Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-07-28
ELIZABETH GRANNIS
A LOBBYIST AT II
rrom the New Hork Tress.

That is Mrs elizabeth h Grannis, con-
servationist. Getting bills through the
legislature is only a small part Of her
activities-a sort of recreation, an aVoca-
ton, a side issue In her general ambition
for human reform.
Nothing in the appearance of this small
woman, who looks as if a good gust of
wind would blow her quite away, suggests
the popuIar copceptiou Of the woman ere
ormer." Her slight frame, in its very
feminine laces and f-r5c!ows. her gray
hair waved and parted. her frail hands,
her quiet movements cause the observer
20 hastily reconstruct his ideas of femi-
nine LOBBYISTS. Ii IS only when Mrs.
Graunis assumes her smile of confident
knowledge of her subject and launches
gcrveutly upon it's discussion that her
mental dyuamiCs are disclosed. 1t is then
. guat the interviewer. overcome with meek
rvs~. no longer wonders that Frank Moss
and ElbriGge r. Gerry draw up her bills
( rcy her. and that Representative Laimbeer,
senator O'Conuor and some OF the other
o@>y men at Albany hustle round ana get
SaeNA through.
Airs. Grannts has been more or less en-
sage IN pubic Work Tor ~ years ana
.E.~ You proudly that she IS on the euge
~ her list birthday. The achievement OF
O. "E9 already jhreescore and IL years long
"&S meant a CONTINUOUS struggle against
."H a@ilNlCap OF a iran constitution lilaI
constantly threatened TO END all het Ell
.2'.S IN behalf or WomenS equal rights
~a@ ava the othef Dement'S she hopes 10
IFat.zS. mat she IS awe at all she at
'E.o~'eS u heF lifelong a'oldance or doc-
-~@- 2'5" "o'outiy hopes ihefe may come
81 DAY Wheh d health profession snail eN~
:. an" the medlcaI procession De no more
No" th2' she IS IlVlng on what she cans
, "oItoWeH lHne' having ehconlpaSSeU tue
- "'"'0"IS "''ot'e" ~ ma" up''' -,
- ~, "Io '""l 49, ~
! az" " - MY a.
: -, .t ~ - ~
''0'o'S % 'no I'''"'t man Nv
80. ~ wins - -" se'!teIOe ar III
( 49, ! 49, an IL
"N'N 10" a. 'S'''s"'SIi,." -
' ~''I1 ''' "'ol'9 "''u ,eH - u
- 80 SciIe,S VI '"e N"l'"m
'"l"''S' mus; MAZE ma" ieIhale man.
" ""iIV W set "'rus'"hie" lV'
-" 'Np'0"Si"" ''"n ~ 10 P0''S
"e''S' an" 'a'Ne' "Ne q"
IAlS small human dynamo or a woman
began her work for humanity at the age
or H. when she first began 10 teach. Her
class was composed or urchins whom she
collected from the slumS, which uTchtns
u was her "eif-appOlnted task to hunt out
III thelr homes, scrub, comb, dress and
convey to the Sunday school. From that
beginning she mas gone on, broadening
an" humaniZing her work until it has
IeaFGu over us original limitations or
cnu'cn and orthodoxy, and has long since
been aimed at all public questions which
She peileFes pear upcn the betterment or
lhe race as a whole. That she is sincere
IN heF purpose TO the point or utilizing her
Iast particle OF energy in its accomplish
tlent no one can doubt who ever comes
"iAt-R the range OF nei De FSDDlniN. I
Her dream is to see the sexes working
together upon an equal footing. training
their children for the achievement of per T,
feet economic Independence and teaching
them the tremendous responsibility Of
marriage. She thinks divorce would be
thus largely done away with, together
with much Of the suffering now entailed
upon women through lack of economic in
dependence OF male man" Marriage, she !
thinks, IS good for everybody. She goes
so far as to think even a halfway COM
Portable marriage is better than the sin
gle life" since she thinks neither sex can
DO itg best work in the world without
'co-Operation." She enthusiastically adj
vocates the association of the sexes in all
wholesome work and play, and would if
she could establish a home for all self
supporting girls and women of whatever
rank and station, where there would be
no restrictions upon normal friendship and
social intercourse with their male coun-
terparts."
She has, in fact. manufactured sort of a
homemade home in the basement of her
own house, whittier drift various and sun |
dry human hotsam. good, bad and in
different. The good are helped: the bad
not fouted, but m.nistered to i'm whatever
way seems Immediately necessary. The
indifferent are treated to a course of
Mrs. Grannis's verbal and mental dyna-
mics in the form best suited 10 the fndi-
vfdual case. They may or NAV NOT he
acted upon. but they never are foryottan
and any one who has passed through the
experience has somewhat the IMPRESSION
of being run over by a six-cyIinder auto
mobile which had been unaccountabry
mistaken for a baby carriage.
The history of cases" that have come
TO this small female man. and have been |
propped up. perhaps temporarllv nrob.
ably permanently, through her helm wound
fill a book larger than Mrs. Grappis her
self. One OF her Christmas dinners alone
all the "leftovers' OF her acquaintance
omen from her "dormitOry" down i'm the