. Harriette
Taylor Treadwell, president of the Chicago Political Equality League,
to have letters and telegrams sent at once to Springfield and to have
people communicate by telephone with the Speaker when he returned to
Chicago for the week end. Mrs. Treadwell called upon the suffragists
and thousands of letters and telegrams were sent. She also organized a
telephone brigade by means of which he was called up every fifteen
minutes by men as well as women, both at his home and his office, from
early Saturday morning until late Monday night the days he spent in
Chicago. She was assisted in this work by Mrs. James W. Morrisson,
secretary of the Chicago Equal Suffrage Association; Mrs. George Bass,
president of the Chicago Woman's Club; Mrs. Jean Wallace Butler, a
well-known business woman; Mrs. Edward L. Stillman, an active
suffragist in the Rogers Park Woman's Club; Miss Florence King, a
prominent patent lawyer and president of the Chicago Woman's
Association of Commerce; Miss Mary Miller, another Chicago lawyer and
president of the Chicago Human Rights Association; Mrs. Charlotte
Rhodus, president of the Woman Suffrage Party of Cook County and other
influential women. Mrs. Trout telephoned Miss Margaret Dobyne, press
chairman of the association, to send out the call for help over the
State, which she did with the assistance of Miss Jennie F. W. Johnson,
the treasurer, and Mrs. J. W. McGraw, the auditor.

A deluge of letters and telegrams from every section of Illinois
awaited the Speaker when he arrived in Springfield Tuesday morning. He
needed no further proof and announced that the bill would be called up
for final action June 11. The women in charge of it immediately began
to marshal their forces for the last struggle. Messages were sent to
each friend of the measure in the House, urging him to be present
without fail.[44] On the eventful morning there was much excitement at
the Capitol. The "captains," previously requested to be on hand
early, reported if any of their men were missing, these were at once
called up by telephone and when necessary a cab was sent for them. The
four women lobbyists were stationed as follows: Mrs. Booth and Mrs.
McCormick in the gallery; Mrs. Trout at the only entrance of the House
left open that day, and Mrs. Funk to carry messages and instructions
between these points. Mrs. Booth checked off the votes and Mrs. Trout
stood guard to see that no friendly members left the House during roll