The History of Woman Suffrage Volume IV Part 101

Jones, William E. Judd, Alfred F. Kinney, John Larrabee, Mahlon R.

Leonard, Frederic O. MacCartney, Samuel W. McCall, James H. Mellen, John M. Merriman, Charles H. Miller, Daniel L. Milliken, Charles P.

Mills, Bushrod Morse, James J. Myers, H. Heustis Newton, Herbert C.

Parsons, George W. Penniman, Francis C. Perry, Albert Poor, Josiah Quincy, Francis H. Raymond, Alfred S. Roe, (Judge) Thomas Russell, Thomas E. St. John, Howard K. Sanderson, Charles F. Shute, George T.

Sleeper, Frank Smith, Metcalf J. Smith, George L. Soule, Eugene H.

Sprague, Ezra A. Stevens, Hazard Stevens, Stephen S. Taft, George F.

Tucker, John E. Turtle, O. W. H. Upham, Horace G. Wadlin, Jesse B.

Wheeler, Frederick L. Whitmore, John W. Wilkinson, John A. Woodbury, Charles L. Young.

[325] In 1847 Lucy Stone began to advocate giving the mother equal guardianship of the children with the father. During the past thirty years the State Suffrage a.s.sociation has repeatedly pet.i.tioned the Legislature to this effect. In 1902 many other organizations joined in the effort, and the pet.i.tion for equal guardianship was indorsed by 34,000 women. The Committee on Probate and Chancery reported adversely. Representative George H. Fall's Equal Guardianship Bill was debated on two days and finally pa.s.sed both Houses and was signed by Gov. W. Murray Crane in June.

The only society of women that has ever ranged itself publicly on the opposing side of this question is the Ma.s.sachusetts Anti-Suffrage a.s.sociation. For years it circulated with its official imprint a leaflet in defense of the law which excluded mothers from the custody and guardianship of their children.

[326] For information in regard to the laws the History is indebted to Mrs. Anna Christy (George H.) Fall, a practicing lawyer of Malden.

[327] This was purely cla.s.s legislation, as the woman who had paid property tax was not required to pay poll-tax, and poor women could not vote without paying two dollars each year. The law was not asked for by the Suffrage a.s.sociation.

[328] The History is indebted for this chapter to Miss Lavina Allen Hatch of East Pembroke, recording secretary of the a.s.sociation from its beginning in 1882, and also corresponding secretary from 1892.

[329] In 1884 the Boston Political Cla.s.s was formed as an auxiliary.

While the idea of such an educational scheme originated with Sara A.

Underwood, its successful development is due to Harriette Robinson Shattuck, who became president of the cla.s.s. Lavina Allen Hatch kept its records, and Dora Bascom Smith gave the use of her parlors for its fortnightly meetings.

CHAPTER XLVI.

MICHIGAN.[330]

From the time of the defeat of the suffrage amendment to the State const.i.tution in 1874 there was no central organization in Michigan for ten years, although a few local societies maintained an existence.

Through a conjunction of these forces a convention was called at Flint, May 21, 1884, which resulted in the forming of a State Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation, officered as follows: President, Mary L. Doe; vice-president, Gov. Josiah W. Begole; corresponding secretary, Nellie Walker; recording secretary, Fannie Holden Fowler; treasurer, Cordelia F. Briggs.

The second State convention was held in Grand Rapids, Oct. 7-9, 1885, with Lucy Stone and Henry B. Blackwell in attendance. Letters were received from Susan B. Anthony, president of the National a.s.sociation, and Thomas W. Palmer, U. S. Senator from Michigan. The latter said: "I hope that you will put forward the economic aspect of the question--its effect upon taxation. Women are the natural economists."

In lieu of the annual meeting in 1886 four political State conventions--Prohibition, Greenback, Republican and Democratic--were memorialized for a plank indorsing a Munic.i.p.al Suffrage Bill. Sarah E.

V. Emery appeared before the Prohibition convention, which adopted the plank. She also attended the Democratic, where she was invited to the platform and made a vigorous speech, which was received with applause, but the suffrage resolution was not adopted. Emily B. Ketcham attended the Republican convention but was refused a hearing before the Committee on Resolutions. After its report had been accepted friends obtained an opportunity for her to address the meeting, but she was received with considerable discourtesy. Mrs. Fowler secured the adoption of the plank by the Greenback convention.

The a.s.sociation met in the State House at Lansing, Jan. 13, 14, 1887.

Miss Anthony, vice-president-at-large of the National a.s.sociation, gave an address in Representative Hall. She was introduced by Gov.

Cyrus G. Luce, and many senators and representatives were in the audience.[331]

The convention of 1888 took place in Bay City, June 6-8. The Rev. Anna Howard Shaw and Helen M. Gougar of Indiana addressed large audiences in the opera house on successive evenings. Immediately afterward a series of two days' meetings was held by Mrs. Gougar, a.s.sisted by May Stocking Knaggs, at Saginaw, Flint, Port Huron, Detroit, Battle Creek and Grand Rapids, societies being organized at several places.

In November the a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Women met in Detroit. Many suffragists were in attendance and the State president, Mrs. Doe, called a council in the parlors of the Church of Our Father.

Fifty responded and it was unanimously decided to renew the effort for Munic.i.p.al Suffrage.

The annual meeting was held in the State House at Lansing, Jan. 19-21, 1889. A letter was received from Senator Palmer, enclosing a draft for $100 and saying: "Equal suffrage in munic.i.p.al affairs means better statutes, better ordinances, better officers, better administration, lower taxation, happier homes and a better race." This generous gift enabled the a.s.sociation to keep a committee--Helen Philleo Jenkins, Harriet A. Cook, Mrs. Ketcham and Mrs. Knaggs--at the capital for several weeks, where they worked systematically to convert members and to secure victory.

The convention met at Detroit, Feb. 13, 14, 1890. Mrs. Doe, who had been the leader of the State forces since their organization, declined renomination and Mrs. Jenkins was chosen president.

The a.s.sociation convened at Lansing again Feb. 10-12, 1891; and its speakers were given a joint hearing in Representative Hall on the Munic.i.p.al Suffrage Bill, which was then before the Legislature.

Addresses were made by Harriet J. Boutelle, Belle M. Perry, Sarah E.

V. Emery and Martha Snyder Root.

Miss Anthony was present at the State convention, which took place in Battle Creek, May 4, 5, 1892. Articles of incorporation were adopted and Mrs. Ketcham was elected president.

In June the State Republican Convention met at East Saginaw. Mrs.

Ketcham, with Mrs. Doe, chairman of the legislative committee, pleaded before the Committee on Resolutions for recognition of this measure.

They were courteously treated and when about to retire their opinion was asked on a list of resolutions presented from Genesee County, _viz._: That women professors be appointed at Michigan University until their number should bear a fair proportion to the number of women students; that women be appointed on boards of control of the State penal, reformatory and charitable inst.i.tutions; that Munic.i.p.al Suffrage for women be recommended, and that an amendment to the State const.i.tution, striking out the word "male" as a qualification for voters, be submitted to the electors. The ladies indorsed all except the fourth proposition, but none of them was adopted.

After the nominations for the Legislature had been made, letters were written to candidates of all parties to ascertain their att.i.tude toward the Munic.i.p.al Suffrage Bill. Many favorable and some evasive replies were received, while not a few letters were wholly ignored. A suffrage lecture course was arranged in eight cities, from November, 1892, to March, 1893, inclusive, with Miss Anthony and Miss Shaw, president and vice-president-at-large of the National a.s.sociation and Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, chairman of the organization committee, Mrs.

Clara Bewick Colby of Washington, D. C., and Mrs. Lida A. Meriwether of Tennessee, as speakers.

The next annual convention was held in the Capitol, Feb. 1-3, 1893.

Mrs. Colby had preceded it in January with her address on Wyoming, given in Representative Hall, the facts and figures of which left a strong impression.[332] The speakers addressed the Legislature in behalf of the Munic.i.p.al Suffrage Bill.

In January, 1894, Miss Anthony lectured at Ann Arbor before the University a.s.sociation. By the efforts of Mrs. Olivia B. Hall, her hostess and friend of many years, preparations had been made for a ma.s.s meeting, in which the State E. S. A. partic.i.p.ated, Miss Shaw also being present. It convened in Newberry Hall, January 15-17, with a large attendance and resulted in the organization of the Ann Arbor E.

S. A., with one hundred members and Mrs. Hall as president. On the last evening she gave a large reception at her home in honor of the two ladies, which was attended by President and Mrs. George B. Angell and many of the university faculty.

This year's convention a.s.sembled at Grand Rapids, May 7-10, with the Rev. Ida C. Hultin of Illinois as the princ.i.p.al speaker.

The meeting of 1895 took place at Saginaw, May 7-9. In the evening Representative George H. Waldo gave a review of his efforts in behalf of the Equal Suffrage Bill, and an enthusiastic indors.e.m.e.nt of the measure. This convention had the a.s.sistance of Mrs. Chapman Catt, who made the chief address. Mrs. Ketcham retired from the presidency and the a.s.sociation elected Mrs. Knaggs. A new standing committee of five was appointed to secure women physicians and attendants in public inst.i.tutions for the care of women and girls. After adjournment the Saginaw Political Equality Club was formed.

In 1896 the State convention met in Pontiac, May 19-22. Senator Palmer was the orator of the occasion.

The following July Mrs. Knaggs and Carrie C. Faxon addressed the Democratic State Convention at Bay City, through the courtesy of the Hons. John Donovan and O'Brien J. Atkinson. They were accorded an attentive hearing with much applause, and given a rising vote of thanks, emphasized by an exhortation from the chairman, the Hon.

Thomas Barkworth, that the party prepare to concede to the women of the State their political rights.

The annual meeting of 1897 took place in Vermontville, May 11-13. On November 22, 23, a national conference was held in Grand Rapids by Miss Anthony, Miss Shaw and Mrs. Chapman Catt, together with the officers of the State a.s.sociation and many other Michigan women.

In 1898 the convention met in Bay City, May 3-5. On the last evening Mrs. May Wright Sewall of Indiana gave a brilliant address on The Duties of Women Considered as Patriots. Its strong peace sentiments aroused deep interest, as this was at the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

The invitation of the Susan B. Anthony Club of Grand Rapids to the National W. S. A., to hold its annual convention in that city in 1899, having been accepted, the date was fixed for April 27 to May 3, inclusive, and it was decided that the State meeting should immediately follow. This national gathering was full of interest, affording as it did an opportunity of attendance to many women of the State who were unable to go to the convention at Washington.[333]

Grand Rapids women were generous in their hospitality, all visitors being entertained free of expense. The executive ability of Mrs.

Ketcham was evident from first to last. The State a.s.sociation held a business session May 4, and was addressed by Mr. Blackwell and Mrs.

Colby. Mrs. Lenore Starker Bliss was elected president.

An immediate result of the national meeting was the organization of the Anna Shaw Junior Equal Suffrage Club of Grand Rapids, with seventeen youthful members.

In December the American Federation of Labor held its annual convention in Detroit. Miss Anthony addressed it by invitation and urged the members to adopt a resolution asking Congress for a Sixteenth Amendment forbidding the disfranchis.e.m.e.nt of United States citizens on account of s.e.x. Her speech was most enthusiastically received and the resolution she offered was immediately adopted, and, in the form of a pet.i.tion which represented nearly 1,000,000 members, duly forwarded to Congress.

Prior to the State convention of 1900 Mrs. Chapman Catt, a.s.sisted by Miss Shaw, Miss Harriet May Mills of New York and Mrs. Root, held two days' conventions at Hillsdale, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, organizing suffrage clubs at the first three places. The annual meeting convened in Detroit, May 15-17, Miss Shaw and Mrs. Chapman Catt giving addresses on consecutive evenings. Mrs. Bliss declining renomination, Mrs. Ketcham was unanimously replaced at the head of the State a.s.sociation.[334]

In July, at the request of Miss Anthony, the Columbia Catholic Summer School held in Detroit extended an invitation for a speech on suffrage. Mrs. Chapman Catt was selected, all arrangements being made by Mrs. Jenkins and others. Father W. J. Dalton, who introduced her, said he hoped to see women voting and filling all offices, even that of police commissioner.

The Greenback and the People's parties have welcomed women as a.s.sistants. Prominent among these have been Marian Todd, Martha E.

Strickland and Elizabeth Eaglesfield. In 1896 Mrs. Emery and Mrs. Root were placed upon the State Central Committee of the People's Party.

The Prohibitionists also have received women as party workers.