressed the meeting on the subject of “The Progress of Centuries.” Judge D’Arcy said: “The women of Oregon have every reason to rejoice. It has taken a long time to reach this high degree of development which we are now able to enjoy, and this last victory is but the culmination of the centuries. It has been said that the star of empire takes its course westward, but I say that the course of this star shall be eastward, as I believe that the intelligence and enlightenment of the western people will be a lesson to the conservative East.” Mr. D’Arcy closed his speech with the quotation “There is a tide in the affairs of men which, if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune,” and the judge said, “we are now at that tide.”
Mrs. Olive England-Enright followed the speech of Mr. D’Arcy with an address of welcome, in which she took occasion to thank the Moose lodge for the use of their magnificent hall in which to hold the reunion and celebration. She closed by asking the orchestra to play “Hail Columbia,” which, she said, expressed her sentiments exactly.
Mayor-elect Dr. B. L. Steeves was the next speaker. He said that he had come to the meeting just to show the ladies that his heart was in the right place, stating that as far back as he could remember he had always favored equal suffrage. He said he had never heard a single logical argument against the enfranchisement of women. Among other things the mayor-elect said: “I congratulate you upon being elevated to your proper place, and know that you are going to do a great deal of good with the franchise. I will stand with the women of Salem for any legislation that will make the Capital City a better place in which to raise our children, and to this end I want the earnest and intelligent cooperation of the women.”
Other speakers were Mrs. F. B. Southwick, W. I. Tooze, Uncle John Minto, Mrs. Sarah Oliver, Dr. Fletcher Herman and Mrs. Davis Errett.
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A woman may get to understand a lot of important things by not having a husband to explain them to her.