Grace Wilbur Trout

              1916

Figure

Monfort
Grace Wilbur Trout


Author Lecturer Reader
THRUOUT the great state of Illinois, and in every state in the Union, the name of Grace Wilbur Trout is known, and as the Chicago Examiner remarks, This name will go down in big letters in the history of the woman's suffrage movement in America.

Seldom have the great metropolitan newspapers so espoused the cause of equal suffrage as they have done under Mrs. Trout's administration as president of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association.  We have combined just a few of the press comments about Mrs. Trout and her work,

(Washington, D. C.)
The Illinois delegates to-day won the place of first rank in the Suffrage Parade in the opinion of the spectators along the line of march.  * * * Immediately following the band was Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, president of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association, and commander-in-chief of the delegation, with the other suffragists marching behind her four abreast.—From the Chicago Record-Herald.

as the best, most impartial, and accurate way of telling her history.


The Chicago Examiner.
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, thru whose marvelous persistence, sane methods and big understanding the vote was won for Illinois women.


Monfort Chi.
The success of equal suffrage in Illinois, including that great metropolis Chicago, sets a new precedent for the suffrage cause thruout the United States.  And as the Springfield, Illinois, Record says, It was Mrs. Trout who led the fight which resulted in the enactment of the bill granting suffrage to the women of Illinois, and those who argue that women cannot be good politicians, must consider Grace Wilbur Trout the exception which proves the rule.  In the language of the Lincoln, (Neb.) Herald, Grace Wilbur Trout understands the science of politics; not the game, but the science.  The politicians who had played the game for years recognized the master politician, and were the first to acknowledge her greatness.

As the Trinity M. E. Advocate of Chicago said, Mrs. Trout meets opposition with a diplomacy which entails no surrender of principle.  With her force of eloquence, charming personality, irresistible logic and strength of character, Mrs. Trout and her little squad of suffragists overwhelmed one of our most stubborn Legislatures, and caused to be written upon our statute books the law which enfranchised more people than Lincoln's proclamation and our Civil War.

Mrs. Trout's practical ability and sound judgment were recognized by the former Mayor of Chicago, who appointed her one of two women to serve as a member of the Permanent Charter Commission.  The Christian Science Monitor, in an article on this
 subject, said: Recognition of women on such an important body is perhaps the highest the city has extended.  Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, appointed on this commission, has been named one of the committee of seven on plan and procedure, the important drafting committee, and is also chairman of the committee on education and general welfare.

The new Mayor appointed only two women to serve on another committee of thirty prominent citizens, to represent Chicago at the great Lincoln Jubilee Celebration, and Mrs. Trout was one of the two women selected.

The Philadelphia Ledger quotes the new Chicago Mayor's views on the suffrage situation in Illinois, as follows:

It is Thompson's opinion that the women of the state of Illinois secured favorable action upon their Suffrage Bill because of the masterly and dignified manner in which the women lobbied for their bill at Springfield, under the splendid leadership of Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, and he recommends that the women of the nation who desire suffrage confer with Mrs. Trout as to the best method of conducting their campaign.

It is very generally known that it was Mrs. Trout's diplomacy and tact that secured the endorsement of equal suffrage by the General Federation of Women's Clubs.  In honor of this event a banquet was given to the General Federation by the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association.  In describing this banquet, one of the newspapers said: Over 1,000 persons were seated at this banquet, and as many more were unable to secure seats.  It was a

MRS. TROUT THANKING GOV. DUNNE—SPEAKER WM. McKINLEY BESIDE HIM
A New York paper stated that there has been no event since the Civil War of such farreaching, national significance as the passage of the Suffrage Bill in Illinois.
After signing the bill, Governor Dunne said: I congratulate you ladies on the gallant and successful fight that you have conducted.  Mrs. Trout stepped forward a little from the group around his desk and answered: I want to thank you, Governor Dunne, for signing this document.  You have won the everlasting gratitude of the women of Illinois.  We feel confident that they will prove worthy of the great responsibility which has been granted them by the men of Illinois.  May the Divine power that guides and controls the destinies of us all direct you and yours forever.


A snapshot of Mrs. Trout arriving home from the Suffrage Garden Fete given in her honor.
 great day in Illinois history.  The grace, wit, and eloquence of Mrs. Trout as toastmistress made a lasting impression upon those present.  She won the hearts as well as the intellects of the great audience on this great occasion.

Mrs. Trout's unusual executive ability has been demonstrated in the wonderful growth of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association under her administration.  It now has a membership, through its affiliated associations, of nearly 100,000, and is a powerful factor in Illinois politics.

Mrs. Trout's business acumen was brought out in her management of the Woman's Suffrage Edition of the Chicago Examiner, which in its one day's issue cleared over $15,000 for the suffrage cause.

Mrs. Trout's political sagacity was again put to the test during the 1915 sessions of the Illinois Legislature.  A Bill was introduced for the Repeal of the Suffrage Law.  Several other Bills were introduced, which, if passed, would have imperiled the law.

The Senator who introduced the Suffrage Bill which was passed by the Forty-eighth General Assembly stated in a letter, That the Suffrage Law was not repealed, or in any way modified by the Forty-ninth General Assembly, was very largely due to Mrs. Trout's political sagacity and untiring efforts, for which every real friend of equal suffrage should feel grateful.

One of those who have carefully followed her work said: In her breadth of vision, in her charity of judgment, in her keen sense of humor, in her fearless devotion to principle in the face of all opposition, she manifests many of the qualities of Lincoln.  The Joliet News comments thus on her personality: Grace Wilbur Trout has all the charm of a splendid womanhood unspoiled
 by a phenomenal success.  Mrs. Trout has been here before capturing the citadel forever by the delightful combination of qualities with which nature and cultivation have arrayed this splendid soul.

Mrs. Trout is equal to the task of converting a stubborn world.  Beyond peradventure no meeting in the history of a long series of brilliant women's sessions of the Farmer's Institute equaled the meeting yesterday afternoon.  The theater was packed to the doors, and the seemingly impossible happened—nobody, not a single soul in that audience got up and left before the program was over.  This was the record breaker, for never before did this splendid mark of respect and interest happen.  Mrs. Trout's speech was logical, forceful, powerful.  The supreme ideal of cultivated womanliness, she has none of the 'eternal feminine' appeal about her.  To her belongs that highest praise, 'She talks like a man.'  Her appeal is to the human heart, not emotional, not supplicating.

The Illinois Press Bulletin sums up her character thus: Out of the hour of her great victory she has come the most democratic and lovable of women, in her dealings with all showing the native goodness of a great nature.

Newspaper comments which follow with the photographic illustrations on these pages tell a partial story of the many important and interesting events in which Mrs. Trout was the central figure.


Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout starting engine 2102, B. & O., hauling the Suffrage Train to Washington


Photo from the Chicago American.


COMING IN FROM SUFFRAGE AUTO TOUR OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Suffragists' tour ends in triumph. … With mud-bespattered Votes for Women still flying, Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, leader of the Suffrage automobile crusade, and her party of orators, returned late yesterlay afternoon. …  Men and women cheered the suffragists all the way in from their last stop at Wheaton to the Fine Arts Building headquarters.—From the Chicago Tribune.


Her opening of the throttle of the B. & O. locomotive and starting the suffrage train to Washington, D. C.; her congratulation of the Governor of Illinois upon his signing of the Suffrage Bill; her triumphant arrival in Chicago from a suffrage auto tour in northern Illinois; all tell a human interest story of leadership and triumph.

No wonder Chautauqua audiences have called for her.  In the words of the Lincoln, Nebraska, Journal, Grace Wilbur Trout is an orator of unusual gifts.  She is the most sought for speaker on equal suffrage in America, because she has done a very remarkable thing, and she can talk as cleverly as she can execute.

It was a tribute to her unusual ability when she was selected to fill a series of dates for the Honorable Champ Clark, and also dates for Senator LaFollete, whose duties at Washington prevented their keeping their Chautauqua engagements.

It matters not where she goes, to the North, East, South or West, men and women flock to hear her message, for her appeal is to the human heart, and reaches people of all classes, creeds, and conditions.

Her lecture subjects are: A New Citizenship, A Vital Problem, A Political Necessity, A Nation's Opportunity.




Comments of Well-Known Newspapers

The Christian Science Monitor (Editorial):
The force of Mrs. Trout's message will be lost upon men or women who fail to catch the note she sounds on citizen responsibility.  She is addressing a wide audience, and one that should be deeply interested.


The Chicago Tribune:
Mrs. Trout ought to speak in every state in the Union.


Monfort Chi.

Winchester Sun, Ky.:
Mrs. Trout is known throughout the United States as the greatest leader the women of the country have ever had.


Pontiac, Illinois, Leader:
The great feature of the Chautauqua was the lecture this afternoon by Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout.


St. Joseph Press, Michigan:
Mrs. Trout is one of the most cultured and best educated women of the day.


Long Branch Record, New Jersey:
One of the most effective workers in the suffrage movement is Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, of Chicago, who led the women of Illinois to victory.  She is one of the most popular club women in her state.


The Chicago Tribune:
Mrs. Trout's voice is of unusual quality, clear, distinct, and at times thrilling, compelling when she gives her audience some big thought put in an unusual way.  Mrs. Trout's voice is as unusual in the speaking world as Patti's was in opera.


Peoria Transcript (Editorial):
We do not hesitate to affirm that for sound logic, forcefulness of expression, clarity of argument, delicacy of satire, and freedom from buncombe, Mrs. Trout's address surpassed any political address heard in this city for many months, and we are not unmindful of the fact that such notable orators as Hiram Johnson, Senator Mason, and the President of the United States himself, have spoken to Peoria audiences during the past year.


New York City American:
Tell us how you did it; we're going to be next.  This was the plea and pledge from leading suffragists of New York, repeated again and again at the St. Regis yesterday to The Little Conqueror of Illinois, Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout.  Mrs. Trout led the legions that won the ballot for women in the great key state of Illinois.
Mrs. Trout was fairly lionized by all.



The Des Moines Capitol, Iowa:
A few Doubting Thomases had carried a grain or two of salt to the meeting because of the excessive praise of the press notices which preceded Mrs. Trout.  It was not necessary, she quite lived up to them.  She has all the requisites of an orator: Presence, a voice that carries to the remotest corners of an auditorium, and then falls caressingly on the ear.  She brushes aside prejudice with one fell swoop.
One has to listen to Mrs. Trout whether he would or not, and at the end he is pretty sure to move forward to the mourner's bench.



Jacksonville Times-Union, Florida:
Mrs. Trout is an unusually interesting woman.  She possesses a charming personality and an unusual amount of magnetism, combined with tact, and the faculty of reading people and audiences, and is an exceedingly accomplished speaker.


The Chicago Tribune:
Mrs. Trout, who is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, has, by her brilliant attainments, achieved a position of eminence in the cause, which seeks to confer a broader significance upon the principles and precepts of her progenitors.


Gloucester Times, Mass.:
Mrs. Trout is a witty and convincing speaker, whose aid is sought in every state where a pro-woman suffrage campaign is being waged.



Lexington Herald, Kentucky:
The largest afternoon audience which has greeted a Chautauqua platform speaker was present Monday when Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout talked to a thousand men and women of Scott County.  The attention received by Mrs. Trout was unusual.  She was interrupted frequently by loud bursts of applause.  The strongest anti-suffragist of the county, a lawyer of Georgetown, made the remark at the close of the address that it was the strongest talk to which he had ever listened.


Streator Free Press, Illinois:
The largest audience of men and women ever assembled for any sort of lecture here, greeted Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout last evening at Good Will Hall.  At the opening of the program crowds were being turned away from the doors and standing room was at a premium.  Mrs. Trout's remarks scintillated with wit and humor.


Waterloo Courier, Iowa:
Suffrage day in Waterloo was a brilliant success.  Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, the speaker, was, without doubt, the most able woman lecturer who has ever appeared on the platform of the Waterloo Chautauqua.  She was given an ovation as she appeared on the platform.  The speaker's personality is a big force.  She is a beautiful woman, a brilliant woman, and a speaker whose intellect and eloquence is second to none.  She is the mother of four sons, whom she reared to manhood before entering this splendid public work which she is now doing.


Danville Advocate, Kentucky:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, the noted Chicago Suffragist, spoke at the Chautauqua meeting to a large and appreciative audience.  She is a wonderful speaker.


Cedar Falls Record, Iowa:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout of Chicago made a wonderfully brilliant and impressive address, which was enthusiastically applauded.


Rochester Daily Republican, Indiana:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout of Chicago occupied the platform in place of the Honorable Champ Clark, who was booked for this date, and was a very pleasing surprise to the audience.  Throughout her entire lecture she gave her audience some big thoughts put in an unusual way, while her audience listened with close attention and applauded repeatedly.  From the standpoint of right the address was one of the best messages ever delivered to a Fulton County audience.


Lincoln News, Nebraska:
Mrs. Trout spoke at the Epworth Assembly, and was received with enthusiasm.  She is a forcible speaker, and one whose logic carries conviction.


MRS. TROUT AT HOME WITH HER FAMILY


Monfort Chi.

The Chicago American:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout spoke last night on Some Florentine Landlords, interspersing her talk with charming flashes of humor and wit, and drawing amusing comparisons between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries.  Mrs. Trout enjoys a degree of popularity seldom extended to so beautiful and brilliant a woman.


Joliet Herald, Illinois:
Farmers cheer noted suffragist, and with standing room at a premium in the Lincoln theater this afternoon, women and men packed in tight to hear Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, one of the foremost women in America.


Omaha Bee, Nebraska:
Mrs. Trout was given a genuine ovation by the large audience of women who came to reap the benefit of her experience.  Mrs. Trout is a woman of electric personality, with a wonderfully full, clear, speaking voice.


Crawfordsville Journal, Indiana:
Mrs. Trout has a personality which draws her audience to her, and the grasp of her hearers' attention is complete.


Lexington Herald, Kentucky:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout spoke to a large audience at the Chautauqua last night.  Mrs. Trout was heard with great interest, and her discussion was one of the most able and forcible ever heard here.  She filled the place of the Honorable Champ Clark, who, on account of official duties, was unable to leave Washington.


Danville News, Illinois:
Mrs. Trout addressed the Chautauqua in Lincoln Park.  She is one of the ablest speakers among the suffragists—brilliant, magnetic, charming—she is a born leader.


Dayton News, Ohio:
That the Illinois Senate has passed the Bill granting the franchise, except for constitutional offices, was due more to the fine statesmanlike efforts of Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout, than to any other factor.


Milwaukee Free Press, Wisconsin:
Mrs. Trout is gifted and scholarly, thoroughly informed upon her subject; and filled with the enthusiasm of it, she presents her theme in masterly shape with literary finish, and yet with spirit and sparkle.


Detroit Times, Michigan:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout—the ideal suffragist, an accomplished woman, the mother of four boys.


Lyceumite and Talent:
Mrs. Grace Wilbur Trout is indeed a remarkable woman.  With all the stress of public life she has kept an ideal home.