The Greenville Journal, October 29, 1914

WETS AND DRYS UNITED

SPOKE FROM SAME PLATFORM IN TOLEDO FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE.

    The novelty of “wets” and “drys” both pleading the woman suffrage cause from the same platform has been witnessed by a Toledo audience.

    The chairman of the mass meeting was Aaron B. Gabriel, a prominent temperance advocate, and the first speaker, Miss Elaine Jack, took up the question somewhat from a “dry” standpoint.

    Ex-Senator Frank Hillenkamp was then introduced and said bluntly: “I believe in the open saloon, and I am sure women will prefer that kind of a saloon to the kind that exists in violation of the law.

    “However, this has nothing to do with the suffrage question. Women are asking the ballot for the same reason that men want it. They should be granted it as a matter of simple right.”

    Miss Beatrice Vaughn, representing the woman labor unions, closed the meeting. She wore an apron to symbolize her position and pleaded for economic conditions which would not compel the women to invade men’s sphere in factories and offices. “Put the cradle back in the home,” pleaded Miss Vaughn. “Women will do it, if they can have their way.”  

In 1914 there was a great meeting of people in Toledo, Ohio, from both sides of the temperance argument who came together to rally for women’s suffrage. The first of the speakers was Elaine Jack who was a temperance supporter. The second was Frank Hillenkamp who was a former senator of the Ohio General Assembly. Hillenkamp was born in Germany in 1849 and moved to the United States in 1869. He settled in Toledo, Ohio, in 1871 where he engaged in various business. In 1905 he ran as an independent for Representative to the 77th General Assembly of Ohio. He won despite having no endorsement from either political party. He would lose in the polls in 1908, and then would again be nominated by the Independents and won in the 1910 election, this time being endorsed by the Democrats. In 1912, Hillenkamp would run as a Democrat for a Senator seat in the 80th General Assembly. He would be victorious against the opposing Republican and Bull Moose candidates. Hillenkamp was active in many progressive movements including the Women’s Suffrage movement. He was opposed to the temperance movement, but not to the Suffragists whom he supported at the meeting in Toledo. The last to speak was Beatrice Vaughn who represented the woman labor unions. The first female led labor union in Ohio was the Female Protective Union which was established in 1850 to fight for better conditions for women garment workers. It would start its own garment shop in 1851 which sported shorter hours and higher pay than the other clothing stores, however it would be shut down soon after due to the other stores working to run it out of business. The Female Protective Union would disband shortly after.