Omaha Pub! Reference Dept

Omaha Pub! </* Reference Dept. V A HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY 1900 - 193Q BY ELIZABETH J. LI'K'DSEY HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY, NEBRASKA, FROM 1900 TO 1920. Organized suffrage interest was at a very low ebb in Douglas County during the early years of the 20th century, although there were many women who were strong in the faith. Mrs. George Tilden was, for a time , president of a suffrage society in Omaha/ but she was more deeply interested in the work of the Y. W. C A g^^ ^g Qld people's Home as they were live issues while it seemed useless to put forth energy in the cause of equal suffrage when there was no likelihood of any •practical outcome from the effort. There were, however, suffrage committees in every branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union throughout the county, which kept the subject more or less alive. In 1910 Mrs. W. E. Shafer( a pretty young matron living in Dundee, the fashionable residence section of Omaha, was con verted to the cause of suffrage through reading the columns of that anti-suffrage publication - The Ladies' Home Journal. So incensed did she become that she stopped the paper and looked about to see if there were a suffrage society" in Omaha which she might join. Finding none, she wrote to the state headquarters at Lincoln. Dr. Inez Philbrick / the State President ( gave her some suggestions about organizing and said she would send an organizer. On May 21, 1910 a meeting was called at the home of Mrs. Charles I. Vollmer, also a resident of Dundee, to hear Dr. Aylesworth, of Colorado, tell what had bean accomplished by the women of that stats,. Encouraged by the talk, a half dozen women signified their willingness to take up the work. Mrs. Vollmer was elected temporary chairman, and Mrs. W. E. Shafer temporary secretary. Besides these two, there were Mrs. C. P. S. Tobin, Mrs. Alma Lathrop, Mrs, Burd Miller and Mrs. J. G. Iverson. On June 8 a second meeting was held to formally organize. Some of the campaigners of former years had heard of the efforts of these young women and came to their support. Among the number being Mrs. George W. Covell and Mrs, Isaac Conner. Mrs. Laurie J. Quinby and others brought the membership to fifteen. A constitution was adopted, the temporary officers made permanent, and the organization was properly launched. The society flourished and increased in numbers until fifty-nine were enrolled. On July 20 an evening meeting was held at the home of Mrs. Lottie W. Rathbun, at which Mr. L. J. Quinby gave an interest ing talk in support of equal suffrage and the names of two men , Mr. Rathbun and Mr. Quinby, were added to the list of members. In 1911 Miss Lola LaFollette who was touring the state, speaking before Chautauquas was brought to Omaha for a suffrage lecture. While advertising the lecture some of the members chalk ed the sidewalks of the business streets of Omaha with "Votes for Women" and "Hear Miss LaFollette". A policeman stopped them, whereupon .the new president of the society,,Mrs. W. E. Shafer, -2- produced a permit from the Mayor, Mr. James C. Dahlman, and the chalking proceeded. On November 17, 1911, the society, with much fear and trembling brought Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, the noted English suffragist, to Omaha for a lecture, which was given at the Boyd Theatre to a full house. The society tendered a luncheon to the speaker who afterward visited the Lininger Art Gallery and received further social attentions from Mrs. Frank Haller and others. Mrs. W. E. Shafer, Mrs. Isaac Conner, and Mrs. Halleck F. Rose, were the members most actively interested in the success of the meeting. Dr. Victor Rosewater . Editor of the Omaha Bee, introduced Mrs. Pankhurst, which recalled to memory of the cam paigners of 1882 the famous debate between his father, Edward Rosewater; then Editor of the Bee, and Susan B. Anthony. Mrs. Pankhurst spoke two hours; and at the close of her address she was questioned by Mr. Clement Chase, editor of the Omaha Excel sior, and by Senator Gilbert M. Hitchcock, owner of the World- Herald, who in 1882, when a young man of twenty-two , had debated the subject with Miss Phoebe Cousins. Among those who occupied boxes were Mr..and Mrs. Clement Chase , Mrs. Herman Kountze, Mrs. I. 3. Millard, Mrs. C. E. Squires, Mrs. James E. Boyd, Mrs. Ellis Bierbower, Mrs. Thomas Kilpatrick, and Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Congdon. Mrs. Pankhurst made a very deep imoression and did more to rouse an interest in the cause than perhaps any other one thing. At the 31st Annual State Convention, which was held in Lincoln in 1911, Mrs. W. E. Shafer was elected recording secretary and during the following year- several members of the Omaha Society sold the Woman's Journal on the streets of Omaha. More than 1500 were disposed of in this manner. On May 4. 1912, the Society staged the play, "How the Vote Was Won", under the direction of Bernice Banghart. Early in June Mrs. E. M. Fairfield called a number of people together for the purpose of forming another suffrage organi zation, and a committee consisting of Mrs. Z. T. Lindsey, Mrs. Charles T. Kountze, and Mrs. John L. Kennedy was named to draw up a constitution. Before the committee was called upon to report, a number of business and professional women met on the evening of June 5 in the Y. W. C. A,, building and organized the Political Equality League with Mrs. Ada I. Atkinson, teacher of history in the Central High School, as president ,Mrs. Mary B. Newton First Vice President, Miss Jeannette McDonald second Vice Presi dent, Miss Anna Peterson recording secretary, Miss Frances Graves chairman of the membership committee, Miss Katherine Hughes chairman of publicity, and Miss Belle Dewey, on the staff of the Daily News, auditor. On the following afternoon the Equal Franchise Society completed its organization at the home of Mrs. J. T. Stewart, 2nd-. Mrs. John N. Baldwin was elected president, Mrs. Lowrie Childs First Vice President, Mrs. Charles T. Kountze, Second Vice President, Mrs. E. M. Fairfield Corresponding Secretary, Mrs.Ward Burgess Recording Secretary, and Mrs. H. C. Sumney, Treasurer. -3- Mrs. Stewart, who was hostess of the meeting, is a sister of Mrs. Meredith Nicholson, of Indiana, at that time one of the officers of the Indiana State Association. Mrs. Nicholson, who was, before her marriage, Miss Eugenie Kountze, daughter of Mr. Herman Kountze, of Omaha, was largely responsible for the conver sion to the cause of many of Omaha's society women who became members of the Equal Franchise Society, among whom were Mrs. Harold Gifford, Misses Carrie and Helen Millard, Mrs. W. J. Broatch, Mrs. A. G. Beeson, Mrs. W. J. Connell, Mrs. F. A. Brogan, Mrs. A. J. Love, Mrs. Osgood T. Eastman, Mrs. W. R. McKeen, Mrs. J. M. Metcalf, Mrs. Warren Rogers, and Mrs. Henry Doorly, daughter of Senator Gilbert M. Hitchcock. On October 3, 1912, the suffragists of the three organiza tions put a suffrage float in the annual fall parade of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben , an association of Nebraska business men. The title of the float was "Catching up with China" , the nevyly organized Republic, which had recently enfranchised its women. Mr. Willard D. Hosford loaned his automobile for the purpose, and the committee named to prepare and decorate the float consist ed of Mrs. Henry Doorly, Mrs. T. M. Orr. Mrs. Draper Smith, Mrs. C. E. Hartwick and Miss Katherine Hughes. On December 4, 5, and 6 the 32nd Annual Convention of the Nebraska Woman Suffrage Association, was held in the Convention Chamber of the Omaha City Hall. Rev. Milton Bryant Williams of the First M. E. Church gave the invocation, and Mayor James C. Dahlman the address of welcome. Mrs. George W. Covell also \?elcomed the delegates on behalf of the Omaha suffragists. At 4 P. M. Dec. 4, a reception was tendered the delegates by the Omaha Woman's Club.1of which Mrs. C- W. Hayes was president. On the afternoon of Dec. 5 the delegates were guests of the Orpheum Theatre to see "Votes for Women" on the screen. Mr. W. L. Locke of Lincoln addressed the Convention on "How shall the amendment be submitted and when9" This created much discussion. Mr. John L. Kennedy, a prominent lawyer of Omaha and Mr. J. L. Quimby favored the submission by legislative enactment if possible, while Mr. Locke advocated securing the amendment through the newly created initiative and referendum law. The convention finally concluded to try both methods; by legislative enactment in 1913 ; and if that failed to proceed with the initiative petition and submit the amendment to the voters at the election of 1914. Rev. Frederick T. Rouse addressed the convention on "Women as a Race Asset", and Miss Helen Eacker told "How Kansas Won". Mrs. Frank Harrison of Lincoln led a conference on organ ization under the initiative and referendum law. Among the newly elected officers for the ensuing year were Mrs. Draper Smith , President and Miss Daisy Doane, Secretary both from Omaha. A few days after the convention at the close of a conference held at the City Hallf Mrs. W. C. Sunderland, whom -4- Mrs. Smith had appointed chariman for the second congressional district, including Douglas, Sarpy and Washington Counties, appointed Mrs. Z. T. Lindsey chairman for Douglas County. She immediately assumed the responsibilites of her position, and that same evening called Mrs.

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