gue, was appointed to take charge of an
experimental tour which required about six weeks of preparatory work
to insure its success. She visited the offices of the newspapers and
secured their co-operation. The tour started on Monday, July 11, and
the edition of the _Tribune_ the day before contained a full colored
page of the women in the autos and nearly a half page more of reading
material about it. The paper sent two reporters on the trip, who rode
in the car with the speakers. The _Examiner_, _Record Herald_, _Post_
and _Journal_ sent reporters by railroad and trolley, who joined the
suffragists at their stopping places. The women spoke from the
automobile, which drove into some square or stopped on a prominent
street corner, previously arranged for by the local committees. Mrs.
McCulloch spoke from the legal standpoint; Miss Nicholes from the
laboring woman's view and Mrs. Stewart from an international aspect.
Mrs. Trout made the opening address, covering the subject in a general
way, and presented the speakers. She herself was introduced by some
prominent local woman and on several occasions by the Mayor.

Sixteen towns were visited, and the _Tribune_ said: "Suffrage tour
ends in triumph. With mud bespattered 'Votes for Women' banners still
flying, Mrs. Trout and her party of orators returned late yesterday
afternoon. Men and women cheered them all the way in from their last
stop at Wheaton to the Fine Arts Building headquarters." Similar tours
in other parts of the State were conducted by Dr. Anna E. Blount, Mrs.
Stewart, Miss Grim and Mrs. Jennie F. W. Johnson. Mrs. Trout took her
same speakers and went to Lake Geneva, where meetings with speaking
from automobiles were held under the auspices of Mrs. Willis S.
McCrea, who entertained the suffragists in her spacious summer home.
In the autumn at her house on Lincoln Parkway Mrs. McCrea organized
the North Side Branch of the State association, afterwards (1913)
renamed the Chicago Equal Suffrage Association.

In October the State convention was held at Elgin and Mrs. Stewart was
re-elected. The Municipal and Presidential bills and the full suffrage
amendment were introduced in the Legislature as usual. Miss Grim and
Miss Ruth Harl were stationed at Springfield as permanent lobbyists
and Mrs. McCulloch directed the work. At the time of the hearing a
special suffrage train was run from Chicago to Springfield, with
speaking from the rear platform at the principal pl