in 1901, it showed 50,000 names and aroused great
enthusiasm. Of these, 9,650 were collected in the four cities of
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo; during the year 7,500
names had been added to the list. The system has been adopted by the
unions in many States.

[405] Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, the author of this chapter, is now
serving her second term on the board of education in Warren, O. In the
spring of 1898 the local political equality club determined to have
some women in this position and selected Mrs. Upton and Mrs. Carrie P.
Harrington. Two vacancies having occurred, the board (which fills such
vacancies) was asked to appoint them but refused. Their names
therefore were presented to the Republican caucus in the spring of
1898. Instead of two candidates, as usual, there were four, as the two
vacancies were to be filled for the remainder of the term. The board
and the politicians still refused to recommend the women, so six names
went before the caucus. The women were asked whether they wanted to
run for the short term to fill the vacancies or for the full term of
three years. They refused to say, but simply asked that their names
should be considered. They had little hope of anything but to fill the
vacancies, as the president and treasurer of the present board were
candidates for the long term. The night of the caucus was very stormy,
but the women of the city turned out in force and, with the assistance
of the men, the two women were nominated for the long term. A
Republican nomination is equivalent to an election in Warren.

The board was magnanimous, both ladies were placed on committees and
most courteously treated. The next year Mrs. Upton was made chairman
of the most important committee, that on supplies, buildings and
grounds, which expends nine tenths of all the money used by the board.
The other woman member was added to this committee when the new
grammar school was begun in 1899. It is considered one of the best
ventilated and best planned buildings in that part of the State.

In the spring of 1901 both were triumphantly re-elected. Mrs. Upton
was continued as chairman of her committee, and Mrs. Harrington was
made chairman of the next in importance, that on text books. [Eds.

CHAPTER LIX.

OKLAHOMA.[406]

Oklahoma Territory was opened to settlement April 22, 1889, and its
first woman's organization was the Woman's Christian Temperance Union,
founded in Guthrie, March 10,