elief Corps and a large
number of church, lodge and literary societies enlist women's
activities in a marked degree. They sit on the official boards of many
churches and some of these are composed entirely of women.

SOUTH DAKOTA.[205]

In June, 1883, a convention was held at Huron to discuss the question
of dividing the Territory and forming two States, and a convention was
called to meet at Sioux Falls, September 4, and prepare a constitution
for those in the southern portion. The suffrage leaders in the East
were anxious that this should include the franchise for women. Mrs.
Matilda Joslyn Gage of New York, vice-president-at-large of the
National Suffrage Association, lectured at various points in the
Territory during the summer to awaken public sentiment on this
question. On September 6 a petition signed by 1,000 Dakota men and
women, praying that the word "male" should not be incorporated in the
constitution, was presented to the convention, accompanied by personal
appeals. There was some disposition to grant this request but the
opponents prevailed and only the school ballot was given to women,
which they already possessed by Act of the Legislature of 1879.
However, this constitution never was acted upon.

The desire for division and Statehood became very urgent throughout
the great Territory, and this, with the growing sentiment in Congress
in favor of the same, induced the Legislature of 1885 to provide for a
convention at Sioux Falls, composed of members elected by the voters
of the Territory, to form a constitution for the proposed new State of
South Dakota and submit the same to the electors for adoption, which
was done in November, 1885. Many of the women had become landholders
and were interested in the location of schoolhouses, county seats,
State capital and matters of taxation. As their only organization was
the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, a committee was appointed
from that body, consisting of Alice M. A. Pickler, Superintendent of
the Franchise Department, Helen M. Barker and Julia Welch, to appear
before the Committee on Suffrage and ask that the word "male" be left
out of the qualifications of electors. They were helped by letters to
members of the convention from Lucy Stone, Henry B. Blackwell, Susan
B. Anthony, Lillie Devereux Blake and others of national reputation.

Seven of the eleven members of the committee were willing to grant
this request but there was so much opposition from