Greensboro, N. C.
JANUARY 12th and 13th
1917
Held in the Auditorium of the Carnegie Library Greensboro, N. C.
JANUARY 12th and 13th
1917
The Third Annual Convention of the North Carolina Equal Suffrage League was held in the auditorium of the Carnegie Library, Greensboro, North Carolina, January 12th and 13th, 1917. Owing to the fact that the President, Mrs. Platt, was delayed, Mrs. Palmer Jerman, Second Vice-President, called the meeting to order. The following delegates and officers were present: Mrs. J. E. Reilley, Miss Julia Alexander, Miss Margaret Berry and Miss Anna Forbes Lid-dell, all of Charlotte, and Mrs. Thomas W. Lingle, of David-son, representing the Mecklenburg County Equal Suffrage Association; Mrs. Roger Steffan and Mrs. John S. Cunning-ham, Durham, representing the Durham County Association; Miss Lottie May Blair, delegate from the Monroe Equal Suffrage Association; Mrs. W. II. Cobb, Mrs. Lillian Dillon Wooten, Mrs. Charles Lutes, of the Goldsboro Association; Mrs. J. S. Williams, of the Asheville Association; Mrs. Charles Malcolm Platt, of Asheville; Miss Elizabeth B. Hedrick, of the Salisbury League; Mrs. Palmer Jerman and Mrs. C. A. Shore, of Raleigh Equal Suffrage League; and others of Greensboro.
Mrs. Walter McNab Miller, First Vice-President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, with which the North Carolina Equal Suffrage League is affiliated, ad-dressed the meeting. Mrs. Miller is in charge of the political headquarters of the National Association in Washington and gave an interesting account of the activities of that Association, and the progress made by the Woman Suffrage Movement during 1916.
The second topic discussed was "The Best Methods of Obtaining Woman Suffrage in North Carolina." Miss Petty, of Greensboro, took the chair, while Mrs. Jerman led the discussion. She declared that the first thing to overcome was
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the indifference of our women, but that she believed that there was a great deal of uncrystallized sentiment for suffrage throughout the State. She declared that our first object should be a county organization in every county in the State to educate the masses. She suggested that an Extension Committee be appointed to co-operate with National and State Executives, and that our League concentrate on suffrage alone.
A Nominating Committee was duly nominated and elected consisting of the following: Miss Mary Taylor Moore, Chair-man, Greensboro, N. C.; Mrs. Cone, of Greensboro; and Mrs. Roger Steffan, of Durham.
Mrs. Charles Malcolm Platt, President, arrived and took the chair amid the applause of the delegates. She then gave a report of the suffrage work done by the League during 1916:
To the North Carolina Suffrage Convention, I extend greeting; may the year 1917 bring you even greater health and prosperity than that of 1916.
I would that every member present were compelled to sit in the seat of the president and secretary for a short while. Such an act would with force destroy "the wisdom of the wise and the prudence of the prudent" and cause you to forget and acknowledge any statement I may make.
In presenting this report I know that I hold the unique place of being the only member present, beside your president, who most absolutely and positively knows of the workings of your staff of officers of the local league and all that vitally concerns the State work.
One serious and grave mistake was made when the convention of 1915 failed to set the date of the convention for 1916. I recommend most sincerely that such be presented again. Secondly, many of the officers and committees elected were not in heartfelt sympathy with the work and proved it most emphatically by refusing to serve or worse, failure to do their duty. In only two instances did such officers give legitimate excuses. It has been my exceeding great pleasure to watch the work of a woman who has had every entanglement to unravel that unthinking women could present. I have watched her when her brain was racked with forebodings because of the seeming inability of women to stand together and fight the fight of justice and wisdom. I have beheld her when under the first of criticism by you and me she has stemmed the tide, and while she may have made mistakes and I have made them, today we present to you a year of great fruition and one
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which must go clown in the history of North Carolina suffrage as a year of progress not known before. I grant you the times have been conducive to such, and we are grateful to the times and to you who have been faithful and honest.
Further, I wish to state that the work you have placed upon a corresponding secretary belongs most positively to one person who has no other duty on the face of the green earth and most assuredly not to a school teacher whose funds you are certainly aware are never flush and to whom the C. O. D. telegrams and special delivery letters is a night-mare.
Let me beg and insist that your treasurer shall, every month send your secretary funds for postage, and please settle it in this convention. Your president has in nearly every instance had to take postage from her own purse.
We have had within our borders this year two national speakers and one national organizer. Wherever they have come their work has wrought wonders. Mrs. Jacobs and Mrs. Stokes are the two speakers, while of the work of Miss Watkins you have heard and seen. In every place she visited where there was no league, with one exception, she organized, giving the State league six new organizations and instilling new life into many others.
I regret exceedingly that because of the abruptness of the date of the convention my report includes only five leagues:
Members 175
Added during year 30
Meetings held 33
Subscribers to suffrage papers 12
State dues paid by 4 leagues, contributed by another $ 5.00
Special money raised 40.00
SPECIAL WORK FOR SUFFRAGE; LECTURES, FAIR BOOTHS, ETC.
Letters sent out 367
Literature sent out 16
Special delivery letters 2
Night letters 3
Telegrams 5
Stenographer's fee 2.00
Amount received for postage --
Amount spent for postage 7.59
Long distance phone calls --
Amount for night letters --
Amount for telegrams .90
LOULA ROBERTS PLATT, President.
SUSAN F. HUNTER, Corresponding Secretary.
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1916 AMOUNTS RECEIVED
Aug. 23. Henderson $ 1.50
Aug. 24. Asheville 1.65
Aug. 26. Goldsboro 22.00
Aug. 26. Morganton 7.50
Aug. 30. Durham 10.00
Aug. 30. Newbern 10.00
Sept. 14. Salisbury 5.00
Sept. 28. Raleigh 10.00
Sept. 14. Goldsboro 25.00
$92.65
DISBURSEMENTS
Sept. 7. Mrs. Henry W. Rogers, National Treasurer, check by order Mrs. C. M. Platt $30.00
Sept. 20. Check to Mrs. C. M. Platt (for printing) 10.35
Nov. 13. Miss Martha Haywood (booth rent at State Fair),check by order Mrs. C. M. Platt 20.00
Dec. 3. Check to Mrs. C. M. Platt (expense to Raleigh Fair) 12.50
1917
Jan. Balance in First National Bank, Durham, N. C 19.80
$92.65
Jan. 2. Durham dues $10.00
Balance in bank 19.80
Total balance $29.80
MRS. E. J. PARRISH, Acting Treasurer.
A Resolutions Committee was appointed consisting of the following: Mrs. Williams, of Asheville; Mrs. Cobb, of Goldsboro; and Miss Liddell, of Charlotte.
A Budget Committee was appointed by the President, consisting of Mrs. Lingle, Chairman; Mrs. Jerman, Mrs. Reilley, Miss Elliott, Miss Hedrick and Miss Petty. She appointed the same committee to serve as Organization Committee with the exception that Mrs. Reilley, was appointed Chair-man of the Organization Committee.
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The Nominating Committee made its report and the following officers were unanimously elected for the ensuing year:
Mrs. J. S. Cunningham, Durham, President.
Mrs. Al Fairbrother, Greensboro, First Vice-President. Mrs. C. A. Shore, Raleigh, Second Vice-President. Miss Gertrude Weil, Goldsboro, Third Vice-President. Miss Margaret Berry, Charlotte, Recording Secretary.
Miss Elizabeth B. Hedrick, Salisbury, Corresponding Secretary. Mrs. E. J. Parrish, Durham, Treasurer.
Mrs. J. S. Cunningham, the President for the year of 1917, addressed the meeting and declared that "Organization" should be our slogan.
The Organization Committee made its report which was adopted.
Miss Gertrude Weil was unanimously elected Chairman of Finance Committee; Miss Margaret. Berry was unanimously elected Chairman of Publicity Committee; Mrs. Shore, of Raleigh, was unanimously elected Chairman of Legislative Committee. It was moved and duly carried that the President and ten Congressional Chairmen serve as Membership and Extension Committee.
It was moved, duly seconded and carried that a Committee be appointed to revise the constitution and coordinate the constitution. Mrs. Reilley was unanimously elected Chair-man of the Revision Committee.
The Budget Committee reported as follows:
1. Headquarter's Expenses:
a. President's expenses (aid and postage, etc.) $100.00
b. Postage for other officers, publication of year book, publicity, etc 100.00
2. Organization:
a. Paid organizer 100.00
3. Legislative campaign in Raleigh 50.00
Total $350.00
The above report was adopted.
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It was moved, seconded and carried that the proceedings of this convention be published together with the names of the officers, and names of the various leagues in the state together with their officers.
It was moved, seconded and carried that the delegates to the next convention bear their own expenses, but permit anyone to be entertained voluntarily.
Moved, seconded and carried that the Corresponding Secretary write a letter of thanks to National for Mrs. Miller.
There was a rising vote of thanks to President for her efficient work during the past year.
Adjourned.
CONSTITUTION ARTICLE I NAMEThe name of this organization shall be The Equal Suffrage Association of North Carolina, Inc.
ARTICLE II OBJECTThe object shall be to promote Equal Suffrage in North Carolina. It shall be auxiliary to the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIPSection 1.. There shall be four classes of members, viz.: Auxiliary, Members at Large, Cooperative, and Life Members.
Sec. 2. The Auxiliary members shall be composed of any Suffrage organizations in this State, consisting of five or more members.
(a) Auxiliary members shall, four weeks prior to the State Convention, submit to the State Treasurer, in a writing signed by two officers, the membership recognized by them at that time.
(b) The Treasurer of each Auxiliary member shall be empowered to request a yearly subscription from among its membership for the furtherance of the work of the league. One-half of the amounts thus collected shall be paid into the State Association. Such subscription shall be purely voluntary. Such subscriptions to be taken within three months after the Convention.
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Sec. 3. Members at Large shall be any individuals not affiliated with a local league.
The Treasurer of the Equal Suffrage Association of North Carolina shall be empowered to collect from among the members at large an annual subscription for the support of the State Association. Such subscriptions shall be purely voluntary. Such subscription to be taken within three months after the Convention.
Sec. 4. Cooperative members shall be those individuals who, wishing to advance the cause of Equal Suffrage in North Carolina, give $100 at one time.
ARTICLE IV OFFICERSSection 1. The officers of this Association shall be: President, First, Second and Third Vice-Presidents, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer. Their duties shall be such as usually pertain to their several offices.
Sec. 2. The officers mentioned in Article IV, Sec. 1, shall compose the Executive Committee. The committee shall fill all vacancies occurring between annual meetings.
(a) There shall be one annual mid-year meeting of the Executive Committee.
(b) Other meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President.
Sec. 3. The Executive Committee, Chairmen of standing committees and the Presidents of auxiliary organizations shall compose the Board of Directors. This board to meet during the Annual Convention and at any other time the Executive Committee may deem it necessary.
See. 4. All officers shall present yearly written reports at the Annual Convention.
ARTICLE V MEETINGSSection 1. The Annual Meeting of this Association shall occur in the autumn before the Annual Convention of the N. A. W. S. A. The place of meeting and date shall be fixed by the Executive Committee.
Sec. 2. Each local league shall be entitled to representation at the Annual Convention as follows:
Any league may be represented by its President, one other delegate at large and an additional delegate for every ten members above the membership of five.
Sec. 3. Ten delegates shall constitute a quorum.
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Section 1. All officers shall be elected annually by ballot.
Sec. 2. Each officer and delegate is entitled to one vote, which vote must be given personally.
Sec. 3. A Nomination Committee of five members shall be appointed for the succeeding year by the Executive Committee at its meeting the day following the Annual Convention. This committee to present a ticket at the first session on the first day of the Convention. Nominations from the floor will also be in order at this time.
ARTICLE VII AMENDMENTSThis Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any Annual Convention, notices of such amendments having been given with the call for the meeting.
BY-LAWS1. Four standing committees shall be appointed by the President, viz.: Press, Membership, Finance, and Legislation. These committees subject to ratification by the Executive Committee.
2. The Press Committee shall attend to the newspaper work and use all means it deems advisable for making the Suffrage question a live issue in this State by various forms of propaganda.
3. The Membership Committee shall have direction of the campaign for members.
4. The Finance Committee shall devise means of raising funds to meet the expenses of the Association, and shall carefully investigate every claim against the same before payment. This committee will prepare and present to the Convention, for its consideration and action, a tentative budget for the ensuing year.
5. The Legislative Committee shall have direction of the way to obtain the proper laws to gain Equal Suffrage in North Carolina. When bills pertaining to the rights of women are pending, this committee shall maintain a bureau in Raleigh and actively work for their passage.
6. These By-Laws may be amended at any Annual Convention by a two-thirds vote.
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