The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-01
From the New York World.J
The Woman In Politics.

After hours of coaching she swelled serenely
and really felt as If she knew as much about
politics as any OF them. sit must have been
born in me, and now breaks out suddenly as
Sara Bernhardts talent for 'sculpting,'" she
said. To see how quickly che flung crochet
mats and embroidered tides to the winds and
took new role wa, a marvel LET the old
house take care of ITSELF" she said wildly.
"My ticket is made out and there's lots Of
backbone in it too, L tell you, and I'll stand on
this platform till drop, and won't ever drop;
and you just see me freeze to civil service re-
form and 60 in for clean streets and more water
on the top floor-not to be forever pumping Il
up-and rapid transit and everything Then
she bought a stun ming new hat and several
pairs OF lovely six-buttoned gloves and went on
the warpath. "They may caucus and caucus,''
she said as she tugged at her glove-buttons
with a hair-pin, and got red trying to pull
them through-''they may caucus until thew
are black in the face, but wop't 90 back on
my friends, aud Uncle John will have the in.
side track or will have somebody's scalp in
this campaign and that for their old regular
nomination Nothing is regular that is wrongp'
and she viciously stuck the now twisted hair
pin in her back pufrs at random.
But she does not talk like that outside. Her
mode OF attacking an ordinvry mortal man is
very simple. "Oh, please won't you vote for
my candidate" He stammers, hesitates and il
fool enough to ask "why?" She pulls a patbst-
ic little face and says very ilogically, "Oh, be-
cause want you to. She has Of course 10
glib reasons to back her request, she thoroughly
knows the cate chism of the campaion. can
bring out her candidates strong points with
vigor and her enemies weak ones with venom.
but she knows a trick worth two of that She
smiles and smiles and is-a woman, She be-
lleves in her soul that the weak spot in Gail
Hamilton is her extreme strength of argument.
50 she does not argue at all. You can't slide off
the SUBJECT though, and tackle the weather
or the cuckoo song" in "Marjolains" for she
gently skips you back to your NUT
ton, or rather her mutton, and is per-
sistent for "Yes' or "No." II you are
brute enough to refuse point-blank, she looks
at you with mute, twitching mouth and two
miserable big eyes in which tears gather, and
quickly. softly yanishes, saying with extreme
gentleness, "Good-by. Thank you''-which
sounds like sigh, reproach, caress. ali in
one. You feel as mean as il you had struck a
little boy or wrung q canary-bird's neck You
go over and over the interview in your mind
and are wretched. You might have softened
the blow. you think, but she went in such a
hurry. You neglect your business all the after
noon, and at night you write her note prom
islng everything, and so you 60 back to your
party and feel like sneak all around,
To tradespeople she IS gay and friendly, and
promises them untold custom forever and a
day, and she really means it at the time. She
advises with them about their little ones, and
kisses the baby and prescribes for 1t; but there