Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-04
women TO FIGHT
FOR HOUSE SEAT
Mrs. {. e. Melick. Delaware
County, One Of Candidates
for Legislature
OPPONENT NOT YET NAMED

the Pennsylvania Legislature. will take
place this spring In Delaware County
between two prominent women leaders
Of that district, the home bailiwick OF
Governor Sproul.
Delaware County. according to the
plans Of leaders IN both the rival Sproul
and Mcclure camps. will have one
woman member in its delegation OF four
Representatives.
Women will be candidates in other
counties. including Philadelphia. but
none will be more certain of getting
into the General Assembly, long the
personal possession Of male legislators,
than will a Delaware County woman,
whoever she may be.
Women leaders anticiapte that be-
tween fifteen and twenty five women
will be elected this year, for the first
time of course, to the Pennsylvania
Legislature, which will have a mem :
bership Of 2OS. Leading women ar.
announcing their candidates. in various
parts of the State. Nominations wi.
be made in the primaries May III.
One of the women candidates for the
Republican nomination in Delaware
County has been chosen. She is Mrs.
+. Il. Melick, field representative OF
the WOmen's Republican State Com
fnittee--one of the right hand lieutcn-
ants of Mrs. Barclay II. Warburton'
vice chairman of the Republican state
Committee.
| Mrs. Melick will make formal an
nouncemcnt of her candidacy soon
She would not be stranger to the
halls of legislation at Harrisburg where
in the last session. for example. she
represented the Women's Republican
Committee. Mrs. Melick will be sup
ported by u number of women's organi :
cations.
Swarthmore Woman May Run
Women leaders say that either Mrs.
j. Claude Bedford, Of Media, or Mrs.
Frank Barber, of Swarthmore. may be
, are well known in the county. Mrs.
Bedford. it is understood. is being
urged to make the race on the ground
| that she is one of the most actiy,
| leaders in the district and that she
has had considerable political exper-
! ience.
Mrs. Bedford is disnclned to be a
candidate. preferring to back some one
else. Recently Mrs. Bedford was
chosen president of new Republican
; wOmen's organization in Delaware
County. In the days of the suffrage
campaign, she was one of the shining
lights Of the suffrage organization and
so is familiar with the "ins and outs
of the State Capitol.
Generally speaking the support of
the two rival women will be divided
on about the same lines as they were
year. when one group of women. which
nr NrS nl l,n
re election of Judge johnson and the
other 70 reSnator MacDade.
The Sproul forces backed Senator
MacDade; the Mcclure leaders worked
for Judge johnson. who was success
full. Other issues however will figure
in the woman's contest.
The reason that Delaware County is
certain to have one woman legislator is
that under the rcapportionment act Of
last session. the county was allotted an
additional Representative. Therefore. it
was decided that women could be 50.
lected ithOut diminishing the number
of male legislators who have hereto
fore represented the district.
Leaders working under Mrs. War
burton urge that this plan should be
followed all over the State where an
additional member was won under the
reappOrtionment.
Phila. Women Active
Philadelphia women leaders are now
considering candidates. but none has as
yet been announced. Among those sug-
gested are Mrs. Samuel Is. Scott, wife
nf former Independent member Of tho
Legislature. and Mrs. Frank Miles Day.
Both Of these women co operated with
the Voters League in the last cam.
paign. The Voters League will prob
ably work for the nomination of women
in the independent districts of the CITY
The Ware organization plans to nomi.
nate and eject several women members
in accordance with an understanding re-.
Gently reached between Senator Vnro
and Mrs. Warburton. The organization
will be selected in confer
ences between Ware ward leaders and
Mrs. 4. Il. Harmon. whom senator
Ware has designated as the organiza.
tion leader of the PHILADELPHIA women
voters.
In most instances. women will b.
candidates for membership in tho lower
house. Mrs. Leah Cobb Marion, how. ,
ever. will be Il candidate for the state
Senate TO succeed Senator Charles U.
Donahue in the Forest Elk Clinton,
CAMERON Clarion district. Mrs. Mar
ion. who is treasurer of the Women.
Christian Temperance Union. was A
candidate for the United States Senate
when the late Senator Pcnro>r ron
the last time, Mrs. Marion poIlcd a
large vote throughout the state, hcr
candidacy appealing especially to the
women voters. Senator Donahuc win
be "A candidatRto succeed him
self.
". {. T. L. Head May BE Candidate
Another officer of the Wumrn's Chris
.ian Temperance Union who will be a
.andidatc for the Legislature according
% the reports received by women lead
,rs, Is the president of the temperance
organization. Mrs. Ella NJ George. of
Beaver County. This is another district
where an additional member was gained
~ the legislative reapportionmcnt s,d
where Il women could be chosen without
lisplacing present male members who
viii be UP for re- election.
One of these is Representative Mar.
hail. chairman of the Judiciary Iocal
Committee. the sponsor for the i'm
ortant measure dealing with county tax
nd assessment law revision.
Mrs. Rose Hngcrman. chairman Of
he Republican Woman's Committee of
County. is also reported to
ns n candidate. Mrs
Ingcrman's candidacy il bound To stir
y turmoil in til" district. ms under the
, -appOintment act. the county's rcu-
rscntation was reduced from two to
nc member. As it is. the ,wo prcscu,
,cmhrrs. Charles =. Dewey aud Curtis
Harding intend tn fight il ont TO