The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-09-10
MRS. MACDAvID SPEAKS IN
SAN ANTONIO.

Florida friends Of Mrs. A. .. Mac
David, and especially the members
Of the Pensacola Equal Suffrage
League, of which organization she
was president before going to San
Antonio for an extended visit, will
learn with much interest that Mrs.
MacDavid has by no means dropped
the work for the suffrage cause, but
is still exerting her influence for the
enfranchisement of women.
The San Antonio Express of Au-
gust Both carries in its society Sec
ton splendid picture Of Mrs. Mac
David, with this comment:
Mrs. A. e. MacDavid, president of
the Equal Suffrage League Of Pen
sacola, Fla, and one of the leading
suffragists of the South, will address
the San Antonio Equal Franchise As
sociation Wednesday morning at ten
o'clock at headquarters, 123 North
Alamo street. Mrs. MacDavid is the
guest of her son and daughter, Mr..
and Mrs. ]. C. Alexander, 31S Balti-
more avenue.
The San Antonio Light carries the
following interesting notice:
Suffrage in Florida is new but it
is having young, vigorous growth,
according to Mrs. A. E. MacDavid,
president of the Pensacola Suffrage
League, who is visiting in San An
tonic. Mrs. MacDavid is also second
vice-president of the Florida Equal
Suffrage Association.
'The State Suffrage Association is
just two years DID," said Mrs. Mac
David, "but it is an earnest, active
organization. There are 20 leagues
in the state. Though the bill pre-
scented at the last Legislature was
defeated, the association expects. to
present another one in 1917 and con-
tinue to present it until Flbrida is a
suffrage state. The first state con-
vention was held in December in
Pensacola"
The league in Pensacola, of which
Mrs. MacDavid was president until
she came to San Antonio, is one of
the most active in the state. There
are three hundred members, rs of
this number being men. In fact,
there are so many men and business
women in the league that the meet
ings are always held at night.
The city hall in Pensacola il used
for the meetings. Two evenings every
month the council chamber of the
city hall is reserved for the suffrage
meetings, and large numbers of the
citizens attend. After the business
meetings, talks are made and ques-
tions are answered.
Another way we have of casSying
on our work is through our ward
meetings" said Mrs. MacDavid. "The
city is divided into wards, with a
chairman in each ward. This chair
man plans one entertainment a
month. She is free to plan any kind
of entertainment she wishes, but
either an admission is charged or a
free will offering is taken. This
money is used for campaign ex-
penses.
League members are urged to try
to bring in a new member each
meeting, or influence some person
who has not been interested to go tc
a meeting. When our suffrage bill
was before the legislature, the Pen
sacola league instituted whirlwinc
campaign and secured 1000 sigma
lures in five days. The signatures
went to the representatives in the
legislature. Our league helped last
year in the bale-of-cotton
movement and purchased the first
bale of cotton in the city on tina
basis. We also issued special suff
rage edition of The Pensacola Jour
nal. There were 16 pages in the edi
ton, which made money for TIT
cause"
Mrs. MacDavid also told how
Florida had been changed from /;
black state on the suffrage map Il
a gray state, through the little tow
of Fellsmere which secured a cit,
| charter in December. This caarte
1 provided that women should vote o.
municipal affairs.
at was the first time women soutl
of Mason and Dixon line had voted
save in school matters. And so W
had the right to be gray on the suff
rage map. You know gray mean
that women have municipal votint
privilege"