age League
and an executive committee was appointed, Mrs. Sarah Burger Stearns,
a veteran suffragist, formerly of Minnesota, chairman. On December 1 a
meeting was called by this committee and the league was re-organized;
President, Mrs. Caroline M. Severance; vice-president, Mrs. Shelley
Tolhurst; secretary, Mrs. Lenore C. Schultz. Monthly meetings were
held for several years at the Woman's Club House, the money for the
rent being given by Mr. Wilde, whose sympathy was strong for suffrage.
The years from 1900 to 1910-11 were just years of "carrying on" and
well the pioneers did their work.[14] They kept the fires burning and
gradually all kinds of organizations of women became permeated with a
belief in suffrage for women and were ready for the final campaign.

The work of John Hyde Braly in Southern California deserves a place by
itself. A prosperous business man and public-spirited citizen, when
the call came to assist the movement to enfranchise the women of the
State he saw the necessity of interesting men of prominence. From
early in January, 1910, he worked to secure the enrollment of one
hundred names of the leading citizens of Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Finally he arranged a mid-day banquet on the fifth of April and about
fifty responded. Organization was perfected with a charter membership
of one hundred influential men under the name of the Political
Equality League of California and the following compact was signed:
"We hereby associate ourselves together for the purpose of securing
political equality and suffrage without distinction on account of
sex." The officers elected were: J. H. Braly, president; Judge Waldo
M. Yorke, first vice-president; Hulett Merritt, second; J. D.
Bradford, secretary and treasurer. Enthusiastic speeches were made and
Mr. Braly said that they were initiating this movement at the
psychological time, for the progressive fever was in the California
blood. It was a man's job to take a hand in the enfranchisement of
women, since it was the men who must decide it by their votes. The
league was pledged to work to induce the legislators to submit the
amendment to the voters. Nine men were organized in a Board of
Governors and it was decided to have women become associate members
of the organization, they to select nine women to be governors with
the men. The movement was thus popularized and desirable men and women
of all classes rapidly joined it.

Headquarters were established in the St