USA > South Dakota > Faulk County > History of Faulk County, South Dakota, together with biographical sketches of pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 10
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was offered, thank God, in the year of 1889 he became a follower of the Lord. He was called shortly after conver- sion to preach God's eternal truth which he has been en- deavoring to do for the past six years and can say today:
He is walking in the light, and his path is shining bright,
And there is no more night, where he dwells.
This old world he bids adieu, and its pleasures fade from view;
All things now to him are new; all is well.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
In 1885 Rev. Thomas Simmons was appointed by the Dakota Annual Conference, missionary for Faulk county, and located his family in Faulkton. And from that time there has been regular Methodist religious services held in this place. .
For two years the society was without any fixed place of worship, but in 1887 the present commodious church building was erected under the direction of Rev. Thomas Simmons.
For three years Rev. Simmons continued in charge of his missionary work in the county. After the dedication of the Faulkton church, Faulkton and Orient became an independent charge.
At that time, with the failure of crops and hard times that necessarily followed, it was a Herculanean effort to ac- complish such a work, for which Rev. Simmons and the members, and the friends of the church, are deserving of great credit.
This church, like others, has had its seasons of pros- perity and adversity, but through all these years has sus-
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METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, FAULKTON
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CATHOLIC CHURCH, FAULKTON
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tained Methodist preaching. At the present time under the pastorate of Rev. Ernest Holgate, who has entered up- on the fourth year of his labors with this church, there is a very prosperous condition of affairs, a church inember- ship of one hundred, a Sunday school of one hundred and fifty, an Epworth League of sixty and a Ladies Aid of fifty active, working members.
In 1903 the present parsonage property was purchased. This makes the Methodist Episcopal church property in Faulkton worth eight thousand dollars without a dollar of indebtedness against it.
[By Rev. Thomas Simmons. ]
By the counsel of his physician in the spring of '84 Rev. Thomas Simmons was induced to try Dakota ozone for his broken down health. The experiment was so suc- cessful that in the fall of '85 he entered the Dakota Con- ference to help build the empire of the Dakotas. He was given the choice between a charge at $800 and parsonage or to organize Methodism in Faulk county. He chose the latter and became the first M. E. pastor of Faulk county and January 15, 1886, began revival work at Eatondale schoolhouse, closing a two week's meeting by organizing a class of twenty-four members, then went to Hope Center schoolhouse and in about a fortnight organized another class of thirty-eight members. Next at LaFoon a class of twenty-six, then to DeVoe where a class of thirty-three was organized, closing the season with a nine day's meet- ing at Roanoke (now Cresbard) organizing with forty- two members. The work of the year embraced one hun- dred and twenty conversions, two hundred accessions to
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the church, nine Sunday schools with preaching appoint- ments. Rev. Chas. Chapman, a local preacher from Iowa, rendered good assistance in supplying these appointments with preaching. There was no possible place to hold ser- vices in Faulkton until the fall of 1886 when the new schoolhouse was secured and the first M. E. church of Faulkton was organized comprising the following naines: J. A. Pickler, Alice M. A. Pickler, Lula Pickler, Mrs. Clark, Ollie Ireland, Mrs. Dr. Goslee and Anna R. Sim- mons. A Sunday school was organized with Mrs. Sim- mons as superintendent and J. A. Pickler, bible class teacher, which office he has held with delight till his pres- ent sickness, except during his absence in congress.
From the schoolhouse we went to a new store building, thence to the town hall and then into an abandoned saloon, after some scrubbing and disinfecting, we called it Salva- tion hall and had one hundred conversions in our first revival.
By this time the M. E. swarm had multiplied so we began to provide for a new hive. Having bought the sheet- ing and dimension lumber for a new church, we built with it a temporary building to accomodate the congregation of two hundred, and when ready put it into the new church, meantime using a tent for church services. A happy peo- ple responded to P. E. Fielder's call for $1100 to meet full arrears and enjoy Dr. Stafford's dedication sermon on the last Sabbath of September '88 and the first Methodist church of Faulkton was committed to the sacred trust of the Board of Trustees, J. A. Pickler, Alice M. A. Pickler, C. E. Warner, Nora Warner, C. H. Seeley, Mrs. M. M. Johnson.
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The three vear time limit permitted the pastor but one Sabbath in his new pulpit. But he went rejoicing over such results-from almost nothing had sprung into exis- tence-three full charges, seven Sunday schools, three new churches built and dedicated, besides two preaching ap- pointments given to the Athol charge. Truly God wrought marvelously in these three short years.
MYRON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
In the early spring of 1883 a few christian neighbors gathered at the home of Mrs. K. Wirts, on section 3-119-69 and organized a Sunday school which, with many changes, is still in existence.
The following spring, 1884, Rev. Clinton Douglas of Faulkton, learning of this Sunday school and the interest- edness of the people in it, called on some of the prominent workers, offering his services for an occasional sermon on Sunday afternoon.
The interest increased, and in April, 1895, an organi- zation was perfected, called the Congregational church of Myron with the following members and officers:
Members, S. L. Maltby, Mrs. J. A. Stoddard, Mrs. Louise Kimball, Mrs. Kate Wirts, Miss Annie Wirts, Joseph Powell, Mrs. Sadie Powell, Wm. Bigelow and Mrs. Helen L. Treat.
Pastor, Rev. Clinton Douglas.
Deacons, Joseph Powell and Stephen Maltby.
Trustees, J. H. Treat, Joseph Powell and Wm. Bigelow. Clerk, Mrs. H. L. Treat.
Treasurer, Mrs. Sadie Powell.
About this time steps were taken for a permanent church home, and by the united efforts of pastor, people
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and Church Building Society, the now existing Myron church was erected on section 7-119-68 and dedicated in No- vember, 1896.
M. Bodine and J. H. Treat drew the first load of stone onto the ground for the church.
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CHAPTER XXIX. THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE QUESTION.
No history of Faulk county would be complete without an account of the earnest and persistent work done by some of our Faulk county ladies along the line of the Woman Suffrage movement.
As early as 1872 the territorial legislature lacked but one vote of conferring equal suffrage upon the women of South Dakota. While the territory was too sparsely settled for thorough and successful organization, there were enough earnest, intelligent, educated women scattered over the territory to keep the fire burning, and in this respect Faulk county occupied an enviable position, with more than a score of active workers. Mrs. Anna R. Simmons and Mrs. Alice M. A. Pickler should receive special men- tion. I11 1879 the territorial legislature passed a law giving women the right to vote at school meetings, but the school township law of 1883 which required regular polls and a private ballot instead of special meetings, abrogated that right. At the meeting of the territorial legislature in 1885 Major J. A. Pickler early in the session introduced a bill in the house granting full suffrage to women of the terri- tory, as under the organic act, the legislative body had to prescribe the qualification for the franchise. The bill passed the house, February 11, by a vote of twenty-nine ayes to nineteen noes. Gov. Gilbert A. Pierce who had been appointed only a few months before by President Arthur, failed to recognize the greatest opportunity of his life, the
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power to enfranchise fifty thousand American citizens by a single stroke of his pen. Such an opportunity seldom comes to an American citizen and when so stupidly ignored turns pity into contempt. In 1887 a law was passed en- larging the school suffrage possessed by women and giving them the right to vote at all school elections and for all school officers and also made them eligible for any school office. At this time under the liberal land law of the Unit- ed States, more than one-third of all the land opened to settlement in the territory was held by women.
In the same legislature of 1887, another effort was made to pass an equal suffrage bill and a committee from the franchise department of the Woman's Christian Tem- perance Union, consisting of Madams Helen M. Barker, S. V. Wilson and Alice M. A. Pickler appeared before the committee and presented hundreds of petitions and able arguments. The committee reported favorably but the bill failed in its passage to become a law. This is by no means the extent of women's work and influence in South Dakota. In all its history they have been a power in all social and moral legislation, especially in regulating where it was not possible to control.
In 1885 the American Women's Suffrage Association held a national convention in Minneapolis, Minn., which was attended by some of the most active and progressive inen and women of this part of the state, and who took an active part in its proceedings.
The material for the following write up for another work was furnished the writer by Mrs. Alice M. A. Pickler of Faulkton, who is one of the most influential workers in the Woman's Suffrage Association in the northwest and has.
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been honored with the presidency of the South Dakota State Suffrage Association. In June, 1883, a convention was held at Huron.
[History of South Dakota (Robinson), chapter 102, page 597:]
"The territory of Dakota was created in 1861, but in 1889 it entered the Union divided into two separate states, North and South Dakota. As early as 1872 the territorial legislature lacked only one vote of conferring full suffrage on wonien. The sparsely settled country and the long distances made any organized work an impossibility, al- though a number of individuals were strong advocates of equal suffrage. In 1879 women were given the right at school meetings. In 1883 a school township law was passed requiring regular polls and a private ballot instead of special meetings, which took away the suffrage from women in all but a few counties.
At the convening of the territorial legislature in Jan- uary, 1885, Major J. A. Pickler (afterwards member of congress), without solicitation, early in the session intro- duced a bill in the house granting full suffrage to women, as under the organic act the legislative body had the power to prescribe the qualifications for the franchise. The bill passed the house, February 11th, by twenty-nine ayes, nineteen noes. Soon afterward it passed the council by fourteen ayes, ten noes, and its friends counted the victory won. But Governor Gilbert A. Pierce, appointed by Presi- dent Arthur and only a few months in the territory, failed to recognize the grand opportunity to enfranchise fifty thousand American citizens by one stroke of his pen, and vetoed the bill. Not only did it express the sentiment of
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the representatives elected by the voters, but it had been generally discussed by the press of the territory and all the newspapers but one were outspoken for it. An effort was made to carry it over the governor's veto, but it failed.
In 1887 a law was passed enlarging the school suffrage possessed by women and giving them the right to vote at all school elections and for all school officers, and also mak- ing them eligible to any elective school office. At this time, under the liberal provisions of the United States land laws, more than one-third of the land in the territory was held by women.
In the same legislature of 1887 another effort was made to pass an equal suffrage bill, and a committee from the franchise department of the Woman's Christian Temper- ance Union, consisting of Mesdames Helen M. Barker, S. V. Wilson and Alice M. A. Pickler, appeared before the committee and presented hundreds of petitions from the men and women of the territory. The committe of both houses reported favorably, but the bill failed by thirteen votes in the house and six in the council.
It was mainly through women's instrumentality that a local option bill was carried through this legislature, and largely through their exertions that it was adopted by sixty- five out of the eighty-seven organized counties at the next general election.
In October, 1885, the American Woman Suffrage As- sociation held a national convention in Minneapolis, Minne- sota, which was attended by a number of people from Da- kota, who were greatly interested. The next month the first suffrage club was formed in Webster. Several local societies were afterwards started in the southern part of
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the territory, but for five years no attempt was made at bringing these together in a convention.
At the New Orleans Exposition, in 1885, the displays of Kansas, Dakota and Nebraska taught the world the ar- tistic value of grains and grasses for decoration, but it was exemplified most strikingly in the Dakota's Woman's De- partment, arranged by Mrs. J. M. Melton, of Fargo. Among the industrial exhibits was a carriage robe sent from a leading furrier to represent the skillful work of women in his employ. There were also bird fans, a curtain of duck skins and cases of taxidermy, all prepared and cured by women, and a case of work from women employed in the printing office of the Fargo Argus. Four thousand bouquets of grasses were distributed on Dakota Day and carried away as curious and beautiful memorials. All were made by women in the territory.
The long contention as to whether the territory should come into the Union as one state or two, was not decided until 1889, when congress admitted two states. Thence- forth there were two distinct movements for women suf- frage, one in North Dakota, and one in South Dakota.
SOUTH DAKOTA.
[The editor is indebted to Mrs. Alice M. A. Pickler, of Faulktou, president of the State Woman Suffrage Asso- ciation, for the material contained in this part of the chap- ter.]
In June, 1883, a convention was held at Huron to dis- cuss the question of dividing the territory and forming two states, and a convention was called to meet at Sioux Falls, September 4th, and prepared a constitution for those in the southern portion. The suffrage leaders in
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the East were anxious that this should include the fran- chise 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 sum- iner to awaken public sentiment on this question. On Sep- tember 6th a petition signed by one thousand Dakota men and women, praying that the word "male" should not be incorporated in the constitution, was presented to the con- vention, 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 ur- gent throughout the great territory, and this, with the growing sentiment in congress in favor of the same, in- duced 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 wonen had become laudholders and were interested in the location of schoolhouses, county seats, state capitals 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.
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Blackwell, Susan B. Anthony, Lillie Devereux Blake and others of national reputation. Seven of the eleven mem- bers of the committee were willing to grant this request, but there was so much opposition from the convention lest the chances of statehood might be imperiled, that they compelled a compromise and it was directed that the first legislature should submit the question to the voters. They did incorporate a clause, however, that women properly qualified should be eligible to any school office and should vote at any election solely for school purposes. This ap- plied merely to school trustees, as state and county superin- tendents are elected at general and not special elections.
The constitu tion was ratified by the voters in 1885, with a provision that "the legislature should at its first session after the admission of the state into the Union, sub- mit to a vote of the electors at the next general election, the question whether the word 'male' should be stricken from the article of the constitution relating to elections and the right of suffrage."
Congress at that time refused to divide the territory and thus the question remained in abeyance awaiting statehood.
In 1889, an enabling act having been passed by congress, delegates were elected from the different counties to meet in convention at Sioux Falls to prepare for the entrance of South Dakota into statehood. This convention reaffirmed the constitution adopted in 1885, and again submitted it to the voters, who again passed upon it favorably, and the territory became a state November 2, 1889.
The first legislature met at once in Pierre and, although they were required by the constitution to submit an amend-
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ment for woman suffrage, a vote was taken as to whether this should be done. It stood in the senate, forty yeas, one nay; absent or not voting, four; in the house, eighty- four yeas; nine nays, twenty-one absent.
On November 11, 1889, Miss Anthony, in response to urgent requests from the state, made a lecture tour of twelve cities and towns and addressed the Farmers' Alliance at their convention in Aberdeen, when it officially indorsed the suffrage amendment. On her return home she sent fifty thousand copies of Senator T. W. Palmer's great woman suffrage speech to individual voters in Dakota under his frank.
A State Suffrage Association had been formed, with S. A. Ramsey, president; Alonzo Wardall, vice-president; the Rev. Mr. Barker, secretary, and Mrs. Helen M. Barker, treasurer and state organizer; but the beginning of this campaign found the women with no funds and very little local organization. Mr. Wardall, who was also secretary of the Farmers' Alliance, went to Washington and, with Representative and Mrs. J. A. Pickler, presented a strong appeal for assistance to the national suffrage convention in February, 1890. It was heartily responded to and a South Dakota campaign committee was formed, with Miss Anthony chairman. The officers and friends made vigorous efforts to raise a fund and eventually five thousand five hundred dollars were secured. Of this amount California sent one thousand dollars; Senator Stanford personally gave three hundred dollars; Rachael Foster Avery, of Philadel- phia, the same amount; Mrs. Clara L. McAdow, of Mon- tana; two hundred and fifty dollars; a number gave one hundred dollars, among them United States Senator R. F. .
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Pettigrew, of South Dakota, and different states sent vari- ous sums. The speaker raised about one thousand four hundred dollars, which went towards paying their expenses. Over one thousand dollars were secured by other means. Most of the state workers donated their expenses.
The first of May, Miss Anthony returned to South Da- kota and established campaign headquarters in Huron. A mass convention of men and women was held and an active state organization formed, with Mrs. Philena Everett John- son, president; and Mr. Wardall, vice-president, which co- operated with the national committee and inaugurated an active campaign. The new state had adopted as its motto, "Under God the People Rule," and the suffragists wrote upon their banners, "Under God the People Rule; Women are People." A large number of national speakers came in
the summer. Local workers would organize suffrage clubs in the schoolhouse and these efforts would culminate in large rallies at the county seats where some noted speakers would make addresses and perfect the organization.
Those from the outside who canvasssed the state were Henry B. Blackwell, editor Woman's Journal, Boston; the Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, national lecturer; Mary Seymour Howell, of New York; the Rev. Olympia Brown, of Wis- consin; Matilda Hindman, of Pennsylvania; Carrie Chap- man Catt, of Washington; Laura M. Johns, of Kansas; Clara Berwick Colby, of Nebraska; the Rev. Helen G. Putman, of North Dakota, and Julia B. Nelson, of Minnesota. Miss Anthony was always and everywhere the moving spirit and contributed her services the entire six months without pay. When three hundred dollars were lacking to settle the final expenses she paid them out of lier own pocket. Mr. Black-
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well also donated his services. Most effective state work was done by Mrs. Emma Smith DeVoe, of Huron, and the home of Mr. and Mrs. DeVoe was a haven of rest during the campaign.
Among the other valuable state workers were Dr. Nettie C. Hall, Mrs. Helen M. Barker, and Mrs. Elizabeth M. Wardall, superintendent of press. A large number of ministers indorsed the amendment. Two grand rallies of all the speakers were held, one at Mitchell, August 26th and 27th, during which time Miss Anthony, Mr. Blackwell, Miss Shaw and Mrs. Pickler addressed the Republican state convention; the other during the state fair in September. The 17th was "Woman's Day," and the fair association invited ladies to speak. Miss Anthony, Miss Shaw and Mrs. DeVoe complied. The summing up of the superin- tendent of press was as follows: Total number of addresses by national speakers, 789; state speakers, 707; under the auspices of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, 104; total, 1,600; local clubs of women organized, 400; literature sent out to every voter.
It would be difficult to put into words the hardships of this campaign of 1890, in a new state throught the hottest and dryest summer on record. Frequently the speakers had to drive twenty miles between the afternoon and even- ing meetings and the audiences would come thirty miles. All of the political state conventions declined to indorse the amendment. The Republicans refused seats to the ladies on the floor of their convention, although Indians in blan- kets were welcomed. The Democrats invited the ladies to seats, where they listened to a speech against woman suffrage by E. W. Miller, land receiver for Huron district.
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too indecent to print, which was received with cheers and applause by the convention. The minority committee re- port, presented by Judge Bange, of Rapid City, asking for an indorsement, was overwhelmingly voted down. A big delegation of Russians came to this convention wearing yellow badges lettered, "Against Woman Suffrage and Susan B. Anthony."
The greatest disappointment of the campaign was the forming of an independent party by the Farmers' Alliance and the Knights of Labor. The Alliance at its convention the previous year, four hundred and seventy-eight delegates present, at the close of Miss Anthony's address, had de- clared that they would do all in their power to carry the suffrage amendment, and it was principally on account of their assurances of support and on the invitation of their leaders that she undertook the work in South Dakota. The Knights of Labor at their convention in January of the present year had adopted a resolution that said: "We will support with all our strength the amendment to be voted on at the next general election giving women the ballot-be- lieving this to be the first step toward securing those re- forms for which all true Knights of Labor are striving." But the following June these two organizations formed a new party and absolutely refused to put a woman suffrage plank in their platform, although Miss Anthony addressed their convention and implored then to keep their promise, assuring them that their failure to support the amendment would be its death blow. The previous summer H. L. Loucks, president of the Farmers' Alliance, had made a special journey to the state suffrage convention at Min- neapolis to invite her to come to South Dakota to conduct
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