The Women’s Crusade Meets in Seattle
Temperance activists and leaders, including Miss Willard, gather to discuss the path toward prohibition in Washington Territory.
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.
Following the meeting at Yesler’s Hall, temperance workers of Western Washington met at the Plymouth Congregational Church. Miss Willard was chosen president of the convention, supported by Judge R. S. Greene and Miss Mattie L. Hansee. The convention focused on the relationship between churches and the temperance work, as well as the necessity for citizens—and especially women—to exert influence at the polls and in the caucus. A lively 'Question Box' session surfaced the core tension: when asked if they could support 'high license' for saloons, 80 of the 88 attendees voted exclusively for total prohibition.
“Are we all pulling at the same rope?”
The temperance movement in Washington eventually led to the state going dry in 1916. The debate here captures the exact moment women were using their influence to push for political change before they held full voting rights in the territory.
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