The Women Who Would Remake Seattle, One Vote at a Time

The quarterly meeting of the King County Women’s Christian Temperance Union was held yesterday in the Congregational church at Fremont. The object of the convention was to hear reports from committees and to discuss plans of work for the future. There were quite a number of lady visitors present during the session.

The convention was called to order by the president, Mrs. Etta Jones, and Miss Agnes Goddard and Mrs. E. K. Simpson were made secretaries. After religious exercises the following committees were appointed: Credentials—Mrs. Eleanor Wilmott; Conference—Mrs. Retta Bartlett; Resolutions—Mrs. J. N. Wallingford, of Green Lake, Mrs. Carrie Blewett, of Seattle Central Union, and Mrs. Rhoda Miller, of Kent; Publication—Mrs. J. E. Nichols, Mrs. Ione Johnson; Place of meeting—Mrs. Rhoda Miller, Mrs. Franc Lee, of Seattle.

Reports from the local unions showed work at Enumclaw, Des Moines, Slaughter, Vashon, Kent, Fremont, the Mary B. Reese Union, and Seattle Central. Seattle Central reported sixty-nine members, weekly meetings, care of two reading-rooms, finding homes for the homeless, and furnishing dinners for newsboys and the poor of Seattle.

At the afternoon session reports from the various unions were given. The superintendent of flower missions told of distributing flowers to the hospitals. The superintendent of almshouse work said visits are made every Sunday to the county poor farm and religious services held. Fruit and flowers are always taken along. A mothers’ meeting is held once a week in the Central union. Fremont is preparing to furnish a room in the White Shield home for fallen women at Tacoma.

Mrs. Edward Blewett read a paper on “Equal Suffrage,” defending woman’s right to the ballot. She also invited all the ladies present to a parlor meeting at her residence, 914 Ninth street, on Saturday next at 2:30 p.m.

There was a general discussion on the subject of scientific instruction on the physiological effects of alcohol in the public schools, and complaint was made that not enough attention was given to this matter by those in charge of the schools. It was also suggested that the practice be revived of offering prizes to pupils for essays on the evils of alcohol.

Mrs. Franc Lee reported that $2,450 had been expended for furniture for the White Shield home at Tacoma. Mrs. Wynnie Thomas complained that the local unions were negligent of their duty in not sending in $2 each for the purpose of erecting in the W.C.T.U. temple in Chicago a memorial to Mrs. C. K. Jenner. In order to raise $100 for the Chicago temple it was decided to circulate 500 mite boxes.

Mrs. Thomas made a few earnest and pointed remarks on the suffrage question, and in order to obtain an expression of opinion on the matter she called for a vote of those in favor of equal suffrage. Of the fifty ladies present all but half a dozen stood up.

In the evening an informal reception was held at the church, and the delegates and visitors were entertained with a supper, a speech by Mrs. Thomas, and a guitar trio by Misses Kellogg, McGinnis and Thull. The convention will continue its session today.