er held by a woman, and she had charge of
the activities of women during that campaign. Her last work for woman
suffrage was during the strenuous effort to obtain the 36th and final
ratification of the Federal Amendment from the Tennessee Legislature
in the summer of 1920, when she went to Nashville at the request of
the National Republican Committee.--Ed.

CHAPTER XXXV.

OKLAHOMA.[145]

From the time Oklahoma Territory was opened to settlement in 1889
efforts were made to obtain the franchise for women, first by the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and in 1895 the National American
Woman Suffrage Association sent organizers and an auxiliary was
formed. It held annual conventions and bills were presented to the
Legislature but when one had been grossly betrayed in the Senate after
passing the House in 1899 no further effort was made for a number of
years.[146] Finally in answer to requests sent to the National
Association, an organizer, Miss Laura Gregg of Kansas, was sent to the
Territory in March, 1904. She was cordially received and spent the
next eight months in speaking and organizing suffrage clubs. In
December Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, the national president, joined her for
a two-weeks' series of conferences in the large places, in each of
which a society was formed.

A convention of Oklahoma and Indian Territory delegates was called for
December 15-16 in Oklahoma City. Dr. Shaw presided at the first
session and delivered an address to a large audience. Over sixty
members were added to the city club and from this time it was the most
active in the State. Statehood was being agitated and a letter was
read from Miss Susan B. Anthony, honorary president of the National
Association, which said: "No stone should be left unturned to secure
suffrage for the women while Oklahoma is yet a Territory, for if it
comes into the Union without this in its constitution it will take a
long time and a great deal of hard work to convert over one-half of
the men to vote for it."

Letters expressing a strong desire for the franchise were read from
women in different parts of the Territories. The Twin Territorial
Association was organized and a resolution was adopted calling for
statehood and saying: "Said statehood shall never enact any law
restricting the right of suffrage on account of sex, race, color or
previous condition of servitude." Prominent at this convention were
Mrs. Kate H. Biggers, Mrs. Julia Woodworth, Mr