Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-24
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Have You Wondered How the Trick
Was Turned at the Primary? >
Well, Here's Some Inside Dope
BY SARAH ID. IOWRlE

have also been asked more than once II
! knew where the women came from here
IN Philadelphia who appeared at the polls
either as watchers or vglantes. and by what
initiative there was so evident n precon.
ccrtcd move in such counties as Montgomery
and and Delaware, etc, to guard the polls IN
the interest of honest voting. Did the thing
spring up spontaneously? Was it a sporadic
flare Of interest in the .ir. or was it n
workcd-up interest with beginning and q
elimination?
! have already stated in this column that
1t was a movement and that t had leader.
and that that leader was ably backed by
other leaders who united to make propa-
gnnda for an honest election and for an in
telligent vote. ] have also intimated that
those who were behind the movement were
by no means sure Of success at this election
or OF success even within a yenr or two.
Some calculations made It two years off ut
least. The immediate objective was to form
an intelligent and experienced voting group
to duplicate that group in every locality
possible. kccpi & an easy but not too binding
hold on all the duplicate groups by one
central representative group.
Before this plan had more han begun to
function. this primary election with all its
strange developments and its strong factional
clements was upon us.
THE Womans Republican Club Of Penn.
L sylvania, or as it is now to be known
under its charter. The Republican Women
Of Pennsylvania. had met officially for the
candidates for the governorshp and sena.
torship within the party. The dramatic
withdrawal of Fisher and the last moment
Interpolation of Alter, the Governors enig-
conspired to make that banquet n note.
worthy occasion. all the more significant,
too, when one remembers the very spon.
tancous applause which Mr.. Pinchot received
and the tense md curious interest with
which Mrs. Medil McCormick's very able
speech on the power women had when they
organized politically was listened to.
1t became evident on that evening that
II the women of the State could be got to
unite politically even temporarily, an i'm
organization and on the general public that
might in the future lead to their better
recognition as political factors. The ques.
ton was how could 1t be done quickly.
THERE we're the fragments of political
L groups of women formed by the organ.
ization chiefs in the last year. chiefly to
keep the letter while evading the spirit OF
their promises to give the women a fifty
fifty share in political councils. Some of
these fragments had broken away from the
organization, some were standing pat with
local vice chairman Of the City Republican
Committee. Mrs. Altemus. and her group.
which represented about six pretty we'll
organized wards. were independent and as
independents were practically ignored by the
Ware faction.
The Wares depended Oh Mrs. Harmon and
her club to carry on the women end of local
politics, and they, had publicly announced
that they would elect her to the vice chair.
manship in Mrs. Altemus' stead. Pretty
much this same state Of affairs had occurred
all over the State.
The women recognized by the bosses rep
resented one faction and those who had
broken away from that rule or were working
with the Independent mems factions were
the other group.
With her knowledge of these standpat and
these disafcctcd groups it was easy for Mrs
Warburton ms State vice chairman of the
Republican Committee to gauge the general
sentiment of the political women throughout
the State. And she found it anti boss by a
very large majority. which was what gave
her confidence to oppose the candidacy of
ground that in backing either Of them,
Snyder or Beidlcman. the organization would
be playing into the hands of the-to say the
'east-unpopular factions In the party and
counting a defeat from the independents.
The organization leaders could not believe
that she knew-their machine lleutenants
told them such different tale! Neverthe-
less. the hot cry Of the newspapers on their
heels and the threatened scandal in treasury
matters made them less assured With
the sudden election of a new candidate. who
was wittily called "a last minute man" the
issue became even more threatening than
before for the organization.
GREAT numbers of women began to Join
" the Federation of the Republican
Women, of Pcnnsylvania;, They jo ined by
r"llcal 9rSaniza"ms 700 Or more IN Har-
County. 200 in single township in Mont.
gomery County. and so on, great groups
at time. whose paramount object was TO
see that this primary election should be run
straight and that Republican women should
have Il chance to know for whom they we're
voting. Mrs. Wnrburton found in Mrs.
George Lorimer, who is the State president
of this federated organization, an admirable
executive. In a sense, each move that the
Republican women's organization took un-
der Mrs. Lorimer and Mrs. George Dunning,
who Is chairman Of the Organization Com
mittec. established Il precedent and therefore
needed very careful steering, but the thing
was cever!y and fairly done. and the club
| heaQuartcrs of information was the center
| and the meeting ground for creating opinion
and co ordinatng effort for the last two
months before the election in degree not
| either In the city or the Statc.
1t was possible for Mrs. Atemus group
| of shrewd and we'll seasoned workers to
throw their weight in with that of the
| Republican women one OF the Altemus fac
organizer Of Election Day activities.
The newspaper reporters had at last n
| headquarters TO which to go for the latest
| information; as an information bureau its
| offices were invaluable, and as II headquar.
! ters for Election Day for the watchers.
| viglanteS and motor messengers it and its
! secretaries and staff formed long felt need
| Lunches were sent out from those head
| quarters TO those serving at the polls who
| had volunteered from its office, and open
house was kept for those coming and going
until the late hours in the night. Similar
headquarters based on very much the same
| fashion in all its affiliated branches.
| DUT apart from the strictly political or
| ID ganizatons that recognized the Repub-
| licah women's headquarters at 2l0 South
! Seventeenth street as their Headquarters
temporarily; 1t was meeting place for con
| ference and cooperation Of many of the
great women clubs and societies of the city
and State, Word of the coming opportunity
| that Election Day would give for the womei,
to make stand for honest voting at the
polls was passed along to thousands of