Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-31
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Philadelphia League Of Women Vot.
ers at Projected Mass Meeting to
Demand Just Representation
In Civic Affairs
Ry SARAHn. InNNRIE

THE office of the Philadelphia League of
i Women Voters is being bombarded with
phone calls
What are you women doing to back the
Mayor in his fight against the machine?'
Well, for one thing, the league, In CO.
operation with the Republican woman's
committee and the Democratic woman
committee and as many other political and
civic women's organizations-sixty three of
them have been asked-as care to be repre-
sented, are calling mass meeting at the
Academy in the latter end of February to
publicly ask the Mayor what he intends to
do to back the women In their fight for
few things that they wish done in this town.
The Mayor has vetoed some expenditures
that seem TO him and to many taxpayers ex-
travagant and unnecessary, and the majority
of the city legislators have voted him down.
His next step is to announce repriSals by a
series of dismissals. A great many persons
would be glad to see many of the office
holders dismisscd-some because it Is inter
esting to watch fight. some because they
think most of the men threatened with dis
missal should never have been appointed a
goodly number Of both these sympathizers
are writing congratulatory letters to the
Mayor, which is what is meant by back
ing up the Mayor"
THE mass meeting at the Academy
L is for the purpose of asking the Mayor
what is back of his appointments, personal
favor, political favor or just representation.
II it Is just representation why are the
women left out of the city boards and com
missions?
The women want to know in plain, cold
agreements what the Mayor intends to do
ii they back him in his dismissal of the men
who are the friends of the men who have
passed bill over his veto. Will he put
other men like them in their places because
they promise to be personally loyal to him,
or will he appoint persons who are, first of
all and last of all, loyal to the best inter-
ests OF the city and therefore to him as
long as he is loyal to the best interests of the
city-and not minute longer?
THE truth of the matter is the women
l. hate fighting against things. They fight
best for things. They are apt to resign If
they have to fight against; they will die in
their tracks fighting for.
They are not apt to unite even in a mass
meeting II the battle cry is Down with
Penrose" or Down with Vare' or Down
with Brown" But they will unite to fight
for better. movies. better markets, better
Fairgrounds. better schools. better factory
inspection, better police. better street clean
ing and better Blockley. And they will
continue to fight for the better conditions
until they are the best.
If the Mayor wants their help let him
ask them on his Council board. If he in
tends to make Philadelphia the best city. it
is high time he was taking all the good cit
izens into his conference.
lie told lot OF women very painstakingly
how difficult he found the Office of Mayor
And when he was asked by his guests how
they could help him he and his cabinet told
them sadly that they must report all mis-
demeanors of the ash and garbage collectors
to the department Mr. Caven rules and all
misdemeanors of the boys and men upsctting
the ash barrels and garbage cans in search
of valuabeS to Mr.. Cortelyou, but they
never said
You had better come on the public boards
and help us housckeep the city, since that
is YOUR business in the homes ~
They never suggested that il was high
time the women voters should be intelligent
from inside experience of the city charities
and Department of Health and school boards
and SO. as a matter of fact. the meeting that
there was so much flourish about came to
nothing, for one half the voting citizens of
the city are still ignored as material for ad-
minstering the law.
DOSSIBLY, however, the Mayor really
l. intends and has intended all along to
utilize the women as executive agents by
appointing them to positions in the city de-
partmCntS. Possibly, being a conservative
man and not impetuOus in the matter of ap-
pointmcntS. he is working out plan by
which the women can really back his ad-
miniStration. In that case. n strong, unan-
imouS request by responsible organizations
that he should do so would be playing right
into his hand and would, ] should think, be-
very dsconcertng to the plans of his
enemies.
The preliminary meeting to arrange for
the mass meeting Of women voters is to be
held this week at the Emergency Aid Rep
reSentatives of SiXty-two organizations have
been asked by the league to Join the Re
publican and Democratic representatives and
the league in this demonstration.
TT WILL be very interesting to know the
1 outcome of such movement. No one