A TOWN RULED BY WOMEN

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 160, 8 July 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

A TOWN RULED BY WOMEN

"The fame of Onehunga has suffered eclipse through the recent action of the electors of Seattle, n town of 500 inhabitants in Northern Kansas, where Mrs Marie Totten, wife Of Charles Totten, prominent merchant, has been elected Mayor. Her pajority over James Wall, the theu Mayor, was 67. "':'

There were two .tickets In the field—a woman's ticket, hea&d by Marie Totten, and the man's, ticket,?"jbieaded by James Wall; Both sides mad*e a strong campaign.

Beattle has .been"for the last two years so overran with saloons and joints that it was impossible to live there comfortably. The women felt keenly the disgrace, and not long ago held a convention to devise some means to change, the .town's ways. They planned to put a ticket in the field in the next municipal election. That was ten months ago. Every night when the husbands and grown . sons . came home from their work the housewives would bring up the subjiect'of saloons and what a disgrace they were to Beattle.

Little by little the women unfolded their plan, only to'learn the opposition they would meet with. Hence, two months before the election the campaign opened, and the "strongest" men and women were placed on the tickets and the soliciting of votes was on. ' '■ Mrs Totten Was a very popular woman, as was Miss Gussle O'Neil, a candidate for Clerk, and : they made a personal canvass together. The men got most of their votes from the liquor element Election day, despite the. inclement weather, saw every woman in town driving a rig, taking voters to the polls. As a result, several hundred ' men cast votes, for .the woman's ticket. There were numerous rows at" the polls between men aiid women, but when the . votes were' counted It was found that the Women were- elected by majorities ranging from 50 to 100.' :. The Police Judge'and'City Marshall are men, but they have declared their intention to resign and turn over their offices to the ' women. ''.'_.' ', " \The Inhabitants of Beattle. generally are Pleased with the results, and as Mrs Totten a •» clearheaded, and said to be quite capable °f anything, she may serve many 'more terms. • .... ... She Is 40.years.of age, while Miss O'Neil, the Clerk, is only 28. Neither has served In office before; nor have any of the other wo-

men elected. All the other women officeholders are over 40-years of age. They will c"gagee"gage the" present male office-holders to »how them'how to attend to the business. Mrs Totten is quite wealthy, and will use" jnueh of her own money during her administration in .eiialring the town's streets and parks. Their terms of office are for two years.

■A large proportion of the city employees, hjicludhig 'the police, will be women. It Is believed1 that-an attractive but dignified Policewoman would enjoy a moral author•i? far greater than that of a mere policeman. No Kansass.man will dare become «m* afrd disorderly under the eye of a policewoman. - ■«>

T T? c omen expect to achieve great re--1 K_? I?'** Street cleani »X Department. !; JJJ* d^!»rWll} be to keep the streets of " eas depi a* their own n °nies, perwps even cleaner, because their devotion w public affairs will not leave them much , hme to spend at home. In fact, they will | «ep the streets as clean as tbelr homes ' oagut to be. ',',;, , ■ An Important tneasure of reform will con- . .!, J n artistically draped bags on *" the lamp-posts, In which citizens will be to .drop nil scraps of paper and .»'-er u sht rubbl g n