Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-07
OkIahoma's Women Start a
Vigorous Campaign.
HOLD UP EACH CANDIDATE
Want to Know Whether He Will
Support Referendum.
SENATOR OWEN THEIR ALLY
They Are a Plucky Lot, Those Won
en- Of the Baby State, and
Can Hold Office.

Special Dispatch to The STAR
GUTHRIE Okla. August IAN enthu-
siastic woman suffragette campaign has
been inaugurated i'm Oklahoma. and it
viii be actively maintained until the polls
are closed November 4. II is in direct
charge of Mrs. Katherine Biggers of
Chickasha. president of the Oklahoma
Suffragette Association. but assistance is
being drawn from the national associa-
tion
The initial plan of the campaign was
to send the following query to every cam
didate for the legislature. republican.
democrat and socialist:
IF elected will you support bill i'm the
legislature providing for the referendum
on constitutional amendment granting
full suffrage to women upon the same
basis as it is now given to menu"
II is interesting to note that favorable
replies were received from about ~ per
cent of the candidates.
1t is contended by the woman suffra-
gists that Oklahoma should be pattern
to the older states I'm giving women the
ballot. as it has been i'm installing the
guaranty bank deposit plan and in in
cooperating in the state constitution the
initiative and referendum.
During the constitutional convention the
woman suffragists maintained strong
lobby in Guthrie and worked hard to have
their scheme incorporated in the constitu-
ton. On the final showdown. however.
the amendment by Peter Hanraty. union
labor leader In the convention, TO elimi-
nate the word male in defining suffrage,
was defeated by a vote Of to 81: Also
during the recent legislature lobby was
maintained, but no attempt to pass a
woman suffrage bill was made. The wom-
en- preferred, they say. rather to get the
initiative and referendum in good working
order and then appeal to the people of the
state to approve woman suffrage at the
polls.
Wyoming's Governor Helps.
Among those VINO visited Guthrie during
the constitutional convention and fabored
with the delegates in behalf of woman
suffrage were Gov. Brooks of Wyoming,
former Gov. Adams of Colorado, Mrs. Ida
Boyer Of Pennsylvania and Miss Laura
Clay of Kentucky. All these will take
part In the campaign as planned for the
next three months.
The most prominent suffragist in Okla
homa for a number of years has been
United States Senator Robert l.. Owen,
the Cherokee Indian. He has maintained
on the stump that the Indian woman has
as much right to govern her own affairs
as the Indian man. and he has worked
for suffrage with the idea of assisting the
Indian woman in caring for her landed in
terests in old Indian Territory. On the re-
publican side the leading suffragist advo-
cate is Bird 8. MCGUIRE, the congressman
from the first district. Congressman Nc
CURE has adopted the idea in his own
family. In his initial campaign for Con-
gress his strongest advocate and stump
speaker was his wife.
1t is rather remarkable that the suf-
fragists opposed the insertion of a WON
ans suffrage plank in the state republican
platform last year. Their reasons were
given as follows:
I'VE believe that the true friends OF
equal suffrage are not in the republican
party. and that any movement to insert
a suffrage plank now would come from
political motives. Should the republican
party declare for equal suffrage it would
make the question a party issue and cause
hundreds of voters to oppose it who would
otherwise favor it,
The republicans did not indorse.
Plucky Lot of Women.
The Oklahoma women are a plucky lot
and have taken their place side by side
with the men in many lines of activity.
The state commissioner of charities is
Miss Kate Bernard. In various parts OF