Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-04-11
JUDGE DUNBAR CONES
HERE TO SPEAR SOON
How the SufIragettes Passed Sew
oraI Good Laws in Idaho.

We must give women the credit
/ Tor being quick on the trigger.
lil they take instant action on
important civic and education-
al matters all over the coun-
Try, as they have done wherever
/ they have The ballot. VI will be a
case Of country wide houSeclean-
/ ING aud regeneration To boot. Judge
I Dunbar comes to ShOshOne soon
90 speak before the WOman's
Club on this subject. Read the fol-
lowing about the women voters of
idaho rs told IN nhe May ISSUE Of
Pictorial Review one article Of the
great series on Suffrage.
The wOmen's first united polit-
zeal effort was to secure public Ii
braries That was 10 years ago. At
That time the State of Idaho, great
or IN area than all of New England
Ind htlf as large agalp as, ,elther
New York or illinois, had fewer
Than 10000 inhabitants. There
were few cities. The population
was scattered over this vast terri
tory, on ranches on in the, gnllmg
camps. There was CRYING need Of!
hooks, yet there was not free
library in the entire State. IH,feed
there was not even a law which
would allow the levying of library
tax within The State limits. In
creased expenses meant increased
taxes. and that means opposition. 4
The women realized this. and out |
pf that realization grew their I
demonstration method" Of polite I
cal procedtIN They set about
providing books themselves. they
'ladc persO al contributions and Sc
ured Ot ,cr> iitm Well-tO-do men.
lthers gave travelling cases for
he books. Five hundred books
we're purchased and for two years
.he women sent these books
the length and breadth
i Idaho al their own expense.
In 1902 the women appealed TO
he state Legislature 20 create a
library commission and a free u'aV-
ling library, and 10 make II posi-
10 for towns and citlss tx ievy
axes Tor library purposes. Al this
sne thele were only two libfar-
X IA the entire state aside lroan
ohOOl libraries and these wore
libraries The .wo-
Ions bill speedily bacanfe aAiaw;
~ the two years of the free n.av-
ling had created a Statewide de- !
mnd for books that could not be
nored.
Now almost every town Of 1000
IN the state mas its {.
room. whore the travelling
Asses are housed. and a nucleus Of .
library OF It's own. The State
aw appropriales 5000 annually for ,
ooks. with as much more for ex-
4ises. IL has created bne office :
T State Librarian IN chAge of the
'aNeling libraries. Miss Margaret =
Roberts, daughter or osle of Lin !
bins generals. ably fills The po-
ton. Incidentally Miss Roberts N Y
resident OF the Columbian Club !
Boise. the largest and mosi pow =
'ful woman's organization in The ;
ate of Idaho. Also Miss Roberts
the Idaho President Of the {
ational Council Of Women Voters. {
The women Of Idaho We're desir- I
- that every child in the State a
lould have books 30 read and be c
BE TO read thesebooks. So they /
'cured the passage OF a cOmpui- a
ny education law. Involving no Il
ion OF money, this bill h
Ut with less opposition. The wo- i
en- demanded that The age OF y
school attendance he q
ghteen years. not sixteen years as j
common in most States. pnoyis- 10
n was made, however. whereby il
" child who completed the pre- q.
rlbed courses Of study before the II