After the beginning of the New York Chautauqua (or "THE" Chautauqua or the
"Mother" Chautauqua) in Chautauqua, NY, in August of 1874, by 1890, there were
around 100 chautauquas operating throughout the United States.  In 1876,
President Ulysses S. Grant visited and spoke at the New York Chautauqu, set-
ting a precedent for politicians to come and talk to Chautauquans.  William
Jennings Bryan probably spoke at more Chautauquas than any other orator, as
did McKinley, Taft, Senator Fairbanks, and every politician at the time.  It
was a great way to meet large numbers of people and get your political point
across.  The Chautauqua, founded as a Normal (Sunday School training) Assembly
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, believed in abstinence and supported the
Women's Christian Temperance Movement.  There were WCTU meetings, and "days"
at most Chautauquas.   I would hazard a guess that the WCTU also saw the right
of women to vote as a means of influencing legislation against alcohol.