Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-29
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Monday Next VIII BE the Last Day
Of the, PhiladeiphIs Equal Fran.
ohise Society, an Organization
That Has Played Its Part
Ry SARAH ID. LOMRIE

'"a' ''as r'aJeo 'e 'ab'
-
o
by SARAH d. LoWhiE
1NlIERE will go out of existence on the
l. first day of November, about IL O'Clock
noon, an organization that has played Its
part-and no small part-in the history Of
this city, and which, like John Browns
body. though defunct. will "still no march
ing ON 2J
m. IT,. n. ,,-,,,o,,J ;s ,,o
pli,5 ,u upuuI =, W u'r sI, ,,,oia, ~
tLa a EIu", ranen,se @ s,.n t,aar n'
N.I .on ~ WI, ve ~ nv i A. -. anaati
NoteI,per 1, rs @ @,nat tne worA ~ ,t vas tr.n'e q.
successful SUI hnish as the election, iaicd IN WHICH
20 hano s nart ,ho VI xt @ 5ov ,,;iI 90 to nrove
w P"'S ''' - ' e"'' W." o. w
,,, s.-. -.
40 Mrs. ,orneiius opVehson VIM v,o
4 ated the phiiadelpnla baual rranchi5e
society and who was IT'S hrst presluen. II
has always borne the stamp OF lts iounder :
personality: keeping certain restra,nt anu
reserve IN IT'S very llberality' ana laltness
and unpartisanship which made it neither
the tool OF the radicals nor hand,e ior the
partisan conservatives. 1t saw to II that at
its meetings its members should near the
best counsels, from the leaders-natlonal or
state-who were lighting the suffrage hgnt.
steadE, impar'lal geherosi'y ,nal 'oos NY nv
,,n,nnntp'and ,horo ,vnrc very ,eedv moments
-, tbn oansor,ot;o, ~ Il, ;nfiuenco for
,ha ni,aIo o,,d Co. ,hiob - was organizaJ
o1,,o,;ty of tho franchise
= ''' 'i"''''' VI ''' -.
,,,,,,,,.,,>.e,o>. nj,
MI hS. SibN ENSoN, VINO KNOWS hsr mi.
4V1 adelphia X ever woman uld' Drought
the society into being in the cleverest, most
effective way in 1oO0.
We werr esked to her house TO meet Mrs
Ryanpan. of New York city. We heard her
md NNo pho ptnlu with asked
to leave our names il we were interested
enough IN the idea OF equal tranehise, a .Lu anu
10 give the power Oh our hahes u pushing
IL aiohg'
Some of us by long conversion. some OF
US by inheritance, some Of us under the
charm of the guest of honor. many of US
moved by our hostess quiet stand, were
interested in the idea and glad to give our
names.
Mrs. Stevenson had seen to it that most
Of tho nomcs of the women who were invited
did mean mower of a kind. That is. they
stood for the best effort of the community.
and in many coses the most successful effort
So that although there were n number who
were not Interested or who were interested
to have the movement fail. those who did
stand in the hitherto unpopular cause made
a profound depression on the scoffers and
on the indifferent.
$1,000 "
IN PHILADELPHIA from that day the
l. term 'crank' ceased to be applied with
fatuous scorn to a sufragist.
For the first few years-from 1900 to
1012-the society. which met ut Mrs. Will
liam r. Wister's house after she succeeded
Mrs. Stevenson as president, was chiefly
active in providing its increasing member
ship with suffrage arguments. From then
until 1919. when the federal amendment
was ratified at Harrisburg, the strength of
the society was focused on influencing the
Legislature, either by pressure brought to
bear on individual legislators or, when the
state amendments were up, on the citizens
at the polls.
MISS MAR1 lNGliAM. Mrs. Henry
AV1 Pembcrton Mrs Wilfrcd Lewis. Miss