Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/569

PENNSYLVANIA 553 Beeber of Philadelphia as president and more than 100 promi- nent members enrolled. Fourteen new organizations were formed during the year but the larger part of the State was still unorganized. The national suffrage convention preceded the State convention and gave an impetus to the movement. An evening mass meeting in the Metropolitan Opera House made the record of the largest and most enthusiastic suffrage meeting ever held in this city. [See Chapter XII, Volume V.] The asso- ciation now had 7,211 members. Mrs. Frank M. Roessing of Pittsburgh was elected president and this young, practical woman principally responsible for changing the character of the work from purely propagandistic lines to recognized business standards. The annual convention met in Pittsburgh, Oct. 28-30, 1913, the president's term of office was lengthened to two years and Mrs. Roessing was reelected. The State Grange and the Federa- tion of Labor reaffirmed their suffrage resolutions and the Inter- national Brotherhood of Firemen went on record in favor. A proposition to submit the question of woman suffrage to the voters had been favorably passed on by the Legislature and waited action by a second. Great strides were made in 1914. A press department con- ducted along professional lines supplied all the papers of the State with live suffrage news and there were suffrage editions of several papers. Miss Hannah J. Patterson of Pittsburgh had charge of organizing the Woman Suffrage Party along political out of the State association, and to Mrs. Roessing and her especial credit for the strong, workable organization which was built tip so carefully in preparation for the campaign The State convention was held in Scranton, November j. There was every indication that the next Legislature would submit a constitutional amendment and the Executive for a campaign fund of $100,000, of which $30,000 were pledged at the convention. Mrs. William Thaw, Jr., of Mirgh offered $10,000 if the fund reached $50,000 by April i. With this splendid foundation the State was ready to take up the actual work of the campaign in 1915. Mrs. Charles <T Kuschenberger of Strafford announced that she would VOL. TI