OIS.[42]

The Illinois Equal Suffrage Association started on its work for the
new century with a determination to win full suffrage for women--the
one great purpose for which it was organized in 1869. The State
conventions were always held in October or November. In the earlier
years they usually went to the "down state" cities or towns, but as
they grew large Chicago was generally selected. In October, 1900, the
State convention was held at Edgewater and Mrs. Elizabeth Boynton
Harbert of Evanston resumed the presidency, which she had held for a
number of years. Delegates from four places besides Chicago were
present. Mrs. Catharine Waugh McCulloch was made legislative chairman
and work was continued for needed changes in the laws.

At the convention of 1901 Mrs. Elizabeth F. Long of Barry was elected
president. Great effort was made to interest the press in the suffrage
question and a leaflet entitled Suffrage for Women Taxpayers was
published and sent to all the large newspapers. The Chicago Teachers'
Federation, under the leadership of Miss Margaret Haley and Miss
Catherine Goggin, rendered valuable service in arousing the people to
the injustice of taxation without representation. The Ella Flagg Young
Club, an organization of the women principals of the public schools,
affiliated this year with the State suffrage association. Petitions
were circulated and suffrage resolutions passed by various kinds of
clubs and plans were made to introduce in the next Legislature the
Municipal and Presidential suffrage bill as well as a full suffrage
amendment to the State constitution. Among the women who rendered
efficient service in these early years were Dr. Julia Holmes Smith,
Mrs. Lucy Flower and Mrs. Lydia Avery Coonley-Ward.

The next convention was held in Jacksonville in 1902 and the Rev. Kate
Hughes of Table Grove was elected president. At the convention of 1903
Mrs. Hughes was re-elected. A feature of the educational work this
year was to urge the directors of the libraries of the State to place
on their shelves the official History of Woman Suffrage, recently
brought up to date. A leaflet by Mrs. McCulloch, Bench and Bar of
Illinois, was published by the association and widely circulated. It
gave the opinions of some of the ablest jurists and statesmen on the
woman suffrage question.

At the 1904 convention Mrs. McCulloch was elected president. Notable
growth was made in suffrage societies during the year and fav