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Thirty years ago this fall La Crosse women who had been mem bers of the La Crosse County League of Women Voters became affiliated with the national organi zation of the League of Women Voters. This nation-wide organiza tion was founded in 1920 in Chi cago, its inception one year earlier at a convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Asso ciation in St. Louis. The Associa tion had met to decide on its course when suffrage should become a fact. Carrie Chapman Catt called for a “living memorial’ to lead ers of the fight for woman suffrage, and said “let us form a league of women voters, so that women may use their new freedom to make their nation safer for their chil dren and their children’s children. What should be done can be done; what can be done, let us do.” 1920 Convention At the first convention in 1920 a legislative program was recom mended which included protection for women and children, rights of working women, food supply and demand, social hygiene, the legal status of women, and American citizenship. Soon the League found itself with a difficult choice to make. It could concentrate on pass ing legislation or it could stress the political education of large numbers of women. It could devel op experts in specific fields or fos ter the growth of the well-rounded citizen. Most of the leaders felt it most important that the League be on every woman's organization stressing the development of the well-rounded citizen. Thus, the pur pose of the League of Women Vot ers has been to create in citizens a sense of responsibility for demo cratic government, a responsibility for knowing about issues and do ing something about them. The preliminary meeting of La Crosse women who wanted to be come a part of this national organi zation was a tea in August, 1923, at the home of Mrs. F. P. Hixon, now the home of Mrs. A. P. Funk Sr. Mrs. Harry Thomas, Sheboy gan, president of the State League, spoke. Officers were elected—pres ident, Mrs. Hixon; vice president, Mrs. A. J. Roberge; recording secretary, Mrs. O. J. Oyen; corre sponding secretary, Mrs. Harry Spence; treasurer, Miss Mabel Young. A committee of 10 was ap pointed to get out the vote for the 1924 elections. Mrs. Andrew Lees was appointed chairman. In Octo ber of that year an advisory com mittee was formed, Miss Anna Ma shek, Miss Helen Dorset and Mrs. E. C. Thompson were appointed members. 11 Presidents Women who have served as pres ident of the La Crosse League of Women Voters since Mrs. Hixon are Mrs. A. J. Roberge, Mrs. An drew Lees, Mrs. Herman Wolf, Mrs. J. C. Morgan, Mrs. Ernst Fraulin, Mrs. Alf Gunderson, Mrs. Howard Dahl, Mrs. David Sauber, Mrs. Robert Gilbert. Mrs. Henry Setzer is now president. This year two La Crosse women are erving as members of the Wisconsin state board of directors of the League of Women Voters. They are Mrs. Alf Gunderson, pres ident, and Mrs. Arthur Christen sen, education chairman. Through the years the League in La Crosse has held candidates’ meetings in an effort to acquaint its members and the public with people running for office. At its first meeting of this type the can didates for mayor who spoke were Joseph Verdota, James Langdon, Charles Lang and Chris Sorenson. One of the League's early meet ings of candidates for congress brought to the platform Albert Schubert, Merlin Hull, Otto Boss hard and Gardiner Withrow. Coun ty judge candidates appearing be fore league members were John Doherty, Clinton Hunt, James Pe terson and Rudolph Sehlabach. From time to time many of the city and county officials have spok en at League meetings. Numerous state officials in the past have come to La Crosse to meet with League members. Among these state officials were Miss Olson and Miss Cornelia Van Rooy of the State Board of Public Health, Sen ator Loomis, Assemblyman Mur ray, Maud Swett of the industrial commission, Sol Levitan, state treasurer, and Representative Gar diner Withrow. Join Other Groups Meetings have been held jointly with the Civic Forum, AAUW, and a number of other organizations One of the early joint meetings was held in 1927 when the Franklin Men's Club and the League held a meeting to discuss the World Court, which was debated by Mark Byers and Otto Schlabach. Since 1924 the League of Women Voters of La Crosse has sent rep resentatives to nine of the national league conventions. This year the convention will be held in Denver. Each year the La Crosse League sends delegates to the state con vention. The League has always been con cerned with the basic philosophy of sound structure and proper func tioning of representative govern ment. It has been careful to see that its program of socially desir able objectives contributed to the larger welfare. The League has al ways been deeply interested in im proving the quality of education and has worked in that area on the local and state level. It also has worked for the removal of specific discriminations against women but has opposed blanket legislation for full equality of the sexes, feeling that this would threaten the whole structure of protective legislation built up over the years. Others as studied by the League are child welfare, international cooperation, the United Nations, trade policies, economic welfare, human rights, taxation and budgetary proce dures. Providing citizens with ac curate, non-partisan information about candidates, election issues and voting procedures was a serv ice early established. The League is a non-partisan or ganization, not a political organiza tion, since it disregards political parties in choosing and supporting issues. The League supports or op poses issues but never political can didates. Financially the League is supported by membership dues and by contributions from citizens who value the work the League is car rying on in the community. All members work in the League and all League officers and boards are entirely volunteer and unpaid. Four members of La Crosse League of Women Voters have belonged to the organization continu ously since it was started in La Crosse in 1923. They are Miss Jessie Caldwell, left, Mrs. Ed. C. Morgan, Mrs. John Blair and Mrs. Gysbert van Tribune Photo Steenwyk. Others who have been members for the entire 30 years who were not able to be in the picture are Miss Anna Mashek, Miss Charlotte Kohn, Miss Josephine Hintgen and Mrs. O. J. Oyen.
Newspaper Details
La Crosse Sunday Tribune
La Crosse, Wisconsin, US
Sun, Sep 20, 1953
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Brandon S.
USA 03 May 2026
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