Should Women Vote in Church?
A lively debate at Trinity Church in Tacoma explores the controversial question of women’s suffrage within the parish.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Trinity club gave a reception to the ladies of the parish recently in the rooms of the Commerce building. The evening was devoted to social interest and the discussion of the question: 'That women should be admitted to representation and vote in church conferences.' Mr. W. C. Cameron read a well-written paper in the affirmative. The discussion that followed was participated in by Mr. F. P. Hicks and Mr. A. J. Rodrick in the affirmative, and Mr. H. B. Ritz and Mr. W. A. M'Clain in the negative. The vote of the audience was in favor of the affirmative side. Light refreshments were served and the social side of the affair was much enjoyed.
“That women should be admitted to representation and vote in church conferences.”
In 1893, Washington women were navigating the fallout of a territorial supreme court ruling that had recently rescinded the women's suffrage they held between 1883 and 1887. This debate inside a church mirrors the larger civic struggle for equality, highlighting how the fight for institutional power was being contested in every corner of society, even at the parish level.
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