The Washington times., 1914-07-22
District Women Work for More
Than the Ballot, Obtaining
Rights for Their Sex in Bust
ness World.
Begun Fight for Franchise in
1866 and Have Helped the
Cause in Many Ways-Not-
ed Figures on Roll.

frdge society located IN WdShl1g
ton, women's rights has mean
much more than "potes for NO
men,"
Police matrons we're obtained
women we're placed on the schoo
board, public comfort station,
we're established, and policewomer
nom are being urged by the Wo'
mans Suffrage Association of the
District of Columbia.
Early days Of this society san
many of the battles for wider op.
portuHities for Women, nom taken
for granted, tonight out in Wash.
ingtoa.
Outstanding figures in the rec.
ords of this ASSOCIATIONS are such
noted suffrage pomen as Lue,eti1
Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Befrc
Lockwood and Clara Barton.
By J.R. HILDEBRASp
In 1856 IL took courage to BE . .uf-
fragist.
Today suffragists are treated with
respect, even By their opponents.
Than they were regarded =. freaks.
and looked upon with suspicion by
the majority OF their own sex
But that did not deter a Rroun
OF pioneer Washington woman suf-
fragtsts when an opening was given
for the advocacy OF their cause. In
1856 attention was turned to the gen
seral suffrage question by the pro-
posal. in Congress. to strike out IN.
word white" In the District suf-
frase bill, so that black men might
vote
Congressman Cowan of PennsyI-
vania offered an amendment to
strike out the word "male' also.
That was the signal for the ralIyine
of suhragfsts. And the battle waged
In that year paved the way for the
formation, In 1851, OF the Universal
Franchise Association, now known
as the Woman Suffrage Association
OF the District of Columbia.
This association Is the Oldest local
woman suffrage society In the world.
Instrumental in founding 1t were
Josephine Griffin. founder of the
Freedmen's Bureau; Belva A. Lock-
wods Sara A. Spencer, Caroline B.
Winslow, and others whose names
later became widely known from
their advocacy or the suffrage cause.
Kissed In Early Days.
Vigorous opposition attended the
early efforts Of this association.
One report states that the meetings
were often interrupted with misses
and yells, and the police, when ap-
pesled to. failed to keep order, seem
ing rather to join hands with the
mob" 1t is further stated that the
press of the city, in the meantime,
had kept up a tusiIlade of ludIcrous
reports, in which the women were
caricatured and misrepresented."
Through the Washington society,
the first national woman suffrage
convention was held in Washington.
This convention. held here in 1870,
was the beginning Of a series Of
Washington conventions meeting
yearly until 1893, since which they
have been conducted every two
years.
The District Woman's Suffrage As
ISOLATION, since its inception. has not
confined itself simply to propaganda
for votes for women Woncn's rights
IN every sphere and civic betterment
effort of q general nature have fallen
within its SCOPE.
Just before the society was organ
ICED women had gained a notable
victory in Washington when Salmon
p, Chase, Secretary of the Treasury
under Abraham Lincoln. hrst intro
duced young women as clerks in the
not until many years later. after a
prolonged campaign led by Mrs.
Lockwood. that a bill WAS passed
giving equal pay for equal work to
women in the departments.
Even before the war. Myrtiila
Miner. of New York, had opened a
normal school for coiored girls in
many difficulties. this work was con-
tinued for ten years. when Miss
Emily Rowland came to its aid. ard
the Miner Normal School OF WASH
ington became an established insti-
tuition.
Mrs. Lockwood's Effort.
Mrs. Lockwood also led the move
ment for the opportunity for a
legal education for women. She
was denied admission to the law
class of Columbian College. be-
cause her presence would distract
the attention of the young men,"
In 1871 the National University
Law School organized a law class
for women in which fifteen matric-
ulated.
Women physicians already had
practiced medicine In Washington
since the civil war. DR.. Susan A.
Edison and DR.. Caroline B. Winslow
were the pioneers In this field. I'm
der a law passed in 1859. many
women were given sufficient legal
for themselves. The pioneer Wash
ington woman in journalism was
Jane G. Swisshelm who. in 1856.
began the issuance of a liberal
sheet. known as The Wasp. The
first women admitted to the press
galleries of the Senate and House
were Abigail Dodge Gail Hamil-
toni of the New York Times. aand
Helen NJ. Barnard. Of the New YORK
der Grants Administration. was
sent to Liverpool as immigration
commissioner. She visited Eng
land, Ireland, and Scotland. She
returned on the steerage OF an
ocean liner and gave one Of the
most interesting and useful re-
ports made on the subject of immi-
grafton.
be nf