Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/173

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ILLINOIS
159

for the association to secure the best and they engaged John J. Herrick and Judge Charles S. Cutting, who by agreement with the Election Commissioners took charge of the fight. The women consulted also with Charles H. Mitchell, their regular counsel, as well as with Judge Willard McEwen, whom the commissioners engaged as special counsel. They frequently conferred with Judge Isaiah T. Greenacre, counsel for the Teachers' Federation, and Joel F. Longnecker, a young lawyer active in the Progressive party, both of whom donated their services.

There was a long delay in the Supreme Court and during this time it was vitally necessary to demonstrate that the women wanted the ballot by bringing out as large a registration as possible for the municipal election to be held in April, 1914. The Opponents were saying: "Women down the State have voted because they are interested in local option but not 25,000 women will register in Chicago." It was, therefore, of paramount importance to arouse the Chicago women. This work was in charge of Mrs. Edward L. Stewart, assisted by Mrs. Judith Weil Loewenthal, members of the State Board. Mrs. Stewart called upon every organization of women in the city to assist. Valuable help was given by Mrs. Ida Darling Engelke, city chairman of ward organization for the Chicago Political Equality League; Mrs. Joseph T. Bowen, president of the Woman's City Club, and Mrs. James Morrisson, president of the Chicago Equal Suffrage Association. There were public meetings in every ward, and a mass meeting the Sunday before the election in the Auditorium Theater, which seated over 4,000 people, but overflow meetings Were necessary. As a result of this united effort over 200,000 women registered in Chicago alone and thousands more throughout the State.

On May 2, 1914, was held the first large suffrage parade in Illinois. It was managed by the State association and its affiliated Chicago clubs. Mrs. Trout, with the members of the Board and distinguished pioneer suffragists, led the' procession, and Governor Dunne and Mayor Carter H. Harrison reviewed it. The city government sent to head the parade the mounted police, led by Chief Gleason, called "the beauty squad," only brought out on very special occasions. Nearly 15,000 women, representing