Missouri-born Hortense Allison’s life was in the movement. Her older brother was Elmer T. Allison, editor of the Ohio Socialist and founder of the Communist Labor Party. In 1905 she married Alfred Wagenknecht in Seattle where he would become State Organizer of the Washington Socialist Party and she would be Women’s Correspondent, for which she reported below. Moving back to Ohio, Hortense was State Secretary of the Ohio Socialist while Alfred was in prison. She would be a founder of the C.L.P. and later Communist Party, remaining in the Party after her divorce in the 1930s, running for various offices. She died in 1975.

‘Report of Woman’s State Correspondent’ by Hortense Wagenknecht from The Commonwealth (Everett). No. 116. March 21, 1913.

Comrades of the Convention:

The office of state woman’s correspondent was again established by the state executive committee in September last, and the undersigned was honored with the task of securing the co-operation of the socialist women in the state in order to make better and more socialist women. So that the office would have connection with the locals in the state, it was decided to have each local which felt interested in the work elect a local woman’s correspondent. As a result we have today 113 of such correspondents.

The first work entered by these local correspondents was in response to an appeal from the Progressive Woman, a monthly woman socialist magazine, asking that a day be set aside as Progressive Woman’s Day, upon which all socialist women should solicit support for the Progressive Woman. The result of this first work was very satisfactory, for very many subscriptions for the Progressive Woman were secured and may locals ordered bundles of this magazines for distribution. Reports are still coming into this office to the effect that all women members of certain locals are now reading regularly this socialist magazine for women.

Then there came the call from the general correspondent to celebrate socialist woman’s day on Sunday, February 23. Altho this call arrived rather late, not giving the locals enough time for preparations and the securing of speakers, yet many locals celebrated and entertained. Leaflets were distributed and much propaganda effected among women.

Upon the establishment of the socialist educational bureau by the state executive committee, with J.E. Sinclair as secretary, as much assistance as was possible was given this bureau in its work to capture the schools for socialism. A circular was issued to the local correspondents asking for financial assistance for the purpose of securing literature for the school campaign. The response was gratifying–and together with about ten thousand leaflets printed at the expense of the state office, thousands of pieces of literature were distributed in addition. Reports are at hand from many local correspondents giving account of their work in the school campaign. Some give news of defeat after hard work and untiring efforts to educate the community to socialism. Many give news of victory. Here we wish to state that the capturing of the schools should find special interest among our women socialists for it opens one of the best avenues for socialist education and we hope that all socialist women of the state will give the secretary of the socialist educational bureau their most hearty support.

Inquiries for information have been constant. Many women comrades are anxious to help make their locals better social and educational centers. Though no special effort has yet been made for the organization of women’s study clubs, many comrades have already reported clubs organized. Other women comrades report the programs of entertainments given and the success of socials arranged by the socialist women developing their own field for activity without advice or previous experience. It is now our duty to assist in this work by systematizing it as much as possible in suggesting programs for entertainments and lessons for the study clubs. An effort at this will be made after the convention.

Comrades, with the help of all of you, we will have in Washington the greatest, best educated and most active socialist woman’s army in these United States. There is no denying that the women of Washington are the best material to be found in any state for revolutionists. Most of them are not yet so overworked that thinking becomes the hardest work. We must spread our propaganda among these women. And so we must first make of our women party members well posted socialists. Then we must secure their activity in arranging entertainments and socials so that the neighborhood women will become interested and so eventually find their way into our ranks. And we must also prod those men comrades who find no time to teach their wives and daughters what socialism will mean to them. The field for women activity in our party work is indeed a wide one, and if this office secures the co-operation of the locals in the state this coming year as it should, we promise you a report next year which will speak well for the mental capacity and general activity of the socialist women of Washington.

Yours in revolution,

HORTENSE WAGENKNECHT, State Woman’s Correspondent.

Motion carried that report of woman’s state correspondent be accepted.

The Commonwealth was a Socialist Party-aligned paper based in Everett, Washington that began in February, 1911. First edited by O.L. Anderson, the weekly paper was quickly involved in the state’s very fractious inner Socialist Party life. Editors followed the changing political fortunes with Anna A. Maley directing The Commonwealth from September, 1911 until May, 1912, who also focused the paper nationally. Maley left the paper to run for governor in 1912, the first woman and first Socialist in the state to run for that office, winning a respectable 12% of the vote. Six more editors followed Maley, including Maynard Shipley. The paper’s orientation was left and supported the I.W.W. when many S.P. papers were denouncing them. The Commonwealth struggled, like nearly all left publications in history, with money financially and sold to the Socialist Party of Snohomish County in April, 1914 to be reborn as The Washington Socialist.

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