Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-23
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
Lunch With the Women Members Of
the State Republican Committee
Affords Occasion for
Shrewd Analysis
BY SARAH d. LOWRIE

its importance and has perhaps been most
useful as place to put political worthless
who were more notable than useful In the
party.
But with the appointment of Fisher as its
chairman. the State Chairman evidently de-
cided to turn over new political leaf In the
history of the party. Certainly II the men
whom he has placed on the committee are
as actively important in their communities
as the women, he and Mr.. Fisher have at
their right hand n very effective liaison body
of political thinkers and doers that can func:
ton rapidly and inteligently. for the good
of the party both in an advisory capacity
and for propaganda.
l found that knew most Of the women
on that committee. as well as those of the
State Finance Committee who joined them at
lunch: at least l knew them by reputation.
Their position in the various communities rs
authoritative for one or another reason they
represent in some cases quite dissimilnr
elements of the community, and there is
every type among them, from the suffrage
type of political woman to the boss machine
type Some are frankly independent Re-
publcans. some rigidly machine. The ma
jority are straight Republicans; that is. in
dependent at the primaries and averse to
ticket splitting at the general election.
DUT what interested me about them as l
- stood looking at them exchanging notes
on their counties before the meeting the other
day was their alert cffectualness and their
good humored. shrewd summing up of their
constituencies. could account for the choice
of nearly all of them.
Mrs. iIsterlnc of Blair County, for in
stance. had proved herself n great reserve
force in Red Cross work during the war
Mrs. Edward Durham, of Lchigh County.
was the alert, ,resourceful daughter of her
father. ed" Young. the political boss Of
his country for many years. Mrs. Ruth
Sapper, Of Pottsville, has certainly the ira
-. .s,~
her father is Charlie" Snyder, of Schuyl-
kill County.
But facing these "dyed in the wool"
machine women was Miss Henrietta Badly
Lyon, Of Williamsport. who belongs to the
suffrage type of political woman. l met her
the last time high up in the councils of the
League of Women Voters acting for Lycom-
ing County on Mrs. AIiller's State executive.
Mrs. Walter King Sharp. of Chambers
burg, on the other hand, is of still another
type, more of a club woman, certainly a
war work ker, obviously a phlanthropic
power in her community and outside of it.
Mrs. Worthington Scranton, of Scranton,
would come under that head too.
Mrs. James Mack, Of Indiana County, was
the daughter of n famous father who, as
head of the State Normal School, made his
tory in educational affairs some years ago:
ID. j. Waller is snamc people in bloomsbury
are rightly proud Of. l do not know Miss
Livesey, of Norristown. but she looked up
delphia as very energetic Alter adherent
during last springs primaries and as q
member of the Republican Women of Penn
sylvania
Another member of that notable club on
the committee is Mrs. George DEnning, who
Is one Of the few Of the old suffrage crowd
to be actively engaged In present day poll
tics. She made the transition from the old
to the new by pauSing for n season on the
island of the League of Women Voters as
nj ohoir f,cf ,,. itr
The other Philadelphia women or near
Philadelphia representing adjacent counties
are Mrs. William Warden. of the Finance
Committee. who apart from every other rea
son for being where she is is known for the
very leading part she took in war work on
the Emergency Aid I have always thought
that Mrs. Frank Grswold. who IL the secre-
tary of the State Executive Committee. had
great ability for public work. Mrs. Robert
Won Moschzisker, Mrs. Charles Brown and
Mrs. j. Willis Martin, whose husbands
judicial careers nre too well known to need
comment from me. Mrs. Martin for a
dozen reasons, certainly honors any commit
tee to which she belongs. In fact. the
PHILADELPHIA contingent on both the Execu-
tive and Finance Committees is very strong
one. There were also Mrs. Chapman from
Scranton and Mrs. Andrew Derr. of Wilkes
Barre, and last but not least, Mrs. Pinchot
Of, trust soon. Harrisburg.
COME of these women are on the Finance
- Committee, but the majority are on the
State Executive Committee The two had
joint session and will, fancy, act pretty
much as a unit in the future. Certainly to
judge by the stamp of those present men
and women. it is group full Of potential
usefulness both to the party executives and
to the county organizations, once it has been
acclimated-sO to spcak--tO its opportuni
ties. In the Executive Committee the verv
I,fn nolt nd f,nn l;ot.,
make its reports at once franker and more
enlightening than those of body who is
expected to turn its opinions into action on
the spot.
I made a rough calculation of the groups
with whom the women OF the committee we've
in touch and they would comprise we'll over
half a million Of their fellow women.
suppose the men may represent even more
with their presumably large business inter-
ests. have always thought, however. that
women had n more instructive sense Of the
trend Of public opinion than the generality
of men, and it is possible that Mr. Fisher
will find that he can come nearer the truth
of existing conditions from the reports of
the women on his committee while the men
| may be able to advise with more surpness
how to turn those conditions to account
| AT ALL events the political machine is in
| "A touch with more elements Of the voting
|
| It has ever been before. thanks to the careful
| and fair choice that the State Chairman has
made from the material available.
should oe curious to know what the
makeup Of the Democratic executive ma,
be, by way of comparison, As it happens
know only few of the leading women or
that side They are not to be discounted
those ! do know, either for ability or TO,
power TO SPEAK their minds.
In fact, power to speak their minds |.
what most Of them possess to an extraordi
nary degree. Mrs. Carol Miller. of Pitts
burgh. is among the quickest on the output
and Mrs. Brown, or as sne is known abou
here. Jean Kane Foulke' is not one bi
behind her. ! have never heard Mrs. Ed
ward Davis speak, but ! have heard her talk
and l will admit anywhere that she does no
lack pep as a onversationalist rathe
think that Mrs. Edward Browning, who i
counted on as a leader here, does not rel,
on her movers Of oratory. but she can express
her opinion very well and can fight an issu
very effectively.
cratic friends that they had chosen 6oth tbeI