The Washington times., 1922-05-31
WOMAN CAUSED
MACHINE UPSET
At PA. PRIMARY
Pinchot Victory Indicates Fan
Sex Has Come Into Its
Own in Politics.
By WALTER C. MERRITT,
international News Service.

hhtcruhtiOnhi NeWs SeENicc.
PITTSBURGH, May 31.-How
much power do women WELD in
State and national politics? The
general belief up to about May
II was that they didn't figure
largely. except in theory. Up to
that time the women insisted they
were even more than the "bal-
ance Of power" while the men
folk, especially the "old guard"
leaders, particularly in Pennsyl-
vania and Washington. were GER
tain that the women would not
control any elections-local, State
or national.
Machine Upset.
The Pennsylvania primary OF May
16, brought the greatest political up
set to the "Old Guard"ever known.
The women did 1t. Such astute
leaders as the Wares in Philadelphia,
Clifford Pinchot, the victor in the
fight against the old Guard" and
scores of others Of the powerful lead
ers frankly admit that the women
erful Penrose machine.
I'VE miscalculated." dolefully
chant the Wares. who received an
awful walloping in general and quite
badly in Philadelphia, where they
have been very powerful for years.
Over here in Western Pennsylvania
| one young woman in particular, Mrs.
Mary Finn Lawrence, pitted her
wits against the "Old Guard" ele-
ment. This woman fought almost sim
gle-handed a bully. two-fisted fight
against q field OF slick, shrewd poll
ticians who had oodles OF money,
practically all the seven English
daily newspapers in Pittsburgh ex-
cept one. who controlled the pay
roll" which included the Pittsburgh
firemen, police, and other municipal
employees numbering thousands.
Kept Doodle" Out Of Race.
And Mrs. Lawrence. though worth
| $40, 100000 or more. kept doodle"
out of the campaign she managed
and she crushed the Leslie-Oliver.Ma
gee-Babcock machine. She fought
them to a standstill. She wrecked
one of the most powerful political
machines Western Pennsylvania has
ever known. To this woman goes a
great deal of credit for the defeat OF
the Penrose machine and the nomina
ton of Clifford Pinchot, Bull Mooser
as the Republican candidate for Gov
ernor. Attorney General George E
Alter went down to defeat for the
Governorship nomination. His home
County of Allegheny was his undo
ing.
Mrs. Mary Finn Lawrence by heI
great work cut Alters lead down sc
much in Allegheny county that the
Ware city OF Philadelphia could not
/ pull him through. Pinchot carried
about every one OF the sixty-seven
counties in the State except Phila'
delphia and Allegheny. The "Old
Guard" admitted before the primary
that Pinchot would carry a large ma
Jority of the country counties, but
the scheme was to pile up enormous
pluralities in Pittsburgh and Phila.
delphia so that rural Pennsylvania
could not overcome them.
Then Ware slipped in Philadelphia
He slipped badly. His predicted $780,
| 900 shrunk miserably on the final
count. He lost a dozen wards. His
predicted plurality slumped almost a
half.
Then the day after the primary all
eyes turned to Allegheny county. II
was up to Allegheny county to pro.
duce. II was evident, as the "Old
Guard" leaders contended, that Alter
must have at least 5000 or better to
pull him through even on a tight
squeeze. On the morning Of May II
Pinchot was holding Alter to a 40, ,000
lead, with one-third Of the county to
be heard from. All day long, as be-
lated districts came in, Pinchot still