“Woman’s Club To Travel Own Road,” Oregon Journal, March 16, 1912, 11.
-Transcription
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 Sarah A. Evans, chairman, has withdrawn its delegation from the advisory committee of the Equal Suffrage campaign, which is was instrumental in organizing.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.”