Volume 14 , Issue 10

100 Years Ago Today March 5, 1912

The San Francisco Call, in San Francisco, dated Tuesday, March 5, 1912 main page bold headlines at the top read: "Taft Followers, Confident of Victory, Organize." There was a photo with this caption, "Mrs. Clara Shortridge Foltz addressing the 300 women who yesterday formed the woman's State Taft Republican Club at the Palace Hotel. The Woman on the extreme left, with the gavel is Mrs. Abbie E. Krebs, president of the club; Between her and the speaker is Mrs. Belinda A. Bailey, secretary of the club, and behind the speaker is Mrs. Goodman Lowenthal. One of the active workers. The other women in the picture are district leaders and workers in the cause of the renomination and re-election of President William Howard Taft."

Below the photo is another headline that read, "Women Prepare To Wage Fight," with the sub-headlines of "From Now On New Voters of The State Will Talk Only Politics for Taft." It was written by Arthur L. Price, and starts with, "Three hundred California women, zealously devoted to the cause of the re-election of William Howard Taft, president of the United States, assembled in the palace hotel yesterday afternoon and established the Woman's State Taft Republican club. This organization will be the central Taft body for women of the state, and under its direction allied clubs will be formed in each assembly district of California to secure the election of a California delegation to the national republican convention pledged to the renomination of Taft and his subsequent election."

Reading the article we find that Abbie E. Krebs was unanimously elected president, Mrs. Belinda S. Bailey secretary and Mrs. Robert E. Oxnard, treasurer. Mrs. Clara Shortridge Foltz was chosen chairman of the committee on permanent organization and delivered the chief address of the afternoon.

Mrs. Abbie E. Krebs, San Francisco read a dispatch from the White House during the course of her opening address: "Mrs. Abbie E. Krebs, San Francisco. Your telegram received. I warmly appreciate the support of the good women of California, to have whose confidence is to merit success. - William H. Taft."

The story continues on page 5, of The San Francisco Call with headlines, "Women Laud President Record of Achievement." It stated, "In this era of equal suffrage for women, it behooves us, as representatives of California, to take our appointed places in the field of political activity and, with progressive spirit but conservative action, to assume our share of the burden and the responsibility of securing a just and economical administration of the affairs of the state and the nation."

President Taft endeared himself to the women of the nation through his promulgation of arbitration treaties in the interests of universal peace among the nations. He also gave force to a real and vital policy for the conservation of national resources of the great west. He displayed his friendship for California by securing to us the Panama-Pacfic international exposition to commemorate the opening of the great Panama canal and the dawn of a new commercial era in promotion and exploitation of the resources of the Pacific slope. Taft also compelled throughout the country the enforcement of the law with equal and exact justice in common to all. He gave effective force to the campaign for equitable workmen's compensation and employers' liability. Taft's efforts and his recommendations have been effectually directed to the suppression of the so called white slave traffic.

Taft had shown to the nations of the world that all the citizens of the United States would be protected at home and abroad in their rights and liberties. He had proclaimed his unfaltering belief in the courts of the United States; he had tempered justice with mercy, yet had never hesitated to right a wrong. Taft had shown by word and act that neither race, creed nor condition debars any citizen from the highest offices in his personal gift and appointment.

The page 5 article finished with, "By reason of these and other eminent qualifications as an executive it has been fully demonstrated that our president is a statesman of rare constructive ability, that he has revered the traditions and has been true to the highest ideals of the great republican organization of which he is the leader."

"Now, therefore, be it resolved, that we, in behalf of the republican women voters of California, do pledge to William Howard Taft our loyal support for renomination for and election to the office of president of the United States, and that we shall use every honorable means to secure for him a solid California delegation to the republican national convention."

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