Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/596

 580 HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE Association, called together a representative group of clubwomen, that the State Equal Suffrage League was organized in the Kennedy Library at Spartanburg. Mrs. M. T. Coleman of Abbeville, retiring president of the State Federation of Women's Clubs, was elected president ; Mrs. John Gary Evans, Spartanburg, first and Mrs. J. L. Coker, Hartsville, second, vice-president; Mrs. Henry Martin, Columbia, secretary; Mrs. F. T. Kicklin, Chester, treasurer. Dr. Rosa H. Gannt, Spartanburg, was ap- pointed legislative chairman. Three organized leagues Colum- bia, Charleston and Spartanburg with a membership of about 450, joined at this time. In twenty months the number of local leagues increased to eight and the membership to 1,514. Three speakers were brought to the State during the winter of 1915, Mrs. Lila Meade Valentine, president of the Virginia League; Mrs. Desha Breckinridge, president of the Kentucky Association, and Miss Kate M. Gordon of Louisiana. The league supplied literature for school and club debates and distributed it at many county fairs. On October 17 a State convention was held in Columbia. Mrs. Coleman and Dr. Gannt resigned; Mrs. Harriet P. Lynch, Cheraw, was elected president and Mrs. W. C. Cathcart of Columbia was appointed legislative chairman. This year for the first time suffrage was represented in a parade of women, which took place during the State Fair with a suffrage float in the evening display. In 1916 the annual convention met in Charlestown. During the year Mrs. Lynch had stressed organization and chairmen had been appointed in sixteen counties to work along political lines, the unit of organization being the wards in cities and townships in counties. A plank in the Democratic platform to refer a woman suffrage amendment to the voters was secured at the State convention in the spring and State and national candidates were canvassed as to their views on woman suffrage. Yhen the convention of 1917 was held in Columbia in October there were twenty-five leagues in the State with a membership of about 3,000. The Federal Suffrage Amendment, the Prohibition Amendment, Food Administration as outlined by Mr. Hoover and a Minimum Wage for Women were endorsed. Protests were made against any attempt to lower educational standards or to