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Newspaper The Woman's Tribune ([Beatrice, Neb.]) 1883-1909

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About The Woman's Tribune ([Beatrice, Neb.]) 1883-1909

In May 1883, suffragists at the Nebraska Woman Suffrage Association convention in Grand Island, Nebraska formed a committee to start a newspaper to be issued weekly for $1 per year. The Woman's Tribune (1883-1909) became one of the leading suffrage papers in the United States. Its motto "Equality Before the Law" appeared in each issue. The Tribune was the second longest running suffrage paper in the United States and was aligned with the National Woman Suffrage Association. In the May 19, 1888 issue of the Woman's Tribune Elizabeth Cady Stanton endorsed it, saying, "I consider it the best suffrage paper published."

The paper was edited by Clara Colby, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, who moved to Beatrice, Nebraska in 1872. Although not as well-known as counterparts like Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, the latter accepted Colby's invitation to lecture in Beatrice in 1878, Colby spoke nationally and internationally on suffrage. In 1881, she famously debated Edward Rosewater, editor of the Omaha Bee, who was staunchly anti-suffrage. Before becoming editor of the Women's Tribune, Colby wrote articles for the Western Woman's Journal, a monthly suffrage publication from Lincoln, Nebraska. In addition to writing for, editing, publishing, and managing the business affairs for the Woman's Tribune, Clara wrote a column called "Woman's Work" in her husband Leonard's newspaper, the Beatrice Daily Express. In 1898, Colby was the first woman to receive a press correspondent's pass to cover the Spanish-American War. Along with Stanton and 25 other leading suffragists she worked on the Woman's Bible, a collection of commentaries meant to challenge traditional biblical interpretations of women being subservient to men.

The Woman's Tribune aimed to fill the needs of Nebraska's dispersed suffrage population, while also appealing to a national audience. It covered state and national suffrage meetings, speeches, legislation, and it serialized some of Stanton's most important works, including her autobiographical Reminiscences. The Woman's Tribune focused primarily on rural women of the American West and included sections such as law, political science, health. It included a humor column, poetry on almost every page, and a "Babies Corner" intended to be read to children. Colby expressed her desire in the inaugural August 1, 1883 issue that the Tribune be "a first-class home paper in every way…as many who do not yet advocate woman suffrage will yet appreciate the educational features of the newspaper and will like to be informed as to what is being done by women of our State."

The Woman's Tribune was published in Beatrice, Nebraska from 1883-1889. In December 1889, publication was moved to Washington, D.C. when Congress was in session. In 1890, the National American Woman Suffrage Association named Lucy Stone's Woman's Journal its official paper, dealing a major blow to the Woman's Tribune. In 1904, Colby moved to Portland, Oregon where she continued to publish the Woman's Tribune. Financial struggles throughout its existence caused an irregular publishing schedule – alternately weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly – and led to its failure in 1909, although Colby remained hopeful until her death in 1916 that she would be able to resume publication.

Provided By: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Woman's Tribune ([Beatrice, Neb.]) 1883-1909

Names

  • Nebraska Woman Suffrage Association
  • International Council of Women
  • National American Woman Suffrage Association

Dates of Publication

  • 1883-1909

Created / Published

  • [Beatrice, Neb.] : [Nebraska Woman Suffrage Association.]

Headings

  • -  Women--Suffrage--Newspapers
  • -  Women's rights--Newspapers
  • -  Beatrice (Neb.)--Newspapers
  • -  Portland (Or.)--Newspapers
  • -  Washington (D.C.)--Newspapers
  • -  Oregon--Portland
  • -  Women--Suffrage
  • -  Women's rights
  • -  Nebraska--Beatrice
  • -  Washington (D.C.)
  • -  United States--Oregon--Multnomah--Portland
  • -  United States--Nebraska--Gage--Beatrice

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Fortnightly, Apr. 30, 1904-
  • -  Ceased in 1909.
  • -  [Vol. 1, no. 1] (Aug. 1883)-
  • -  "Equality Before the Law."
  • -  Published in Beatrice, Neb., Aug. 1883-Nov. 16, 1889, Washington, D.C. and Beatrice, Neb., Dec. 7, 1889-Dec. 31, 1892, Washington, D.C., Jan. 7, 1893-Aug. 20, 1904, Portland, Or., and Washington, D.C., Oct. 29, 1904-May 26, 1906, and Portland, Or., June [9], 1906-.
  • -  Published daily in Washington, D.C. during the International Council of Women, Mar. 27-Apr. 5, 1888, and the 25th and 26th Annual National American Woman Suffrage Association Convention, Jan. 14-19, 1893 and Feb. 15-24, 1894.
  • -  No issues published between Aug.-Nov. 1, 1883, Aug. 20-Oct. 29, 1904, Oct. 26, 1907-Jan. 4, 1908, and Dec. 12, 1908-Mar. 6, 1909.
  • -  Also issued online as part of the Gerritsen collection of Aletta H. Jacobs.

Medium

  • volumes ; 46 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • JK1880 .W7

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85038008

OCLC Number

  • 11614854

ISSN Number

  • 1938-4475

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Woman's Tribune Beatrice, Neb. -1909. (Portland, OR), Jan. 1 1883. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85038008/.

APA citation style:

(1883, January 1) The Woman's Tribune Beatrice, Neb. -1909. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85038008/.

MLA citation style:

The Woman's Tribune Beatrice, Neb. -1909. (Portland, OR) 1 Jan. 1883. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn85038008/.