The Fight for the Ballot Starts in Everett
A visiting Seattle activist challenges local prejudices as the statewide campaign for women's suffrage kicks off at the Literary Auditorium.
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.
Mrs. Nellie Mitchell Kick, president of the King County Equality Club, fired the first gun in Snohomish County of the battle for woman's suffrage at the Literary Auditorium last Tuesday evening. Mrs. Kick was one of the band of courageous women that bearded the late legislature and came out victorious in a hard-won fight for a constitutional amendment to be submitted to the voters at the next general election. People who are accustomed to view female suffrage advocates as gadabouts and cranks with masculine tendencies would have their ideas upset after seeing Mrs. Kick; she is a strikingly handsome woman, refined and cultured, who radiates a home atmosphere. Just three men were present, whether from curiosity or otherwise. The speaker expressed confidence in the ultimate results of the conflict to be waged in Washington over the next two years. Women desire to make this a state where children are well looked after, noting that mothers currently have no say in the sanitary conditions of playgrounds or the schools where children spend two-thirds of their time.
“People who are accustomed to view all female suffrage advocates as gadabouts and cranks with masculine tendencies would have all their ideas very much upset after seeing and listening to Mrs. Kick.”
In 1909, women were still fighting for the right to vote in Washington, a goal finally realized in 1910. This campaign illustrates how early organizing efforts often faced intense social scrutiny and stereotypes, much like contemporary grassroots movements that must constantly reframe their public perception to gain momentum.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.